Europes

Europe’s race for economic self-defense has moved from white paper to red alert. Mario Draghi warned in 2024 that, “for the first time since the Cold War, we must genuinely fear for our self-preservation.” A year later, with Donald Trump’s 15% tariffs on EU goods in force and a deteriorating global backdrop, Brussels is scrambling to convert a decade of stalled ideas into hard law and money. The stakes are stark. Global trade is slowing. Cheap Russian energy is gone. The EU, Draghi argued, needs to mobilize up to €800…

Analysis: Europe draws a line in the Arctic as Trump presses bid to take Greenland The image raced across social media: Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, stepping out of the White House and wordlessly fishing a cigarette from a pack. He lit up, then offered both pack and lighter to his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt. The optics matched the moment. Inside, a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had gone sideways, and a thin diplomatic accord collapsed almost as…

EU warns of sabotage risk as Finland seizes ship suspected in Baltic cable damage Europe “remains vigilant” as its critical infrastructure faces a high risk of sabotage, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said, after Finnish authorities seized a cargo vessel suspected of damaging a subsea telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn. Finnish police detained the Fitburg, a 132-meter cargo ship, and its 14 crew members as part of an investigation into damage to a telecoms cable in the Gulf of Finland. Authorities…

Europe is bringing back the citizen-soldier. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a growing number of European governments have moved to reintroduce conscription or expand voluntary national service, reversing three decades of reliance on smaller, professional armies. Germany and France are the latest to join the shift, betting that wider training for young adults is the fastest way to rebuild reserves, harden deterrence and prepare for a long era of insecurity. The trend marks a significant recalibration.…

"One thing that stands out in the new National Military Strategy is that it is 10X more critical of Europe than Russia," Representative Don Bacon said, capturing the bluntness of a document that lands like a geopolitical hammer on transatlantic relations. The U.S. National Security Strategy released this week reframes Europe not primarily as a continental partner to be cultivated through institutions and trade, but as a civilisational project in need of rescue. The 60-some page blueprint — three of which are devoted to…

Recently, when European Union officials visited Washington, they were met with an eye-opening presentation from Jerome Powell, the Chair of the US Federal Reserve. He showcased a striking chart that compared American productivity over four decades against that of the European Union. This graph illustrated that the United States has enjoyed a solid increase in productivity at 2%, while the European Union lagged behind with just 1% growth. As Mr. Powell shared with a Senate committee, "The striking disparity in income and…

Iraqi Militia Threatens to Halt Oil Exports, Europe's Winter Energy Security at Stake BAGHDAD, Iraq — An influential figure from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has sounded a grave alert about the ripple effects of potential warfare in the Middle East on global energy resources. Sharing his thoughts over social media, he proclaimed, "If war erupts, not a single barrel of oil or cubic meter of gas will exit the Middle East. Winter looms…