View from Sofia: A Single-Issue agenda sidelines longer-term concerns
When the future of the EU is discussed in Sofia, keeping the four freedoms intact takes primacy over any desire for a cultural counter-revolution
Commentary
View from Warsaw: the Polish riddle
It is less about concrete policy ideas than an overall strategy towards the EU: will it take a pragmatic position or pursue an ideological path?
European defence: More smoke, but will there be fire?
There are plenty of ways Europe can improve defence co-ordination – if its leaders truly want to move down this path. The determining factor will be political will in national capitals
Stopping migration is impossible; managing it is smarter
Simple, practical solutions for the migration problem exist. Europe just needs organisation.
Hungary’s migrant quota referendum: Never let a good crisis go to waste
A likely ‘no’ vote in Hungary’s legally questionable referendum will provide ammunition for Orbán’s battle with Brussels
Putin’s gamble on Russia’s Duma elections
Putin has sought to improve the apparent transparency of the electoral process while simultaneously strengthening the chance of a United Russia win. But pulling the election date forward delivers a short term benefit at the expense of longer term risk
The UK government’s Brexit strategy: What we know so far
Theresa May seems to be looking for a compromise around freedom of movement in order to retain access to the Single Market
The Apple tax bill is not protectionism
International conflicts are inevitable when governments challenge the excesses of multinational corporations
Playing Defense in Europe
The dislocation and confusion of 2016 do not rival the turmoil of the interwar period, but they are certainly symptoms of a new interregnum
Uzbekistan after Islam Karimov: The challenge of succession
It is difficult to predict how the transition will play out due to Uzbekistan’s opaque power sharing configuration. Nonetheless one can identify four potential scenarios