The Sun Sets on the Transatlantic Dream
As Trump weakens Western alliances and democracy erodes at home, Europeans confront a painful truth: yesterday’s world is gone.
Politics
Analysis and debate on European and national politics, democracy, the rule of law, parties and elections, and Europe’s place in the world.
Finland’s Right-Wing Coalition Plans Fifty Years of Austerity Through National Debt Brake
Finland’s government wants public debt below 40 percent of GDP, forcing decades of cuts stricter than EU rules.
Restoring Public-Sector Capacity Where It Counts
Mariana Mazzucato and Rainer Kattel
Cities face crises first. Investing in capable, adaptive local governments is essential for resilience, inclusion, and democracy.
Trump Puts America Up for Sale: Everything Now Comes With a Price Tag
From $100,000 work visas to million-dollar “gold cards,” Trump turns government services into transactions for the highest bidder.
Trump’s Show of Force
State governors are emerging as democracy’s last defenders against federal overreach and military deployments.
The Lethal Consensus: How Liberals Lost the War of Ideas
Bold visions defeat timid reforms—yet liberals insist on bringing policy briefs to an ideological gunfight.
Why Putin Does Not Want Peace in Ukraine
Even America’s most Russia-friendly president cannot deliver the ceasefire Moscow’s strategic calculations demand.
Violence As Policy in Trump’s America
Trump uses far-right activist’s killing to justify violence while portraying himself as victim.
The Far Right Is Winning In Austria—Even In Opposition
Austria’s government cuts welfare whilst hardening on immigration—a losing strategy that strengthens the far right.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete as Policy: Why Deregulation Won’t Save EU Innovation
The European Commission’s push to slash regulations in pursuit of competitiveness risks undermining the very foundations of technological progress.
The Middle East Conflict: What Would Albert Einstein Have Said?
Albert Einstein’s genius for unconventional thinking offers a provocative framework for breaking today’s deadly stalemate through economic compensation.
Federation or Vassalisation, It’s Decision Time
Josep Borrell, Guy Verhofstadt and Domènec Ruiz Devesa
Europe must choose: federal union and self-determination, or decline into division and American vassalage.
Germany’s Minimum Wage Hike In Accordance With The European Minimum Wage Directive
Thorsten Schulten and Malte Lübker
Germany’s wage commission sets a new course, linking pay floor to EU benchmark after years of modest rises.
Europe’s Energy Divide: Why the Green Transition Risks Leaving Half the Continent Behind
Dario Guarascio, Jelena Reljic and Francesco Zezza
As fossil fuel dependency threatens sovereignty, the EU’s fragmented response deepens existing inequalities.
Reclaiming Sutan Sjahrir: The Quiet Moral Core of Democratic Socialism in Southeast Asia
Sutan Sjahrir, Indonesia’s first Prime Minister, offers a forgotten blueprint for ethical leadership.
Housing Crisis Threatens to Fracture Central and Eastern Europe
Jeffrey Sommers, Daniel Pop and Cosmin Marian
A lack of affordable housing in urban centres is driving political instability across Central and Eastern Europe.