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Europe
List of Europe articles
![The wind blows a plastic bag past the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on Jan. 23, 2008.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Olympics-environment-pollution-GettyImages-79171292.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Olympics Have a Dirty History—Literally
But a green sports movement is pushing for change, eager to see if Paris will be different.
![Tusk, Macron, and Scholz meet in Berlin](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/tusk-macron-scholz-weimar-GettyImages-2086258104-e1721380765365.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Who Will Fill Europe’s Leadership Vacuum?
Paris is cheap and Berlin has no strategy. For serious leadership, look to Warsaw.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen straight on as he attends an Orthodox Easter service. Putin wears a black suit and dark tie and a serious expression. Colorful drapes or curtains hang slightly out of focus behind him.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Putin-war-sanctions-GettyImages-2150947845.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russian Oil Is Still Paying for Putin’s War
After initial success, Western energy sanctions are stalling out.
![People in tiered levels of a convention center work at computers near a large banner that reads "Make American Great Once Again."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rnc-2024-milwaukee-gop-trump-GettyImages-2162446456.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
‘Our Last-Ditch Pitch’: Nervous U.S. Allies Put Boots on Ground at RNC
Europe’s diplomatic heavyweights are flocking to Milwaukee to court Trump’s party.
![A ripped and warped section from the side of a plane rests in the foreground of a broad expanse of a grassy field against a cloudy sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-mh17-crash-russia-west-GettyImages-452327078.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How the West Misunderstood Moscow in Ukraine
Ten years ago, Russia’s first invasion failed to wake up a bamboozled West. The reasons are still relevant today.
![Nigel Farage, a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue suit and red tie in front of a paneled wood wall, is seen at a tilted angle while he delivers a speech in central London. One hand is raised to gesture as he speaks.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FARAGE-UK-CONSERVATIVES-DEFEAT-GettyImages-2156866978.png?w=800?quality=80)
Britain’s Tories Need to Avoid Farage’s Siren Song
Swinging to the far right won’t help the party recover from a harsh election defeat.
![Ukrainian servicemen wearing camouflage fatigues proceed up the aisle of a church as they carry the coffin of one of their fallen countrymen. The walls of the church are decorated with ornate portraits and detailing showing Orthodox Christian saints and other figures.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UKRAINE-RUSSIA-PEACE-GettyImages-2161643322.png?w=800?quality=80)
Whose Terms Will Set a Peace Deal in Ukraine?
The war is unlikely to end in total victory for either Moscow or Kyiv.
![A man dressed in military camouflage fatigues holds a controller as he stands in front of a large robotic vehicle on a dirt road.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-robots-war-russia-GettyImages-2149502069.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
![Maria Butina (center), who served time in a U.S. jail for acting as a Russian government agent, arrives at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Oct. 26, 2019, a day after her release from prison.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SPIES-RUSSIA-CHINA-GettyImages-1178220434.png?w=800?quality=80)
Stop Wasting Captured Spies
Russian and Chinese agents should be prosecuted, not expelled.
![U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd L) meets with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd R) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington on July 10.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lammy-nato-blinken-GettyImages-2160833301.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain Needs a New Middle East Policy
The new U.K. government shouldn’t only pursue a reset with Europe, it also needs to mend its ties throughout the Arab world.
![Oleg Nefedov, a judge of Russia's Supreme Court, reads a decision in Moscow on Nov. 30, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1813306646.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russia Is Using Lawsuits to Fight the West’s Sanctions
Ukraine is currently on the losing side of the new legal front in the West’s economic war.
![Chinese soldiers in Belarus for military training.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/china-belarus-training-NATO.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Asian Powers Set Their Strategic Sights on Europe
After 500 years, the tables have turned, with an incoherent Europe the object of rising Asia’s geopolitical ambitions.
![Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer waves as he arrives for the UEFA Euro 2024 final football match between Spain and England at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2161404138.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Starmer Fix Britain’s Economy Without Big Policy Changes?
The new prime minister has ruled out raising taxes for most people or rejoining the EU.
![Donald Trump is surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage, surrounded by a crowd during a campaign rally. Trump is pulling away from the agents and lifting his fist to the crowd as he is escorted away.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/political-crisis-trump-rally-assasination-GettyImages-2161339004.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Fears Trump Shooting Could Deepen America’s Political Crisis
Officials expressed anxiety over the health of U.S. democracy after the assassination attempt.
![A man looks down at his cell phone as he walks on a sidewalk beneath a looming billboard showing a photo of a military pilot, the letter Z, and text in Russian translated as "Everything will work out for us." A Moscow city street is seen beneath a blue sky in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/RUSSIA-PUBLIC-WAR-UKRAINE-GettyImages-1242682816.png?w=800?quality=80)
Russians Expect Nothing From Putin’s War
Political apathy is a psychological survival mechanism—and a possible route to peace.
![A satirical float shows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the annual carnival parade in Mainz, Germany, on Feb. 20, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/russia-eu-nato-GettyImages-1467908496-e1721046457249.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
For Putin, the EU Is a Bigger Threat Than NATO
The Kremlin fears the EU’s ability to spur deep political change.
![A woman's face is obscured by a souvenir fan from Rome, Italy.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rome-fan-GettyImages-2161273617.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Countering Europe’s Backlash to the Green Transition
A sustainable future is still possible—even amidst a radically altered political climate.
![A small group of protesters hold signs in support of Mikheil Saakashvili. In front of them is a larger sign depicting Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and Russian President Vladimir Putin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/georgia-russia-georgian-dream-GettyImages-1247339276.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Putin’s War Is Transforming Ukraine’s Neighbors
Moscow has tightened its grip in Eastern and Central Europe.
![Dark clouds hang over the silhouetted skylnie of London.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/caledonian-road-review-london-GettyImages-1157696530-e1720204653385.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
In ‘Caledonian Road,’ the U.K. Is Living on Thin Ice
A sweeping state-of-the-nation novel fails to convince the reader.
![A visitor wlks past a portrait of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, called "Winter," by Ukrainian Ruslan Kutnyak at the Art Expo Ukraine in Kiev on March 9, 2011.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-146206825.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Western Companies Are Now Paying for Russia Sanctions
U.S. and European companies still have billions of dollars in assets in Russia—and Moscow is starting to retaliate.
![Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on before the start of a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-nato-GettyImages-2160991112.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Is Helping Ukraine to Fight—but Not to Win
The Washington summit was heavy on promises but light on plans.
![Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin walk in front of a large crowd.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nato-xi-putin-russia-china-GettyImages-2152786411.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can NATO Really Cut Off China?
It’s unlikely that the alliance can fully prevent Chinese companies from fueling Russia’s war machine.
![King Willem-Alexander of Netherlands (C-R) stands next to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof (C-L) pose with the new ministers after the swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, on July 2. (](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DUTCH-NETHERLANDS-FARRIGHT-CABINET-GOVERNMENT-GettyImages-2159692384.png?w=800?quality=80)
The New Dutch Government Is a Total Mess
An unwieldy alliance highlights far-right scandals.
![Orban and Putin walk near a podium.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/orban-putin-GettyImages-2160016075.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Orban Became Putin’s Pawn
Among all of Russia’s useful idiots, few have sought to make themselves more useful than the Hungarian prime minister.
![French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wear hard hats and orange construction vests as they stand against a clear blue sky. Macron looks to the left and gestures with one hand while Hidalgo looks in the same direction, smiling.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-olympics-paris-macron-hidalgo-GettyImages-1235872564.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Competition for France’s Olympic Legacy
As the Games get underway, President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo are vying for first place on the political podium.
![Founder of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) Jean-Luc Melenchon following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election in Paris on July 7, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2160460643.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The New Meaning of France’s Anti-Fascism
This week’s elections show the country is doing more than simply replaying battles from its past.
![A man in a puffy North Face jacket over a shirt and tie looks to the side with his brow furrowed as he stands in front of a pile of twisted, war-damaged vehicles.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Labour-Britain-foreign-policy-GettyImages-1247190661.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Should Britain’s Role in the World Be Now?
New Labour, newest Labour, and the party’s quest for an ethical foreign policy.
![Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin are seen from the chest upward as they stand near each other in front of a yellow wall. Each man has one hand raised to gesture as they lean close to speak to each other.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Modi-Putin-India-Russia-GettyImages-2160691573.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Modi-Putin Summit Wasn’t All Bad News for Washington
Why the “Russia factor” is a manageable challenge for the U.S.-India partnership.
![U.S. President Joe Biden (left) listens to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (right) speak during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NATO-ANNIVERSARY-GettyImages-2160862779.png?w=800?quality=80)
How to Sell NATO to Gen Z
Here are some relationship tips for the 75-year-old alliance.
![Bands that wrap the bottom of artillery shells made for the U.S. military and used by Ukraine in its war against Russia are pictured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NATO-Russia-arms-race-defense-industry-NATO-summit-GettyImages-2147867995.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO’s Arms Race Against Russia Heats Up
Alliance leaders look to shake awake long dormant defense industrial bases.
![U.S. Marine Corps recruits from Lima Company complete a 10-mile hike at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, California, on April 22, 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/recruits-us-marines-GettyImages-1232466443-e1720600128615.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Return of the Military Draft
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza show that technology cannot replace soldiers—on the contrary.
![Narendra Modi wearing a Russian decoration around his neck, wraps his arms around Vladimir Putin in a hug against a neutral wall.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/putin-modi-hug-india-russia-GettyImages-2160691646.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russia Is a Strategic Spoiler in the Indo-Pacific
As Beijing and Washington vie for supremacy, Moscow still has formidable influence.
![Soldiers stand in front of military vehicles parked on the grass. A row of flags fronted by a NATO flag is at right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nato-russia-article-5-GettyImages-1241758892.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Wants Everyone to Help Deter Russia
Every country needs a plan to keep calm and carry on in the event of a Russian attack.
![Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden walking side-by-side with the Ukrainian and U.S. flag in the background](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/zelensky-biden-security-pact-GettyImages-2156793340-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How to Make the U.S.-Ukraine Security Pact Stick
The White House and Congress need to start talking.
![Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NATO-Summit-Washington-Putin-Russia-Trump-Europe-GettyImages-2160612041.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Watch for at NATO’s 75th Birthday Bash
Allies are bickering about whether to give Ukraine a path into NATO and worried about Biden’s fitness for office.
![A man wearing a dark overcoat and red tie smiles as he crosses a street between buildings against a glowing sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/David-Lammy-Britain-foreign-secretary-GettyImages-1244103953.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain’s New Foreign Secretary Hates Trump and Loves America
David Lammy is determined to stay on message—but he has always had strong opinions.
![NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a joint press conference in Kyiv on April 29.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/zelesnky-stoltenberg-nato-GettyImages-2150169058.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine’s Opportunity at the NATO Summit
To secure victory, the alliance must now capitalize on progress made by the G-7.
![Britain's new Defense Secretary John Healey leaves 10 Downing Street in London on July 5.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/healey-uk-defense-GettyImages-2160045070.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Does a Labour Win Mean for U.K. Defense Policy?
An experienced politician has taken over the defense file—and the party has shed much of its old ideological baggage.
![Mark Rutte, who is now NATO's secretary-general, looks on during a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on April 17, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rutte-nato-GettyImages-2147877407.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Does NATO Have a Future?
As the alliance’s leaders gather in Washington, the prospect of a second Trump administration looms large.
![New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference after his first cabinet meeting at Downing Street, London, on July 6.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/starmer-china-GettyImages-2160180036-e1720428495447.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Keir Starmer Should Rethink Britain’s China Policy
Festering issues—from Beijing’s support for Moscow to domestic interference—fill the Labour government’s inbox.
![A Ukrainian serviceman carries a large drone on the frontlines.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-ukraine-drone-production-private-war-russia-GettyImages-1259129626.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Ukraine’s Drone Industry Took Flight
A state campaign rolled back red tape and regulation inherited from its Soviet past.
![Biden at 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/biden-nato-GettyImages-1533430284-e1720190298688.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
This NATO Summit Is a Big Win for Biden
The alliance’s resurgence since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a signature achievement.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden following the announcement of a joint G-7 declaration in support of Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1536748728.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
America Is in Denial About NATO’s Future
An alliance that includes Ukraine will require a vastly larger military and economic commitment.
![New electric cars for sale are seen parked at a distribution center of the Changan automobile company in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality on March 24, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2102854838.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Fight Over China’s Electric Cars Is Upside-Down
Why Europe’s car companies are against—and environmentalists are for—making Chinese EVs more expensive.
![A photo illustration shows a large Chinese flag drape hangs at left with the silhouette of Joe Biden walking behind it as he holds a binder and small U.S. flag. Three EU flags are seen on stands at right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/us-grand-strategy-china-europe-GettyImages-1206811779.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe’s New Role in U.S. Strategy
The U.S.-European relationship will have several practical benefits for Washington’s rivalry with Beijing.
![A Ukrainian border guard in a camouflaged uniform faces a yellow and white Ukrzaliznytsia diesel train and a red Polish SKPL transport company train on two sets of railroad tracks in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-railways-europe-GettyImages-1730213664.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine Lays Its Tracks to Europe
By expanding its railways, Kyiv hopes to tie its fate to the rest of the continent.
![The BYD Explorer No. 1 car carrier gets loaded with new-energy vehicles for export at the port of Yantai, Shandong province, China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EV-china-eu-GettyImages-1926884696.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How China Could Retaliate Against the EU’s Looming EV Tariffs
China wants to contain growing trade threats without further alienating Europe.
![From left: Labour leader Keir Starmer and former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown arrive ahead of the proclamation of King Charles III in London on Sept. 10, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1243089976.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Keir Starmer Is Tony Blair, Minus the Optimism
Britain’s new government is copying the “New Labour” playbook, but the country’s atmosphere has changed in the meantime.
![U.S. President Joe Biden takes a look at his notes during the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections in Atlanta, Georgia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/biden-debate-world-reaction-GettyImages-2158930823.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden’s Debate Performance Has Some U.S. Allies Worried
The U.S. president’s lackluster performance was a wake-up call about the prospects of a second Trump term.
![Polish Foreign Minister Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks in Berlin, Germany.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1972948986-e1719256548175.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Europe Wants From the NATO Summit
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski: “I hope we show unity.”
![Labour Leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie with supporters.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-GettyImages-1426998508.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What a U.K. Labour Win Means for the Global Left
Keir Starmer’s victory will transform Britain’s image—and could reinvigorate social democrats across the globe.
![Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment stand at a shooting range at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nato-soldiers-russia-GettyImages-1250750693-e1719826922485.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Europe’s Front-Line States Have Enough Soldiers to Fight?
Dire demographics and easy emigration pose a serious challenge if Russia attacks.
![A group of political activists bundled up in warm clothing walks along a sidewalk in London while protesting a law in Hong Kong. Some of the demonstrators hold flags and handwritten cardboard signs.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UK-HONGKONG-ELECTIONS-GettyImages-2100332166.png?w=800?quality=80)
Hong Kong’s Democratic Diaspora Is Embracing British Elections
A recently arrived voting bloc could decide seats in London.
![Marine Le Pen, the former president of the Rassemblement National, gives a speech during the first round of the parliamentary elections in Henin-Beaumont, France.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/france-far-right-le-pen-GettyImages-2159407035-e1719858031906.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Economic Issues Drove France’s Far-Right Win
The Rassemblement National found first-round success, but what is its economic platform?
![A member of NATO-led peacekeepers holds the NATO flag during the change of command ceremony in Pristina, Kosovo, on Sept. 3, 2014.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/nato-flag-soldier-GettyImages-454534252.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Is Turning 75, but How Much Is There to Celebrate?
Managing the alliance is more difficult now that the United States has new allies and adversaries.
![Europe-EU-NATO-Donald-Trump-US-election-foreign-policy-illustration-doug-chayka-3-2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Europe-EU-NATO-Donald-Trump-US-election-foreign-policy-illustration-doug-chayka-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Alone
Nine thinkers on the continent’s future without America’s embrace.
![A man in an orange shirt is shown from the back walking past a metal fence with campaign posters.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/French-election-2024-GettyImages-2158623614.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Know as France Goes to the Polls
FP’s essential stories on the French election.
![Juergen-habermas-riccardo-vecchio-illustration-3-2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Juergen-habermas-riccardo-vecchio-illustration-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The World Still Needs Habermas
The German philosopher is starting to outlive his liberal legacy.
![The word atrevida is written in script against blue and white tiles](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/atrevida-portugal-gender-decoder-joao-neves-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
An Atrevida Is Best Avoided
The Portuguese word that exposes the country’s lingering double standards on gender.
![Iranian women arrive to cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Tehran on June 28.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iran-election-women-GettyImages-2158963025.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Will Elections in France, Iran, and the U.K. Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy?
As more countries prepare to go to the polls, Julian Assange is freed and Vladimir Putin cozies up to Kim Jong Un.
![Belgian Wout van Aert of WorldTeam Visma-Lease a Bike pictured at the team presentation ahead of the 2024 Tour de France cycling race, in Florence, Italy.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2158903525.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Dreyfus Affair and the Origins of the Tour de France
The grueling cycling competition has a rich political history.
![A pedestrian passes vandalized European Parliament election posters of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party on a street in Paris on June 27.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/far-right-france-elections-populist-GettyImages-2158907448.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The West Misunderstands Its Own Far Right
The right-wing parties poised to take power aren’t populist. They’re something much worse.
![A person is seen from the back looking at a poster of Macron.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/jewish-voters-le-pen-rn-GettyImages-679852422.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Are French Jews Supporting the Far Right?
Prominent Jewish figures are publicly entertaining what was once considered unthinkable: voting for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.
![U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/trump-biden-presidential-debate-june-2024-GettyImages-2158941093.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Key Foreign-Policy Moments From the Trump-Biden Debate
The two candidates clashed over Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, immigration, and America’s global image.
![Le Pen speaks at a podium.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/le-pen-rn-bardella-GettyImages-2156230322.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Would a Far-Right Victory Mean for French Foreign Policy?
Cohabitation would test France’s approach toward Ukraine, Israel, NATO, and the EU.
![Illustration of a torn map of Europe revealing Donald Trump](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Europe-EU-trump-US-election-joan-wong-illustration-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Trump’s Return Would Transform Europe
Without Washington’s embrace, the continent could revert to an anarchic and illiberal past.
![President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend an event with G7 leaders to announce a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1527471408-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO’s Trump-Proofing Efforts Are Floundering
Ahead of the U.S. election, the alliance is trying—and failing—to safeguard assistance for Ukraine.
![Leaders in business attire in a row on a golf course look up at the sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/g7-summit-day-one-GettyImages-2156775446.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun
The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China.
![Members of the far-right “Hungarian Self-Defense Movement” hold a banner reading “Sin should not be an object of pride” at the protest against the Pride parade in Budapest, Hungary.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HUNGARY-HOMOPHOBIA-PRIDE-GettyImages-1533425070.png?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Right Is Copying Hungary’s Attack on Adoption
So-called pro-family laws are attempts at annihilating LGBTQ+ people.
![A person in a construction vest and hard hat walks toward the shoreline where a thick cable lies.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/undersea-fiber-optic-cable-GettyImages-695501000.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Wants to Boost Its Undersea Defenses
Officials fear Russia could cut the undersea cable network that undergirds much of the global economy.
![A man in a white T-shirt sits on the edge of a bed looking out a window, the view outside partly obscured by hazy curtains. A haze of yellow light covers entire scene.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/loneliness-security-risk-iStock-1784065424.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Loneliness Is a National Security Crisis
Internet scams target vulnerable people with powerful access.
![Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, wearing wire-frame glasses, a suit jacket, and open-collared button-up shirt with no tie, furrows his brow as he looks to his right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mark-Rutte-NATO-h_16212302.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time
Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance.
![German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz chats with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius at the SPD national congress on December 8, 2023 in Berlin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1832848464.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Germany Has 1 Year to Replace Olaf Scholz
The chancellor is hugely unpopular—and a popular minister is waiting in the wings.
![A crate with 16 charges in the packaging area of a production line at a powders and explosives plant.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/EXPLOSIVES-EUROPE-WAR-GettyImages-2147050210.png?w=800?quality=80)
It’s Time to Learn How to Blow Things Up Again
A shortage of explosives experts is threatening Europe’s security.
![An area of the Passerelle Mimram pedestrian bridge which connects Kehl, Germany to Strasbourg, France is pictured on April 4, 2009 during the NATO summit.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-85798194.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine Needs a ‘Wet Gap Crossing’ to NATO
It’s time to use the U.S. military’s playbook for building a wartime bridge to Ukraine.
![A crowd of hundred of people in formal attire fills the floor in an ornate ballroom in Vienna. Others stand in rows of balcony seats climbing up to the ceiling in the vast space.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Opera-Ball-Vienna-csm_Opernball_240208-070KatharinaSchiffl_3286_a544124f9a.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
If Europe Is Lost, Why Not Party?
Vienna’s balls may be more inclusive than ever, but nostalgia hits different with the far right on the ascent.
![The book cover of Look Away by Jacob Kushner](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Look-Away-German-Far-Right-Immigrants-Jacob-Kushner-book-review.png?w=800?quality=80)
Germany’s Far-Right Surge Isn’t New
The country’s failure to confront deadly extremists in the early 2000s should be a warning.
![U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during a meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 4.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/lloyd-austin-hun-manet-cambodia-GettyImages-2155358599.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How the West Embraced Cambodia’s New Prime Minister
Hun Manet may appear more friendly and even-keeled than his father, but political repression continues apace.
![A man walks past a currency exchange office in Moscow.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156747006_bb198e.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is Russia’s Economy Still Growing?
Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have had limited impact.
![French Rassemblement National (RN) party leader Marine Le Pen (L) followed by party president Jordan Bardella arrives on stage to address supporters in Paris, on June 9.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/le-pen-bardella-france-election-GettyImages-2156247851.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Europe’s Turn to the Right Here to Stay?
Right-wing populists did well in the EU Parliament elections. Now France’s president is testing the public’s appetite for being governed by them.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands after signing a bilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy's Apulia region on June 13.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156791760.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden and the G-7 Seek to Reassure Ukraine
A new security agreement and $50 billion funding deal signal that the West remains united in Kyiv’s defense—but how long will it last?
![Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to review the honor guards of the presidential regiment following his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin’s Sobornaya Square in Moscow on May 7.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Putin-Russia-espionage-NATO-Europe-GettyImages-2151346630.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russia Ramps Up Sabotage Operations in Europe
Western officials struggle to respond to a new wave of “hybrid warfare.”
![French President Emmanuel Macron is seen in profile while delivering an onstage speech. Two bright white lights glare in the background, one on each side of his head. Macron is a man in his mid-40s with dark hair, wearing a black suit.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1248235918.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Macron Is Destroying His Democracy to Save It
Why France’s president has decided to embrace electoral chaos.
![French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference in Paris.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/macron-far-right-parliament-GettyImages-2157274719.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Was Macron Thinking?
France’s president is forcing voters to decide if they really want the National Rally in power—and betting that governing could dent the far-right’s popularity before 2027.
![The head of former U.S. President Donald Trump is seen as he peers over a black car door as he exits Trump Tower and enters the vehicle on a Manhattan street.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154813003.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Trump’s Case Is the Exception, Not the Rule
White-collar crimes are prosecuted at much lower rates than many other crimes in the United States.
![A worker walks past scorched equipment in a turbine hall at a destroyed power plant in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ukraine-energy-GettyImages-2147953021.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Cuts Ukraine’s Power
With constant assaults on the electricity grid, Moscow is adding an explosive twist to an old playbook.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden walk past a Ukrainian flag as they depart following the announcement of the G-7 nations’ joint declaration for the support of Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/G7-Summit-Ukraine-Russia-Biden-GettyImages-15450364411.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
G-7 Leaders Meet to Ramp Up New Pressure on Russia
Leaders look to lock in commitments ahead of tumultuous election cycles.
![An oil painting of Whitehaven, England.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-england-slavery-barbados-virginia-tobacco-GettyImages-1314701798.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The British Countryside’s Forgotten History of Slavery
Britons tend to downplay the empire’s slave-trading history. But its links to Virginia tobacco are all over the landscape.
![An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/chef-omar-syria-turkey-assad-diaspora-maria-contreras-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Influencer Chef Dividing Syria’s Diaspora
Chef Omar has popularized Damascene cuisine online and in his Istanbul restaurant. But is he linked to the Assad regime?
![The BBC headquarters in London.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BBC-GettyImages-1248026550.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain’s Revival Must Start With the BBC
The country’s next government needs to reverse its decline, beginning with its central source of information.
![A cross with a remembrance poppy stands near graves of fallen soldiers at the La Cambe German war cemetery in La Cambe, France.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156502068.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Economics of the Normandy Invasion
How industrial power and innovation helped turn the war.
![NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses Ukrainian lawmakers at parliament during his visit to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion in Kyiv.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ukraine-NATO-Russia-GettyImages-2150176364.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Looks to Create New Special Envoy Post in Ukraine
The plan comes as Western leaders debate Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO.
![German politician Sahra Wagenknecht gestures with both hands open, palms facing the ceiling, as she speaks into the microphone at a podium. A sign on the podium has the German name of her new political party, the BSW.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154537326.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Party That Could Shake Up German Politics
A new so-called left-conservative party seeks a foothold in the European Parliament elections.
![U.S. President Joe Biden stands at a podium in front of a row of hedges on a sunny day. Biden is a man in his 80s with white hair, and he wears a black suit and a serious expression as he speaks.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biden-France-GettyImages-2155649257.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Americans Don’t Want a Wartime President
If Biden can avoid the temptation to be a warrior defending allies abroad, he might have a better chance at winning his battles at home.
![Protesters march past a vandalized European Election Banner of the German Social Democratic party SPD with an image of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and party top candidate Katarina Barley on May Day during the "Revolutionärer 1. Mai" demonstration on May 1, 2024 in Berlin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2150475091-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Politics Is Especially Violent in Germany
All of Europe is struggling with political violence—but Germany most of all.
![Singapore's incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is seen from a distance beyond the crowd of seated attendees at his inauguration. in shows a crowd of people in the foreground and the presidential palace building the back. Wong stands at a table on a stage set up in front of a large official building, holding his right hand up as he is sworn in. The flag of Singapore hangs from a pole in behind the table.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-GettyImages-2152495307.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What the West Can Learn From Singapore
Data shows that in key areas, Singapore is better at governing than the U.S. and Britain.
![Lithuanian troops take part in the Lithuanian-Polish joint military exercise "Brave Griffin 24/II" in Lithuania on April 26.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/POLAND-LITHUANIA-NATO-DEFENSES-RUSSIA-GettyImages-2149682178.png?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Needs Forts Again
Building barriers against Russian aggression now can save lives later.
![A French electoral card is laid atop a European Union flag, centered between the circle of yellow stars against the dark blue background. The card is labeled with French text and also shows the colors of the French flag and the national motto: "Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154924463.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why This EU Election Could Be a Referendum on Europe’s Future
Centrists seem increasingly willing to partner with the far right.
![Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/putin-speech-may-9-2024-GettyImages-2151583074.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Are Putin’s Nuclear Threats Working?
A new book examines the past and present of Russian thinking on deterrence.
![Residents look on from their flooded house after heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLIMATE-TAX-FUNDING-GettyImages-2155281799.png?w=800?quality=80)
Who Pays for Climate Action?
Small island states are pointing the way on finding innovative funding.