Photo taken by Gokturk-1 observation satellite showing the stuck container ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal in Egypt on 27 March 2021

The Need to Recalibrate European Foreign Policy Thinking

‘By being responsive to changes at the system level, multilateralism can contribute to maintaining peace during the shifts in the balance of power that we are currently living through. Europe’s peoples would benefit from it, as would their governments’ reputation and diplomatic standing in the world.’

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock gives a speech at the presentation of the Guidelines on Feminist Foreign Policy in the Weltsaal of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany, 1 March 2023

Fixing Germany’s Sovereignty Deficit: The Case for Sovereign Realism

‘Germany faces a stark choice between continued strategic drift and fundamental transformation. The half-measures of constrained realism will prove no more effective than the delusions of values-based idealism when confronted with determined opposition…Only genuine sovereign realism…offers the possibility of effective foreign policy in the age of great power competition.’

Dutch Election Ends in Major Setback for Geert Wilders’ PVV — Lessons to Learn

Liberal-centrist D66 might have narrowly won the Dutch elections ahead of Geert Wilders’ PVV, with 16.9 per cent to 16.7. Both parties are projected to win 26 seats, signalling a major loss for PVV. The outcome illustrates how right-wing populists across Europe often confront structural barriers and mainstream pushback preventing genuine policy transformation on critical issues such as mass migration.

All the Previous Visits by US Presidents to Hungary

Only three out of the 45 Presidents of the United States have visited Hungary during their time in office, with two more coming to our country after they served. President Trump will soon become the fourth incumbent POTUS to come to Budapest, to have important peace talks with President Putin of Russia.

FPÖ Polls Record High with 38 Per Cent Support in Austria

Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) has surged to an unprecedented 38 per cent in a new Market Institut poll—the highest level in its history—cementing its lead ahead of the governing coalition parties. The result underscores a broader rightward shift across Europe, as patriotic forces from Germany to the UK continue to gain ground.

What Hosting the Trump–Putin Summit Means for Hungary

Budapest may soon join the ranks of historic diplomatic cities as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to meet there for peace talks on Ukraine. Analyst Anton Bendarjevskiy says the summit could become Hungary’s most significant foreign policy milestone in decades.

Still life on the theme of relations between Europe and France

France’s Fiscal Crisis: Only One Way Out

‘The problem is that the French government is spending too much money. In August of this year, just before the government collapsed, Finance Minister Eric Lombard warned that if the country did not get its act together, it would end up going to the IMF for a bailout.’