WARSAW — For the better part of a decade, European Union policymakers have worn a path to Washington and Beijing, desperately seeking the secret sauce behind the runaway economic dynamism of the United States and the relentless industrial output of China. In plush Brussels boardrooms and late-night European Council summits,…
By Zongyuan Zoe Liu September 18, 2026 Main Facts In late August 2026, the United States Treasury Department launched what administration officials have aggressively branded as "Operation Economic Outcast," a sweeping financial containment strategy aimed at achieving the total isolation of the Iranian regime. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dramatically…
GENEVA/LONDON — For decades, the existential threat of a warming planet was treated by many wealthy nations as a distant prospect—a crisis projected onto future generations or marginalized regions. That illusion shattered over the course of a punishing summer. From devastating floods in Western Europe to unprecedented wildfires and record-breaking…
BRUSSELS — In a move that bridges nearly eight decades of European integration history, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed the convening of a modern Congress of Europe. Citing the profound structural, economic, and geopolitical shocks currently testing the European Union’s resilience, von der Leyen’s initiative looks…
By Andrés Velasco Published: September 18, 2026 Section: Politics & World Affairs Main Facts Across multiple continents, the political landscape is undergoing a profound and unsettling transformation. From the corridors of power in Europe to the dynamic republics of Central and South America, far-right political movements have secured unprecedented electoral…
MUNICH — For decades, the Federal Republic of Germany’s political stability rested upon an implicit, highly successful social contract: high-value, precision manufacturing would provide secure, well-remunerated jobs, robust export revenues, and broad-based national prosperity. In turn, stable political institutions would translate these economic dividends into enduring social cohesion. Today, relentless…
By Yemi Osinbajo and Alexander Tsado Published: September 18, 2026 Section: Innovation & Technology Main Facts The global narrative surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) is routinely framed as a high-stakes, binary competition between the United States and China. Headlines are dominated by discussions of massive data centers, multi-billion-dollar compute clusters, and…
