Europe
List of Europe articles
How Foreign Policy Shapes Music Around the World
From the United States to Ukraine, music has influenced—and been influenced by—international politics.
Putting the Cold War on the Couch
A new psychological analysis of Soviet leaders fundamentally alters 20th-century global history.
How the Beyoncé Bump Affected Sweden
In some markets, the megastar creates her own economic climate system.
Biden’s Catch-22 in Ukraine
Washington’s backing for Kyiv and avoidance of risk are increasingly at odds.
Giorgia Meloni Is Europe’s New Kingmaker
Italy’s far-right prime minister has quickly gone from fringe player to EU power broker.
‘We Are Allied, but We Are Not Aligned’
Josep Borrell, Europe’s outgoing foreign-policy chief, on the U.S., China, Ukraine, and Gaza.
Genocide Allegations Are Not a Political Football
Why Turkey’s application to join South Africa’s ICJ case trivializes the charges against Israel.
Russia Advances on Kharkiv as Ukraine Struggles to Fight Back
Moscow is exploiting Biden’s restrictive rules on U.S. weapons use to make gains, Ukrainian officials say.
The Changing Nuclear Mind Game
Russia’s nuclear threats to reach conventional goals in Ukraine mark a new era of brinkmanship.
Gazprom’s Declining Fortunes Spell Trouble for Moscow
The gas giant’s record loss should worry the Kremlin on several fronts.
The Kazakh Murder Trial That Captivated Russia
Putin’s political project rests on normalizing violence—including domestic abuse.
Europeans Need to Trump-Proof China Policy
The United States is an unpredictable ally—but Beijing isn’t a better option.
The United States Has a Keen Demographic Edge
Competitors of the United States face plunging birthrates and social gloom.
Who Is Russia’s New Defense Minister?
Putin’s appointment of economist Andrei Belousov suggests Moscow is digging in for the long haul.
Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right
The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters.
The Resilience of Ukraine’s War Widows
Perhaps tens of thousands of Ukrainian women have lost their partners in the conflict with Russia. They look to rebuild amid precarity and uncertainty.
How an Obscure General Became the Star of Italy’s Far Right
Bestselling author Roberto Vannacci is eclipsing Giorgia Meloni, but entering politics could blunt his popularity.
Pedro Sánchez’s Catch-22
How an amnesty deal for Catalan separatists became a political—and personal—headache for the Spanish prime minister.
Georgia’s Protests Are Different This Time
A new foreign agents law could be the death knell of a once-promising young democracy.
What Does America Want in Ukraine?
Washington’s current approach is a strategic cop-out—and risks making another forever war.
Germany Is Now Spying on Its Own Top Spy
Hans-Georg Maassen has a troubling relationship with the far-right—just like the agency he used to head.
Biden’s Escalation Fears Have Dangerous Consequences
Pressuring allies not to retaliate against attacks raises the risk of spiraling conflicts.
U.K. Begins Rwanda Deportations
After Parliament overruled the Supreme Court and declared Rwanda safe, Sunak’s government is rounding up asylum-seekers.
North Macedonia’s Political Future Is on the Line
The right-wing nationalist opposition is making a comeback as voters punish the Social Democrats for scandals and broken EU accession promises.
Putin Begins Fifth Term With Nuclear Drills
The Russian leader was sworn in amid spiraling tensions with the West.
How Georgia Sided With Its Enemy
Georgians are angry at the government’s pro-Russian turn.
China Wants to ‘Divide and Conquer’ Europe
Why Xi Jinping is visiting France, Serbia, and Hungary this week.
A New Age of Empires
What makes a modern empire, from Russia to cyberspace.
The Opioid High of Empire
Two new books turn a spotlight on how the colonial past lives on in unacknowledged ways.
Is ‘the Media’ Really Under Attack?
We need a new framework to understand how today’s autocrats control public opinion.
Can Xi Win Back Europe?
The Chinese leader’s visit follows weeks of escalating tensions between China and the continent.
How Kyiv Plans to Use American Aid
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba joins FP Live for a wide-ranging discussion.
Turmoil in Georgia Could Draw in Russia
The likely passage of a Kremlin-style law has Georgians fighting for their democracy.
The Very Real Limits of the Russia-China ‘No Limits’ Partnership
Intense military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is a problem for the West. Their bilateral trade is not.
What Do Russians Really Think About Putin’s War?
Polling has gotten harder as autocracy has tightened.
Turkey’s Democracy Is Down but Not Out
An invigorated opposition is ready for a constitutional fight.
How Globalization Rose and Fell With Nord Stream
The pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe was once seen as a triumph for borderless business—but Putin’s invasion of Ukraine put an end to that fantasy.
Democracy Has Run Out of Future
The underlying reason for the West’s democratic crisis may be a lost sense of open-ended time.
Europe Could Soon Be Hooked on Fentanyl
The continent invented the drug but has been spared its worst ravages—until now.
U.S. Allies Relieved After Senate Passes Long-Delayed Aid Bill
But the fact it took so long to pass has some worried about future support.
Ukraine Is Still Outgunned by Russia
Even with the approval of new U.S. aid, most of the artillery Ukraine needs won’t get to the front until next year.
Congressional Push for Oil Sanctions Puts Biden in a Bind
New measures to punish Iran, Venezuela, and Russia could raise crude prices and hurt Biden in an election year.
Russia Is Committing Cultural Genocide in Ukraine
Historical falsification, youth indoctrination, and the plunder of artifacts reveal the Kremlin’s true objectives.
The Strategic Unseriousness of Olaf Scholz
His latest trip confirms that Germany’s China policy is made in corporate boardrooms.
Russia’s Shadow Fleet Could Create Strange Allies
Both Greenpeace and NATO are working against off-book oil tankers.
Can Wind and Solar Solve Climate Change?
A new book unwittingly makes the case that they can’t.
The Real Meaning of Humanity’s Origin Story
A new book shows what human prehistory has mistakenly taught us—and misunderstands what it still can.
The New Empires of the Internet Age
Cyberspace has upended the old world order.
Russia Just Helped Swing a European Election
Slovakia’s new Russia-friendly president won office with the help of a barrage of pro-Kremlin disinformation.
Fear and Hoarding on Ukraine’s Eastern Front
Ammo shortages are costing lives and time.
Washington Should Squeeze Europe Like It’s 1945
U.S. support for NATO and Ukraine needs to be part of a new trans-Atlantic bargain.
‘The Regime’ Misunderstands Autocracy
HBO’s new miniseries displays an undeniably American nonchalance toward power.
Olaf Scholz Is on a Telltale China Trip
Europe is flexing its muscles with China—but may soon learn if Germany is really on board.
NATO Doesn’t Have Enough Troops
For the first time in decades, NATO has a plan to fight Russia. Now it just needs the forces to do it.
The Islamic State Never Went Away
Terrorism is a tactic, and fighting it requires a concerted strategy.
China Won’t Change Tack on Economic Policy
Beijing’s political leadership isn’t likely to listen to friendly advice from foreign investors or criticism from foreign officials.
Russia’s Rosatom Fuels Putin’s War Machine
The nuclear company’s expanding corporate empire is an urgent target for sanctions.
Ukraine’s Cheap Drones Are Decimating Russia’s Tanks
But experts say they’re not a long-term solution to a lack of artillery rounds.
Germany Doesn’t Work Like It Used To
Short-term shocks and long-term trends are strangling Germans’ cooperative economy.
How Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Became Putin’s Spiritual Guru
The strange story of a global literary hero who went on to inspire Russia’s war on Ukraine.
It’s Debatable’s Greatest Hits
In their 100th column, Matt and Emma revisit clashes over Taiwan, Ukraine, Iran—and how to deter an alien invasion.
U.S. Reactors Still Run on Russian Uranium
But Washington and its partners are working to change that.
Post-Erdogan Turkey Is Finally Here
Last weekend’s elections offer a first glimpse of a political future beyond the reigning strongman.
The Steady Hand
Jens Stoltenberg has led NATO through a decade of war, chaos, and Trump. What comes next?
What NATO Needs for Its 75th Birthday
The foreign ministers of Britain and Sweden call on allies to commit to their collective benefit.
Did Russia Come Close to Using a Nuclear Device in 2022?
CNN reporter Jim Sciutto on the return of great-power conflict.
How to Get More Aid Into Gaza
A joint international task force could quickly mobilize an emergency system to clear shipments through the Rafah border crossing.
The Moscow Attack Showed Terrorism Is Asia’s Problem Now
Increased geopolitical rivalry is allowing extremist groups to thrive—and threaten everyone.
How the United States Lost Niger
Growing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian influence in the Sahel is testing Washington’s clout in an increasingly strategic continent.
The U.N. Security Council’s Default Is Deadlock
Countries have used the body’s impasse over conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine to advance their own interests.
Ukraine Is Winning the War’s Other Front
Against all odds, Ukrainians have been dominating Russia in the Black Sea.
New Hope for Pakistan’s Mistreated Workers
Germany’s new Supply Chain Act could help curb some of the world’s worst labor injustices.
Nobody Actually Knows What Russia Does Next
The West’s warnings about Vladimir Putin’s future plans are getting louder—but not any more convincing.
Migrants in Russia Are Terrified as Racism Grows After Deadly Attack
Violence and war are shaping Moscow’s brutal response.
‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’: U.S. Officials Warn of Increased Cyberthreats
Washington prepares for a worst-case scenario of attacks on critical infrastructure.
The Economic Thinking of Pope Francis
His critique of capitalism has incensed some church conservatives.
NATO Is Unprepared for Russia’s Arctic Threats
Even with Finland and Sweden, the alliance lacks a capable defense presence in the north.
Why Poland’s ‘Return to Europe’ Won’t Be So Smooth
Donald Tusk and Radoslaw Sikorski have an ambitious agenda, but they still have to coordinate with a Euroskeptic president.
Are We Living in a Revolutionary Age?
On the nature of revolutions, past and present.
The World Still Loves (Yesterday’s) America
What the bestselling novels of Amor Towles reveal about global nostalgia—and American anxieties.
‘Anyone Who Dares Call Us Nazis Will Be Reported’
Inside a remote forest town where Germany’s new right roosts.
Macron and Lula Deepen Ties With Trip to Amazon
On a whirlwind tour through Brazil, the French president showed that he seeks fraternité with the global south.
Ukraine’s Trade Lifeline Might Strangle Its EU Ambitions
Renewed farm tariff relief risks souring some member states on Kyiv’s eventual EU membership.
Moscow Terrorist Attack Undercuts Putin’s Strongman Image
Russia’s security services are stretched, distracted, and politicized, experts say.
Ukraine Takes the War to Russia’s Oil Refineries
Kyiv aims to do with explosives what two years of Western sanctions haven’t yet managed.
Orban Takes His Soros Smear Campaign on the Road
Europe had better be prepared.
Why a European Army Makes No Sense
The old idea of a joint military has reared its head once again.
Is the World Prepared for More Terrorism?
After the shock of the Islamic State attack in Moscow, a top expert warns that “the bench is thin” when it comes to counterterrorism analysis.
U.S. and U.K. Sanction Chinese Hacking Group
The censure isn’t likely to rein in Beijing’s cyberespionage campaigns.
Russia’s Shadow Fleet Is Putting Danish Waters in Danger
The maritime order is falling apart under geopolitical pressure.
Russia Is Back to the Stalinist Future
With a Soviet-style election, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has come full circle.
Can Ukraine Escape the Curse of Nonexistence?
A landmark translation of a Ukrainian novel explores a nation caught between the jaws of empire.
The Rise of the All-Inclusive Resort
The economics work, but the politics can be troubling.
How Europe’s Solar Industry Can Be Saved
A domestic manufacturing sector will enhance the EU’s long-term energy security.
Russia’s Black Sea Naval Ambitions
Ukraine has busted up most of the Black Sea Fleet. Russia is plotting a comeback.
Ukraine’s War Is Killing Another Country
How Moldova’s fate has become tightly tied up with its neighbor’s.
Europe Yearns to Be an Indo-Pacific Player
There is a war on at home, but Europe’s strategic and naval aspirations are on the far side of the world.
War-Zone GPS Spoofing Is Threatening Civil Aviation
A surge in spoofing from the Middle East to northern Europe is throwing onboard navigation systems off course.
Technology Alone Won’t Break the Stalemate in Ukraine
Kyiv’s Western backers need to grasp that drones are no substitute for a capable fighting force.
Is the British Monarchy Losing Its Magic?
What the royal photo controversy reveals about changing global culture.