The US is no longer an ally. It’s over.Even an eventual change of American leadership doesn’t mean the US’s bizarre glorification of violence goes away. It is a persistent stain, constantly eroding away at the values of an open and free society.
Both are worth defending here in Europe. The US has chosen its own path. Let it walk it alone.
The ICC was shortlisted for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought alongside a Tanzanian opposition leader and jailed Iranian protesters.
For now, Ukrainians are Europe’s human shields. If their defence breaks, a triumphant, battle-hardened Russia will seek its next victim, while the US may decide to back a winner not a loser. For now, Europe’s problem is only a lack of will-power: a nice problem to have.
The EU has six months of diplomacy to reverse US-imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, while shying away from triggering a rule that would protect Europeans.
The United States has imposed new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, this time targeting the institution itself. The EU, while supportive of the ICC, does little to counter the sanctions.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, a gold-covered statue of a naked Trump in the halls of European Parliament is meant to make politicians think about democracy, says ‘Orange Plague’ artist Jens Galschiøt.
US pressure pushed some European governments to disown a Vilnius conference on disinformation and interference, which had dared to ask if America itself was now warping European politics.
US authorities arrested men who sold a forensic software to government bodies across Europe, hid the tool’s true owners and concealed its Russian development.
Donald Trump is betting on voluntary commitments from AI companies. On Tuesday (29 September), he unveiled a self-regulatory agreement drawn up with some of the biggest names in the AI industry.
Deporting humans becomes big business, as Brussels and Washington race to pay African countries to take themThe Americans have secured some 35 deals to deport people, often with no strings attached. The multi-million US dollar business appears to have turned into a race with the Europeans, who are hoping to secure their first deal with the Rwandans.
‘Bullies cannot be appeased’: Pressure mounts on EU to shield ICC from new US sanctionsWhen the big brother becomes a bully, who stands up to him? The question is no longer simply whether Brussels supports international justice, but whether it is ready to take practical steps to protect it.
THIS WEEK: Next budget and protectionist industrial policy on EU agenda as EPP chief visits CeutaAs EU ministers clash over how protectionist Europe’s new industrial push should be, EPP chief Manfred Weber is flying to Spain’s north African enclave. Meanwhile, Trump’s wars, tariffs and tensions with allies are also set to dominate the UN General Assembly, with Ukraine, Gaza and Iran high on the agenda.
Here are three crises Ursula von der Leyen probably won’t mention on Wednesday in her State of the Union address: a US financial crash, sanctions on China, and taking on Big Tech’s algorithms.
A single EU fund for “strategic projects” has become a major standoff, putting US steel tariffs, supply chains, and transatlantic relations at risk.
A strike just six kilometres from Poland’s border has jolted Warsaw and Kyiv into openly debating whether Nato should start flexing its own muscles along the frontier to force Vladimir Putin to pull troops away from Ukraine.
As Donald Trump gambles on chaos at home and Vladimir Putin’s missiles pound Ukrainian cities, Timothy Snyder warns that Americans now face a new, self-inflicted 9/11-style test of whether they will – again – react exactly as the terrorists hope.
US leadership is badly dented. Europeans should hope for the best but plan for the worst, warns Edward Lucas.
THIS WEEK: Von der Leyen woos Greenland with fresh EU funds, as Ceuta crisis comes to BrusselsAs Ursula von der Leyen woos Greenland with millions in fresh EU funding, Ceuta’s embattled leader arrives in Brussels to warn the EU against Morocco’s “trusted” partnership and accuse Madrid of abandoning his besieged enclave.
Ambassador Bill White had previously threatened to suspend all US relations with Ghent university and accused the institution of “scapegoating mob behavior” after its rector suspended Nathan Cofnas for his role in events that led to the death of Cambridge academic Jason Arday.
The world has never been closer to controlling HIV, yet just as infections and deaths hit historic lows, the very funding that made it possible is being pulled away.
