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Seemingly decisive terms like “deal,” “success,” and “security guarantees” aim to project a sense of certainty, resolve, and consensus where they do not exist. In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such language framing policy and public debates not only does not help formulate a proactive and sustainable policy agenda but actively prevents its development.

The power of language on war and peace

U.S. President Donald Trump’s dealmaking approach to foreign policy has reduced complex negotiations to business transactions. But the now widespread use of euphemistic terms in global politics actively prevents the development of coherent policy agendas

Sánchez’s sharp rhetoric on Israel may win headlines, but it also invites scrutiny. Particularly when his government continues to provide military support to a country whose leader, Erdoğan, has referred to Hamas – a group designated by the EU as a terrorist organisation – as a “liberation movement”.

The hypocrisy of Spain’s socialists

By: EBR | Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Sánchez’s sharp rhetoric on Israel may win headlines, but it also invites scrutiny

From both a risk and safety management perspective, ICAO should permit Taiwan’s CAA to participate on an equal footing with the oversight agencies of other FIRs. This will ensure that the Taipei FIR can communicate directly with other FIRs as well as with ICAO to ensure the free flow of timely information.

A call to support Taiwan’s participation in ICAO

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 23, 2025

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) convenes its Assembly once every three years. During the event, multilateral meetings and discussions are held to draw up global civil aviation regulations and standards

Yet deep differences remain. Starmer’s government has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv, imposing sanctions on Russia and supplying military and humanitarian aid. This contrasts with Trump’s more transactional stance, marked by scepticism over continued funding for Ukraine and a desire for a quick peace deal.

The not-so-special relationship: Trump’s state visit to the UK

By: EBR | Wednesday, September 17, 2025

En amour, il y a toujours un qui embrasse et un qui tend la joue.” In love, there is always one who kisses and one who offers the cheek. The French might have written that line with the Anglo-American “special relationship” in mind: a partnership since the end of the Second World War where affection is rarely equal and loyalty often flows one way

And here’s the paradox: that very pressure creates opportunity. When big organizations stall under their own weight, small, lean, tech-savvy players can enter supply chains and replace rotting structures. Not because they have better slogans, but because they can actually deliver under today’s constraints.

Defaults, disruption, and the dilemma of offshore energy: Are we chasing the right future?

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 16, 2025

We like to think history moves with explosions: wars, pandemics, market crashes. In reality, the deepest changes arrive quietly

But for Starmer, the threat comes from both sides. On the right, Reform is swallowing Conservative support. On the left, Labour risks leaking votes to the Greens or a potential new party led by former leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Britain’s political landscape is fragmenting, and Labour’s once-solid coalition is under strain.

Things can only get worse? Starmer struggles as Farage shapes the agenda

By: EBR | Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Barely a year in, Starmer’s premiership is already under pressure from the rapid rise of Farage and his party, Reform UK

And, as all politics is local, not awarding any peace prize this year would be a statement on what is happening to Norway, which is a hot new Cold War in the Arctic on its — and NATO’s — border with Putin’s Russia.Most Norwegians, in a recent poll, said they expect a new conflict in Europe. The Peace Research Institute of Oslo’s survey shows a rise in fear of war among Norwegians.

Nobel Peace Prizes: The inside story

By: EBR | Monday, September 8, 2025

If you are the United States Ambassador to Norway, as I was from 1993 to 1998, the politics of the Nobel Peace Prize comes to your inbox every October when the prize recipient is announced by the Nobel Committee

Trust, once broken, is hard to restore. Modi’s refusal to take Trump’s calls and his photo-ops with Xi and Putin reflect a deeper unease. Even if tariffs ease, suspicion will remain that Washington could change course at any moment.This is a real chance for the EU to present itself as consistent, dependable and, above all, predictable — something the US no longer offers. In a world where personality clashes can upend years of diplomacy, the EU can be the partner that keeps its head.

End of the Trump–Modi Bromance: What It Means for India, China and the EU

By: EBR | Wednesday, September 3, 2025

The fallout between Trump and Modi has shaken US–India ties, but this could hand Brussels its best chance in years to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi

The investment climate deteriorated and, in a 19th century kind of way, Russia became an exporter of its vast array of raw materials to the world’s leading industrial nations. With one notable difference: It was Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin — and not foreign powers — who turned Russia into a colonial object.

How Russia botched an entire century

By: EBR | Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Were it not for Putin mindlessly continuing the (self-)destructive legacy of the Bolsheviks a century ago, Russia could have been a true 21st century superpower

Creeping annexation of the West Bank and resettling Gaza is nightmarish from a security perspective, morally calamitous and internationally isolating, turning Israel into a pariah.The third option, which is a single democratic state, will never be accepted by you, given the demographic equation and the prospect of Israel losing its control and ceasing to be a Jewish state.

Seizing the global momentum for a two-state solution

By: EBR | Thursday, August 7, 2025

Israel, Palestine and the U.S. must act on global momentum for a Palestinian state.

Reinforcing institutional safeguards — such as judicial independence, electoral integrity and legislative oversight — is equally vital. The EU’s pressure on Poland and Hungary demonstrates that progress is possible with sufficient political will.Finally, enhancing political literacy helps citizens see through demagoguery and distinguish empty slogans from substantive policy, making them less susceptible to authoritarian appeals.

Reclaiming democracy: The dangerous playbook of modern populists

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Though populism can, in theory, amplify marginalized voices and energize democracy, it often becomes a tool for weakening democratic institutions

To live up to that challenge, Europe should urgently fix its diplomatic craftsmanship. There has been too much talk and too little action. On the crises in its most immediate surroundings, Europeans need to finally put skin in the game to earn a seat at the table. In Ukraine, it means substantially enhancing its military assistance to Kyiv while at the same time starting to discuss the parameters of a future peace settlement and the security order in Europe.

Reinventing European Diplomacy

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 22, 2025

By yielding to U.S. demands, Europeans risk becoming geopolitically obsolete. To be influential in the changing post–1945 order, Europe must enhance its diplomacy by upholding universal rights and values while meeting the needs of nations from the Global South

This undeniable fiscal reality is often concealed by claiming that whatever the problem may be, it can easily be solved by just having “the wealthy” pay more into the system or including civil servants to finance it.But that would only buy a little time, because the problem is much bigger than that. Including new groups would exacerbate the problems, because in the future even more benefit recipients would have to be supported by fewer and fewer contributors.

Dateline Germany: Why pension reform is key to stabilizing democracy

By: EBR | Friday, July 18, 2025

Why have young people not yet rebelled, organized themselves and gone on strike on the missing public pension reforms?

This new U.S. budget law — and other accompanying acts by which the Trump administration tears the fabric of American society apart along color lines — underscore the fact that he and his team aims to bring about a wholesale reversal of the American social contract — weak as it has long been.

Donald Trump Vs. Pope Leo XIV: A Tale of Two Americans

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 15, 2025

What should Pope Leo XIV say about Trump’s draconian “One Big Beautiful Bill”?

The U.S. government is already running a lot of red ink, with a projected $1.9 trillion deficit for fiscal year 2025. However, the Trump tax cuts will increase the total deficit by 20% over the next 10 years.To put these numbers in perspective, in 2016, just nine years ago — before Trump’s first time in the White House — the federal deficit was a mere $500 billion. After Trump passed his tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals in 2017, the deficit jumped 80% to about $900 billion in one year. Although Congress increased spending on some programs, the tax cuts were the main driver.

Government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

By: EBR | Monday, July 14, 2025

Trump’s massive tax cuts are designed to wreak havoc in the already feeble social fabric of the United States

In a Europe short on heavyweight leadership, Meloni is emerging as the continent’s most potent political figure. Once dismissed as a fringe nationalist, Italy’s prime minister now holds a powerful position both at home and abroad, while her counterparts in France, Germany, Spain and the UK falter, building momentum and a reputation as the EU’s most stable and strategic player.

Georgia Meloni: The lady of the hour

By: EBR | Wednesday, July 9, 2025

In a Europe short of leaders, the Italian Prime Minister is now fast emerging as the continent’s most influential leader.

Officials attempted to reassure themselves that all of that was a good thing because it was an implicit extension of what was agreed in Washington. But the lip service and shifting dynamics among allies toward Kyiv were clearly detected in Moscow. Where the Europeans were meant to bring the game-changing moves was through the French and British-led so-called coalition of the willing.

Zelensky is the world’s loneliest leader

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still has to constantly advocate for real military support, while Russia has escalated its attacks and benefits from more reliable supplies from its partners. To end the war, Europeans must bolster their support, agree on air defense strategies, and weaken Russia’s defense industry