The Pseudo-Left and the Triangulated Far Right Join Forces Against Immigration

https://www.euractiv.com/news/meloni-and-frederiksen-urge-protection-of-europes-christian-heritage/

This exemplifies the kind of power Meloni wields within the EU. This is all the more true given the present political weakness of both France's Macron and Germany's Merz - despite their larger economies. This is not to say they don't wield influence but Meloni is still able to ride pretty high and is viewed as a critical component to holding the EU together, and keeping the Right within a EU-friendly orbit. It's something that the leadership in Brussels loses sleep over.

Managing the American Drawdown in Europe

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-orderly-us-military-drawdown-alice-rufo/   

It needs to be remembered that Politico is explicitly a pro-European and thus pro-EU publication. The fact that an American drawdown from Europe is being openly discussed and even advocated - that's noteworthy.

Von der Leyen in the South Caucasus

https://www.euronews.com/2026/07/02/von-der-leyen-unveils-major-eu-support-initiatives-in-strategic-trip-to-armenia

Given Armenia's recent tilt away from Russia, and Azerbaijan's mostly pro-US stance, the moment seems ripe for the EU to sweep into the South Caucasus and do some bridge building. As I have long suggested, the EU offers a Western and yet non-American alternative, and one more attractive given the geographic proximity to the region.

The Return of the Visegrad Four (V4)

https://apnews.com/article/central-european-leaders-meet-hungary-visegrad-summit-f0171d43c8aa5fbd2f285e42dffae190

This certainly caught my eye. The Visegrad Four (V4) has been basically dead since 2022 and the Ukraine War. The bloc comprised of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia represented a semi-dissident group within the EU. It was receiving particular notice during the years when Orban ruled Hungary, and the PiS was in charge of Poland.

An Evangelical Call for the State to Sanction Religious Speech

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/35103/patriarch-kirill-has-built-a-theological-architecture-built-to-sanctify-aggression

It would seem Tatiana Kopaleishvili, a female theologian from the Evangelical Alliance supports the notion of EU sanctions against Kirill, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The charge is that he has employed propaganda in which the war against Ukraine is deemed by Kirill, a holy conflict. As such, given his teachings are deemed authoritative by his flock, he is guilty of war crimes and worthy of sanctions.

Spain, Ukraine, and the Renewed Call for an EU Army

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/spains-pm-sanchez-calls-for-eu-army-stronger-global-role

Donald Trump hates the centre-left Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez. It has refused to cooperate with Trump's agenda and has pointedly condemned US actions against Iran.

Haunted by the Ghost of Berlusconi

https://www.politico.eu/article/italy-silvio-berlusconi-bunga-bunga-scandal-giorgia-meloni-carlo-nordio-pardon/

Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) came to power in 2022 primarily because it was the party that refused to be part of Mario Draghi's Unity Government. This was also undoubtedly connected to some of the public anger over Covid and continued immigration.

The Taliban in Belgium

https://www.euractiv.com/news/taliban-envoy-abdul-qahar-balkhi-to-lead-delegation-to-brussels/

The Taliban does not want to do business with the United States. Given the bad blood connected to the horrific war of the 1980's, it's surprising that Kabul would want anything to do with Moscow either, but indeed it would seem the two nations are proceeding on the basis of common interests. China looms over all and while the Taliban looks to Beijing as its primary foreign investor, the Afghan leadership knows that it's in their interest to diversify - lest they become wholly dependent on Beijing.

Growing Militarism and Fears of World War

https://www.politico.eu/article/world-war-iii-defense-spending-europe-poll/

Politico is well known as a pro-Atlanticist publication and thus is going to represent a NATO-bias in its reporting. Despite this shortcoming, there's still some good information to be gleaned from time to time.

In this case, the article is neither profound nor surprising but rather affirming what many already sense - the world is heading toward global conflict. Indeed, history may look back and reckon the next world war as having begun in the early 2020's with the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and now Iran. These wars are becoming ever more related and interconnected and as Donald Trump discovered they are not easily disentangled or disengaged from as so many issues are woven together.

Western Media Coverage of China, Serbia, and Copper Mining

https://www.politico.eu/article/serbia-bor-mine-china-zijin-mining-group-health/

Serbia continues to be a problem for the Atlanticist Empire. The US led two wars connected to Serbia in the 1990's and while it defeated the Serbs and wrested Kosovo away from Belgrade - the problem was never resolved. Serbia remains a thorn in the side of both Washington and Brussels, a beach-head for Moscow's interests and influence in the Balkans.

Kyrgyzstan, Russian Sanctions, and Brussels

https://www.euractiv.com/news/kyrgyzstan-in-eu-crosshairs-over-russia-sanctions-circumvention/

The EU has been trying to establish better ties with Central Asia, but all of this has been sidetracked by the Ukraine War and the West's anti-Moscow posture. The nations of Central Asia deal with both Russia and China which are their neighbours with some nations leaning toward Beijing and others toward Moscow.

Macron's Latest Defeat

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-germany-next-generation-fighter-jet-project-collapse/

In the grand scheme of things this is a minor story but it points to some of the internal struggles within Europe, which in turn plays out within the larger political spectrum. With the departure of Angela Merkel and in light of Franco-German relations (such as the 2019 Aachen Treaty), Macron stood at the pinnacle of European politics. France was set to re-assert the leadership it believes itself entitled to.

The EU Response to the Venezuela Strike and Coup

I must say Europe's hypocrisy regarding the Venezuela raid is pretty staggering. Apart from some tepid appeals to the integrity of international law, the leaders of the EU have more or less acquiesced to American banditry and naked aggression - and its public proclamation of colonial-style expropriation of resources.

The Politics of Orthodoxy in Old Bessarabia

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Romanian-and-Moldovan-Orthodox-Christians-in-conflict-64314.html

I have previously reported on the contest within Eastern Orthodoxy over the question of Moldova - an episode that somewhat parallels events in Ukraine.

Western Media's Latest Episodes of Anti-Putin Spin

Putin is a thug and murderer and thus he's cut from the same cloth as many US leaders and their proxies. I'm not a fan of him or his policies and yet it's striking to me just how frequently Western media spins coverage of him, his statements, and his actions.

Georgia and the Slippery Nature of Defining Democracy

https://eurasianet.org/us-congressional-measure-to-punish-georgian-dream-government-at-risk-of-failure

Take note how the religious concept of 'backsliding' is being applied to governments that are restricting democratic processes and institutions. Democracy is indeed a key doctrinal plank in the Humanist religion. In most cases its ideals and values are simply assumed by media and government figures and yet it's never that simple.

Starmer, New Labour, and Enoch Powell

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/13/no-10-defends-keir-starmer-language-immigration-speech-enoch-powell

When I heard Starmer's diatribe against immigrants in back in May, I thought of Enoch Powell and wondered if anyone would make the connection. They certainly did - at least in the UK.

Meloni, Crosetto, and the Real Face of the FdI

https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence/news/italian-defence-minister-questions-relevance-of-nato/

Meloni has one face for Brussels and Washington, and another that she has revealed in her history. Has she changed? Has she mediated? Has she learned that it's one thing to campaign as an opposition party and another to actually govern? Maybe. The jury is still out.

Historical Revisionism and a Romanian Pastor

While reading coverage of the Romanian election (with the second round slated to take place on 18 May), I was absolutely floored reading this from a pastor in Romania:

The Russian invasion of 80 years ago is not forgotten. "They distorted everything; they raped our mothers, wives, and daughters. They are less than 200 km from my home. Do I, myself, have to kill somebody? Or to watch how my family is destroyed? Will I be able to preach again from the pulpit ever in my life? Or to run away? To leave everything behind? To leave my flock behind? I am not ready for this, I don't have the strength. I am not Dietrich Bonhoeffer... I am just a simple Christian pastor who serves his Lord in Eastern Europe."

How many times in recent weeks and months have I heard BBC programmes covering the election warning about the lessons of history being forgotten and the threat of Right-wing revisionism? And then to find this?

Indonesia, BRICS, and the Demand for Nickel

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/04/21/vijay-prashad-brics-industrial-development/

I found Prashad's comments which suggested a comparison between BRICS and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be timely and worth serious consideration. Western opponents of the NAM always considered it to be unofficially more friendly toward the Eastern Bloc - itself something of a fiction. In this case, the foes of Western Atlanticism are in BRICS and so one could say everyone's cards are on the table. However, it's important to understand why the USSR and China were happy to deal with NAM nations and the West was not. Unlike the United States they did not assume that everyone who wasn't fully on board with them was an enemy. The US has a tendency to cast geopolitics in such terms - stated so bluntly by GW Bush. "You're either with us or against us." - a stance which may or may not drive nations away in the immediate but in the long term it's a position that destroys trust and respect.