Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The accession of Western Balkan countries to the EU has stalled due to issues within the union as well as in the region itself. Renewed commitment on both sides is needed to break the current impasse.
Innovative forms of deliberative and participatory democracy from outside the West can inspire reform in European states.
EU integration has been propelled by both treaty change and improvised action. To continue to adapt and respond in this era of crises, the union should adopt limited treaty amendments that implement the conclusions reached at the Conference on the Future of Europe.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has opened up new opportunities for Turkey, but Erdogan should not overplay his hand.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has dramatically altered the security and defense architecture of Europe. It also has the potential to reshape democracy support policies, changing practices of defending and extending democratic values and of interactions with autocratic states.
The war in Ukraine has given impetus to a new round of EU enlargement. Concerns about corruption, stagnation, and democratic backsliding tendencies may hamper the union's response but engagement with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia must be sustained.
Despite the positive vote of confidence for Boris Johnson, public distrust of the British prime minister will negatively affect his party. To save face, the Conservative party should remove Johnson and replace him with a leader who is regarded as honest and competent.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s negative stance toward Finland and Sweden joining NATO jeopardizes further enlargement of the alliance amid great geopolitical insecurity. Breaking this stalemate will require a compromise from all sides.
Populist parties have gained momentum in Europe, from Hungary and Poland to Italy and France. Addressing the causes of populism in Europe will require a reexamination of the links between the local, national and European levels.
European leaders agree to ban most Russian oil imports. Families prepare to bury their children in Uvalde. And an investigation by NPR and The Marshall Project examines conditions at a new maximum security prison in Illinois that has become one of the deadliest in the US.