Section: European Voice (EU)
Why Trump’s call with Taiwan could be a breakthrough
To Donald Trump’s legions of critics, his decision to take a phone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan only confirmed what they already believed: The president-elect is in way over his head, committing diplomatic blunders on a massive scale. A POLITICO headline summed up the view of many China experts: “Bull in a...
Baltic minutemen fight Russian foe
PABRADE, Lithuania — Peering past the black tarps covering the windows of the barricaded house, the men in camouflage could see daylight gradually illuminate the fresh snow. For two days, speakers outside the barricaded buildings had blasted Soviet-era jingles: “Put down your guns! Your leaders have forgotten you! While...
Additions to the EU transparency register (November 26 – December 3)
Last week 117 new organizations signed up in the joint transparency register of the European Commission and the European Parliament. New entries include: Acad̩mie des sciences Actis РNorwegian Policy Network on Alcohol and Drugs Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination Algemene Werkgeversvereniging Nederland Alianza Cooperativa...
Fillon’s Russophilia heads for reality check
PARIS — There came a point during his primary campaign when François Fillon started making foreign policy pronouncements that seemed cut-and-pasted from Vladimir Putin’s propaganda manual. The annexation of Crimea? Bad, but what about the NATO intervention in Kosovo back in 1999? Russia not abiding by the so-called Minsk...
Why Trump’s foreign policy might prove less radical than you think
As Donald Trump completes the rather chaotic process of choosing his cabinet and preparing to take office, leaders and publics around the world have understandably begun to brace themselves for — or even shiver at the prospects of — what comes next. After all, this is a man who has put down a marker that the United States...
In Aleppo, I saw why Assad is winning
The industrial sector of Layramun in northwest Aleppo tells the story of this war. Its 1,200 factories have been looted and destroyed. In their place are piles of concrete rubble filled with rusted metal. Collapsed water tanks peak through the ruins. Where bustling factories and the din of machines once churned out bundles of yarn, only the...
Trump risks diplomatic blowup in Asia
Donald Trump startled foreign policy watchers Friday by speaking with the president of Taiwan, a break with more than 35 years of U.S. policy that is likely to infuriate China. The United States and Taiwan have a strong but unofficial relationship, and Trump’s phone call, confirmed by his transition team Friday afternoon, raises questions...
POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Oettinger’s ever changing travel story — When Castro hijacked a Commission presser
OETTINGER’S EVER CHANGING TRAVEL STORY: Commissioner Günther Oettinger can’t seem to get his story straight. At first he had Commission spokespeople defending his undeclared flight on the plane of banker-nuclear adviser-Hungarian government lobbyist Klaus Mangold on the basis he simply had to get to Budapest for dinner with...
Russia claims it foiled bank cyberattacks
Authorities in Russia claimed Friday they had uncovered a foreign spy agency plot to launch a cyberattack on the country’s banking system. The servers to be used in the alleged attack were located in the Netherlands and registered to BlazingFast, a Ukrainian web hosting company, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a...
Boris Johnson: UK still committed to Russia sanctions
Britain will still defend democracy when it leaves the EU and is prepared to be tough on Russia, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is expected to say in a speech on Friday, according to the Guardian. The concept of a global liberal order is at risk and democracy is retreating as the “cult of the strongman” takes hold across the world, Johnson...
