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Why $100 Oil Won’t Go Away

Oil flows from the Middle East have almost returned to the levels seen before the United States attacked Iran, an event that triggered one of the largest supply disruptions in history. On a simple reading, prices should have fallen back. They have not. Global crude remains above $100 a barrel, […]

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Who Should Lead The UN?

The race to choose the next United Nations secretary general has acquired an uncomfortable test case. The candidacy of Lana Nusseibeh, a minister of state of the United Arab Emirates and a former UAE ambassador to the UN, is reported to be gaining momentum and endorsements. It has also provoked […]

Israel-elections-Netanyahu-Eisenkot

Survivor Against Soldier (I)

Israelis voted last Tuesday in their first national election since Hamas’s attack of 7 October 2023. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m. local time. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been in office for 19 years and is Israel’s longest-serving leader, it was a […]

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Radev Draws A Line In Brussels: Affordability First

lgaria-Radev-BrusselsB When EU leaders gathered in Brussels on 15 October, the conversation quickly settled on familiar themes — energy security, budget negotiations and relations with China. Most capitals stuck to the established script of diversification and long-term climate goals. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev cut through the rhetoric with a […]

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Behind Azov’s Reputation: Injured Soldiers, Forced Recruitment And Impunity

Four injured servicemen, a 14 year old boy and a confrontation outside a military facility near Kyiv have raised questions that Ukraine’s authorities cannot answer simply by invoking national security or Russian propaganda. On November 2, crowds gathered outside a private house in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka following allegations that people were […]

Poland-Constitutional-Tribunal-confrontation

Who Speaks For Poland? Tusk, Nawrocki And The Battle For Political Control

Poland’s confrontation over the Constitutional Tribunal has already produced a political proposal extending far beyond the court: replacing Donald Tusk’s government. On October 31, former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposed a constructive vote of no confidence and a temporary administration headed by former parliamentary speaker Marek Jurek. The proposal emerged […]