by Alex Krainer*
(11 September 2026) On Saturday, 29 August 2026, Iceland held a referendum on whether to resume EU accession negotiations. The results weren’t favourable to the EU: 52.8% of Icelanders voted No and 47.2% voted Yes, with turnout of 82.5%.
by George Beebe,* USA
(11 September 2026) A lesson to all purveyors of the idea that Ukraine could be a 'steel porcupine' and avoid a mutual agreement to end the conflict. It's a trap.
Over the course of a few short weeks, a grim new reality has taken shape in Ukraine. Russia1 has shown that it need not conquer and occupy Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coastline to turn that country into the equivalent of a landlocked state. It need only deny access to Ukraine’s critically important Odessa port complex, something it is doing quite effectively through air and missile strikes on port facilities and approaching ships.
by Gert Ewen Ungar*
(4 September 2026) (CH-S) Gert Ewen Ungar offers a different perspective: he describes how Germany perceives its own involvement with the Ukrainian Zelenskyy government, whilst highlighting the contradictory consequences this has for Germany.
by Karin Leukefeld*
(28 August 2026) Sixty days ago, on 17 June, the presidents of Iran and the United States of America signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU), a declaration of intent intended to bring an end to the war of aggression against Iran that the US and Israel had launched on 28 February 2026. Today, the agreement is “in a coma”, as they say in Iran. Israel is blocking it at every level.
by Olli Tammilehto*
(24 July 2026) (CH-S) Numerous irrational strategic decisions in Europe are the result of decades of “Elite Capture” by the US – according to Finnish author Olli Tammilehto.
A striking example is Finland's 58-year-old President, Alexander Stubb. He previously served as Finland’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as well as Vice-President of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. Tammilehto’s article also turns the spotlight on members of the ruling elites in other countries.
by Ralph Bosshard*
(17 July 2026) A diplomatic offensive by the Eurasian countries is currently underway, aimed at implementing China’s “Global Governance Initiative” and Belarus’s “Charter for the Security of Eurasia”.
Once the summer holidays are over, things could really take off, and Europe might be relegated to the role of a bystander. Will Chinese and Belarusian diplomats be governing the pressing conflicts of our time?