Europe & Russia
European politics, Russian strategy, NATO pressure, and the internal fractures shaping the continent.
28 Reports
The Skeletons in Putin's Closet: Four Critics Who Died Defying the Kremlin
How a journalist, two oligarchs, and an opposition leader met suspicious deaths after crossing Vladimir Putin, and what their fates reveal about Russian power.
Is It Time for a French Sixth Republic? Inside France's Political Crisis
France's government keeps collapsing under the Fifth Republic. Why a growing chorus says the answer is to tear up the constitution and start over.
Sweden's Integration Problem: How a Safe Haven Became a Cautionary Tale
How Sweden's hands-off integration model collided with record migration, fueling gang violence, parallel societies, and a political earthquake.
Why Do French Governments Keep Collapsing?
France keeps building governments that seem destined to fall. Behind the confidence votes is a debt crisis, a split parliament, and a weakened president.
Whatever Happened to Trump the Isolationist? The Limits of American Retreat
Trump campaigned on ending forever wars, then bombed Iran and armed Ukraine. The reversal reveals why true isolationism may be impossible for any US president.
Why MAGA Is Obsessed With Hungary: Inside the Orban Blueprint
How Viktor Orban turned Hungary into a laboratory for the American right, and why his model of managed democracy fascinates and alarms in equal measure.
The New War Hawks: How Western Liberals Became the New Defense Spenders
Why Western liberals embraced rearmament while the right turned isolationist, and how a decade of global disorder reversed the old politics of defense.
Why Vladimir Putin Is Still Surprisingly Popular After 25 Years
How Putin built the most durable authoritarian popularity in modern history from economic recovery, nationalist pride, and identity, and why it is now cracking.
Ireland Is Europe's Richest Country. Why Doesn't It Feel That Way?
How Ireland became Europe's wealthiest nation on paper while a housing crisis, phantom GDP, and a two-speed economy leave its citizens struggling.
Russia's Deathonomics: How War Pay Became the Best-Paying Job in the Country
How Russia turned soldier death benefits into the largest wealth redistribution in post-Soviet history — and why the war economy it built cannot last.
Denmark's Zero-Immigration Policy: How a Left-Wing Government Built Europe's Toughest Asylum Regime
How Denmark's Social Democrats adopted Europe's most restrictive immigration and asylum policies, why they worked politically, and what comes next.
USAID Saved Lives and Wasted Money: Should It Have Been Destroyed?
USAID saved millions of lives and drew decades of credible criticism. Inside the case for dismantling it, the case for saving it, and what its loss means.