In March 2025, the Hungarian Parliament, led by the illiberal populist Fidesz party, passed by a large majority a bill banning LGBTQ+ assembly, including Pride parades. Though this legislation is not particularly surprising given Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s track record of targeting the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities, it furthers an alarming agenda and poses significant domestic and international concern.

In May 2025, during the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, a video of Turkish President Reçep Tayyip Erdoğan grabbing the French President's finger and refusing to shake his hand went viral on social media. This clash was not the first time such an incident between the two leaders occurred. In 2020, Erdoğan said that Macron needed mental treatment over an argument when the French president defended the country’s policy of laïcité after a teacher got beheaded. The personal tension between Macron and Erdoğan illustrates the growing geopolitical rivalry between Ankara and Paris.

This paper argues that the Iran-Iraq War was essential to the securitization of Iran’s energy sector by transforming it from a standard political issue into a matter of national survival. The paper will first examine how Iran enabled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to consolidate control of the country’s energy industry as a means of safeguarding it from external pressure, followed by an investigation into how the regime created a secret “shadow fleet” network to facilitate illicit oil exports, which Iran began to perceive as a crucial tool for its survival. Finally, the paper will explore how Iran has employed a range of unconventional tactics to defend its critical energy infrastructure from external attack, thereby cementing Tehran’s energy sector as a top priority for the regime.

Germany’s immigration policy, shaped by historical labor needs and recent refugee crises, has led to rising tensions, nationalist backlash, and crime concerns, prompting stricter reforms and calls for controlled borders.

Many of Africa’s most vulnerable entrepreneurs are subsistence farmers, stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty without the resources to increase their land’s productivity or their family’s income, tilling the land not for profit, but for survival. This cycle of low productivity and poverty not only limits economic opportunity, but also harms the environment. Traditional farming methods contribute to soil degradation, carbon emissions, and deforestation. However, with access to improved tools, financial support, and sustainable practices, these farmers could become central players in a regenerative agricultural movement that increases food security and combats climate change.

Imperial legacies, fascist symbolism, and post-communist disillusionment fueled the nationalist resurgence in the 2025 Romanian elections. Historical grievances, Orthodox identity, and anti-Western sentiment shaped voter behavior and facilitated the rise of far-right politics.

Dalit, translating to “oppressed,” refers to the people formerly known as “untouchables.” Dalit women are marginalized in Indian society due to their unique experience with the intersection of caste-based discrimination, gender oppression, and state-sanctioned policies. They are routinely denied access to education, healthcare, and basic rights. This exclusion and marginalization make them prime targets for forced sterilization, which is viewed by some as a way to control the reproductive capacity of marginalized communities.

For much of the 20th century, Turkey was defined by a precarious duality—straddling Europe and Asia, secularism and Islam, democracy and authoritarianism. Today, however, Turkey is no longer just a bridge between worlds; it is an assertive regional power reshaping the geopolitical landscape. However, beneath this ascent lies a deeper struggle—one not just about power, but identity. As Turkey expands its influence abroad, it remains divided at home, caught between competing visions of its future. Understanding this internal conflict is key to making sense of the forces shaping Turkey today.

Facing shifting U.S. priorities and rising global tensions, Europe debates adopting France’s strategic autonomy model to reduce reliance on NATO, aiming to build a unified, independent defense strategy despite internal divisions.

Mussolini’s intervention in the Spanish Civil War was driven less by ideological alignment and more by strategic ambitions in the Western Mediterranean, anti-communist fears, and the pursuit of alliances with Franco and Hitler.

The Lebensborn Program was a program in Nazi Germany intended to promote the “Aryan race,” encouraging the birth of German blonde blue-eyed babies, while discouraging the birth of other races. The program had tremendous negative consequences, one of which is the lasting impact it has left on European racial relations by glorifying certain ethnicities over others. Many current anti-immigration parties and movements in Europe recently use rhetoric very similar to that of the program, showing yet another lasting effect of the Holocaust. 

Washington’s increasing attacks on the transatlantic alliance have led to the Europeans to seek partners elsewhere, especially in the Indo-Pacific. These outreach efforts by the EU illustrate its desire to look for alternative partners beyond Beijing, Moscow, and Washington. However, to deepen cooperation, the EU should put more emphasis on its commitment to multilateralism, rather than hyper-focusing on human rights. 

Much of the world can collectively agree that the solution for peaceful governance, one that upholds the rights of the people, lies in the development of democratic governments.  However differing opinions arise when it comes to approaching the formation of new democracies.

Lest the European Union wish to become the new Austria-Hungary, it seems incumbent to recognize that if she doesn’t take an active role in shaping the world, others will shape it for her and against her.

Poland has been facing a recent border crisis, with a rush of migrants that it accuses neighbor Belarus of instrumentalizing. To combat this influx of people, Poland has heavily armed the border and has recently introduced new legislation that could severely damage its relation to the EU, who has been known for its welcoming immigration laws.

As global instability distracts American attention across Europe and the Middle East, a strategic reckoning is long overdue. Washington must recognize the urgency that it faces in the Indo-Pacific. The rise of China as a peer competitor presents not only an economic challenge but a military one. The ideological dogma of the Chinese Communist Party makes reunification with Taiwan a necessity. If the United States is not careful, they may well be walking into a military confrontation that they are wildly unprepared for.

This paper explores how AI is transforming energy security on both sides of the Atlantic, optimizing legacy and renewable energy systems, enhancing grid resilience, and supporting decarbonization efforts. It emphasizes the importance of U.S.-EU cooperation in leveraging AI for a sustainable, secure energy future.

The EU's approach to enlargement is strategic, yet Turkey's bid faces resistance. This article examines how history, culture, and politics influence several EU member states's views on Turkey’s membership.

This is the first in a multi-part series exploring Captagon and the future of the amphetamine trade inside the Middle East. In this article, we contextualize the importance of Captagon and explore its associated trade to both the former Assad regime and various non-state actors within the Middle East.

The European Defense Community (EDC) marked the first attempt to create a common European defense framework. Today, it is more important than ever to understand the failure of the EDC and the consequences it entailed. At the heart of this failure was the ambition of the nation states to make sovereignty prevail over the federal character of the European project.