Media Interventions

Four top European leaders hold talks Monday on the future of the European Union, at a time when it faces multiple crises that are sparking doubts about its very existence. Hosted by French President Francois Hollande at the iconic Versailles palace outside Paris, the dinner meeting that brings together German, Italian and Spanish leaders comes amid heated discussion about how to move forward the deeply troubled European Union in the face of Brexit, rising nationalism and an EU-skeptic Trump administration in Washington.

The right-wing spiral of Germany’s anti-EU Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has brought it shoulder to shoulder with France’s National Front (NF). The two parties see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, including Russia. 

The Swedish government has decided to reintroduce military conscription - a move backed by the country's MPs. Why is this happening? And how will it work? How does it impact regional security? And which other European countries have conscription?

3 questions to Mark GALEOTTI, Senior Researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague, Director of Mayak Intelligence consultancy.

Angela Merkel loosing the elections in Germany could be one of the many electoral suprises in 2017. Surveys on voting intentions for the legislative elections in September show that her opponent Martin Schulz (social-democrat) has started overtaking her.

Russia watchers say Moscow is deploying considerable resources to swing the French election.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after his election. On Friday, Feb. 10, he will meet with President Trump, before spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

On Germanys second channel, ZDF, Barbara Kunz enlarges upon the French presidential election in May.

Martin Schulz will be the SPDs candidate for the general elections in 2017, facing the CDUs Angela Merkel. Could his arrival threaten the Chancellor and reinvigorate a rather dull looking SPD?

A closer look at China’s vision for remaking Asian security, and what the United States can do about it. In October, China hosted the seventh Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, during which Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin outlined a framework for a regional security architecture to meet the emerging challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. 

The leaders of the extreme right-wing AfD party, Alternative for Germany, intend to take advantage of the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin to challenge the German Chancellors welcoming policy : 1 million refugees arrived between 2015 and 2016, they argue that in welcoming them, she imported violence.

What political future for the German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a year characterised by the New Years incident in Cologne and the attack in Berlin?