The beginning of 2026 was an alarming sign of a new phase of radicalism for Europe. The attack on Berlin's energy infrastructure, which led to a large-scale blackout, clearly demonstrated that left-wing radical extremism, long considered a minor threat, had moved from local actions to strikes capable of disrupting the...
Fear as a strategy: what lies behind Orbán’s election rhetoric
In early January 2026, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made one of the harshest and most candid pre-election statements of his entire time in power. Addressing Hungarian voters via social media and controlled media outlets with a call to support his Fidesz party in the elections, Orbán stated that the...
Russia’s shadow fleet and the threat to the Black Sea
On December 15, 2024, a major environmental disaster occurred in the Black Sea, near the Kerch Strait. During a severe storm, the Russian oil tanker Volgoneft-212 broke apart and sank. The vessel Volgoneft-239 also suffered critical damage and was washed ashore. Both tankers were carrying heavy fuel oil. These vessels,...
US operation in Venezuela: political motives, international reaction, and risks
On the night of January 3, the US conducted an unprecedented military operation on Venezuelan territory, as a result of which American special forces captured the country's incumbent president, Nicolás Maduro, and took him to the US, where he is to stand trial on charges of narco-terrorism and participation in...
Illegal migration in UK: scale, causes, and consequences
The United Kingdom is facing one of the most acute migration problems in its modern history. The flow of illegal migrants continues to grow despite tougher legislation, intergovernmental cooperation, and billions of pounds spent by the state on supporting migrants. The scale of what is happening is increasingly causing concern...
The NHS crisis: between reforms and reality
The maternity services of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) are currently experiencing one of their most challenging periods. What were recently perceived as isolated incidents of concern are now increasingly recognized as a systemic crisis affecting the safety of mothers and newborns across the country. Staff shortages, deteriorating conditions...
Echoes of a long-ago war: Dialogue between the UK and Argentina on lifting the arms embargo
In December this year, Argentina announced the start of negotiations with the UK on the possible lifting of the arms embargo imposed after the Falklands (Malvinas) War in 1982. However, these statements by Argentine President Javier Milei were officially denied by the British government. To understand the current debate surrounding...
Sex scandal in Spain: lessons for Europe
In December 2025, Spain was rocked by an unprecedented political scandal involving not only corruption, but also sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by high-ranking members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which traditionally considers itself one of the main defenders of gender equality in the country. In the summer,...
“Between two giants”: how the confrontation between the USA and China presents Europe with a historic choice
Since the early 2010s, the geopolitical rivalry between the two major powers, the US and China, has gone far beyond bilateral relations. This struggle, which includes trade wars, technological competition, and ideological conflicts, is shaping new rules for global politics and economics, which has become particularly noticeable in the outgoing...
A crisis of confidence and growing instability: the UK on the brink of 2026
The year 2025 will go down in British history as another period of deepening socio-political division and slowing economic growth. The results of the outgoing year show that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has faced extremely low levels of trust, while economic indicators have faced difficult challenges that create a...