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The relationship between the United States and Europe has been suffering, especially since 2016, and contrary to what many hoped, it has not improved with the arrival of a new American administration in 2021. As the U.S. continues to pivot toward Asia, it also pivots away from Europe (Politico, January 10, 2022). Actions like America’s unilateral withdrawal from...
The Wall Street Journal reports that rising fertilizer prices around the globe are impacting farmers everywhere (January 21, 2022). While having a devastating effect in developing countries, no one seems immune.
Israel will buy three specially designed, German-made submarines, in a deal worth three billion euros (Deutsche Welle, January 20, 2022). The agreement, with delivery expected nine years from now, includes spare parts and a training simulator to be built in Israel. Germany will cover part of the cost of the project through a grant to Israel.
During the current crisis in the Ukraine, the United States and Russia have met on several occasions to find a solution. However, the European Union has been left out of the conversation (Deutsche Welle, January 13, 2022). In fact, while the talks between the U.S. and Russia took place on European soil in Brussels and other cities, the EU was not invited to the...
Russia has become the primary source of natural gas for Germany, leaving some concerned that Russia could cut off the supply if hostilities erupt in the Ukraine and Germany opposes Russian moves in that area. However, the United States has been negotiating behind the scenes with the Arab nation of Qatar, which has an excess of natural gas and may be willing to...
With Russia’s massing of 100,000 troops on the border of the Ukraine in Eastern Europe, European nations are worried about a possible invasion and a broader war (BBC, January 18, 2022). Sweden recently moved hundreds of troops to Gotland Island in the Baltic, and Denmark strengthened its troop presence in the region—reigniting the question of whether these...
Two weeks ago, the eruption of an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga sent ash tens of thousands of feet into the sky and tsunami waves across thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean (New York Times, January 15, 2022). The eruption set off tsunami warnings around the Pacific Rim and along the entire west coast of the United States, where some residents...
Deutsche Welle reports that, at a recent meeting of five of the world’s nuclear powers—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—leaders “pledged to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms and have also said that nuclear war is not an option” (January 3, 2022).
When America pulled out of Afghanistan four months ago, it left a power vacuum that the Taliban quickly filled. Over the decades, the Taliban have shown themselves to be far more interested in their own agenda than in serving the people they rule. Since the departure of the U.S. and other coalition nations, Afghanistan has plunged further into chaos and poverty.
In the last couple weeks there have been mass riots in several cities in Kazakhstan, a Central Asian nation the size of Western Europe (BBC, January 6, 2022). Rioters have looted, burned down buildings, and caused additional destruction, and some have been shot by the state military.