The rise of Germany’s AfD and Italy’s Vannacci brings back the temptations of WWII. It’s easy to fall for easy answers to complex questions. Yet the alternative is even simpler: do Europeans really want to be ruled by Moscow? The dual challenge posed by the AfD in Germany and by Roberto Vannacci in Italy risks […]
While Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, was holding a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, another Catholic official landed in Moscow: CIA Director John Ratcliffe – who reportedly went to Moscow to warn Russia against support for Iran and activities in Europe. Vatican diplomacy and American […]
Tomorrow’s meeting between Archbishop P.R. Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov could be crucial to resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine diplomatically. August 24 marks the start of Archbishop P.R. Gallagher’s five-day visit to Russia. Gallagher is the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States […]
Beijing may think the US order is gone, and the world will descend into chaos for decades. Still, America may be entering a new phase, and some calculations could be wrong. Beijing may believe that Donald Trump’s 2016 election and his return to office eight years later are not accidents but part of a deeper […]
Many are working for peace in the ongoing conflicts, and feasible compromises should be achievable, because everybody is tired of war. But will any ceasefires last? “The lovers’ faith is like the Arabian phoenix — everyone says it exists, no one knows where,” the Italian poet Metastasio sang, in verses that come back to mind […]
Beijing may have to decide where to draw the line and cut its losses in Ukraine. It may not want to follow Putin into the hole he has dug for himself. Russia’s war in Ukraine has exacted a toll unprecedented in Europe since the end of World War II. Moscow may have suffered over 1.4 […]
Tehran has not lost, but neither has it won. The new phase of reconstruction will be delicate, with divided leadership. Russia could be crumbling, and China needs to pick up the pieces, but what? The peace announcement about the war between the US and Iran marks a new strategic phase for both countries. Iran is […]
