The leaders of nine southern EU countries and two EU officials pose for a photo.

European states are debating the war in Gaza as a foreign policy crisis with little direct connection to the internal workings of the EU. Yet as the conflict continues to escalate, the efforts by Brussels to keep the horror engulfing Gaza and Israel at arm’s length from the EU are unlikely to remain sustainable for long.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference.

As preparations fall into place for the first in-person summit in four years between EU officials and their Chinese counterparts, hopes for constructive partnership have been displaced by mutual suspicion. Yet in hardening its stance toward Beijing, Brussels is ignoring weaknesses within China that could also generate risks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to a question during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, July 8, 2023.

In an information landscape where social media-driven news cycles often burn out in a day, engaging with the public responsibly over months and years has become one of the most difficult challenges that governments face. Yet this is what Kyiv must do as it becomes clear that the war in Ukraine will continue for the foreseeable future.

PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

Since the ruling PiS party lost Poland’s Oct. 15 elections, a ferocious debate has raged within the party about whether to work with a new opposition-led government or do everything possible to sabotage it. How this debate within PiS is resolved could influence how other right-wing parties in Europe respond to electoral defeat.