Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, left, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, pose for a photo before a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 5, 2017 (AP photo by Ivan Sekretarev).

Now that the tide in the Syrian civil war appears to have definitely turned in favor of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, one of the key factors that will shape Syria’s future is the precise nature and durability of the relationship between the two countries that saved Assad from collapse: Iran and Russia. Tehran and Moscow worked together to bolster Assad, but the character of their ad hoc alliance has always remained a bit of a mystery. They each, for their own purposes, wanted the regime in Damascus to survive. Beyond that, it has never been clear just how committed Russian […]

A banner in a town square in the French Alps reads “Welcome Refugees,” Chamonix, France, Oct. 22, 2016 (AP photo by Bertrand Combaldieu).

Last month, authorities in Italy requested a formal investigation of five French border patrol agents in the Alps who entered Italy to perform an unauthorized drug test on a Nigerian citizen, in what the authorities say was a violation of Italian sovereignty. It was just the latest episode in months-long tensions at the French-Italian border near Col de l’Echelle, or Colle Della Scala, a high mountain pass in northwestern Italy that has become a popular route for migrants trying to enter into France. In March, a volunteer mountain guide on the French side of the border was charged with facilitating […]

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, England, May 19, 2018 (AP photo by Frank Augstein).

What does Meghan Markle mean for multilateralism? Since the British royal wedding on Saturday, commentators have been lining up to interpret the political and social significance of the fact that a “mixed race American divorcee actress” is the newest member of the House of Windsor. This is not all froth. The marriage ceremony—with its emphasis on black culture and heritage, both British and American—has added a positive spin to debates about race and identity in the U.K. If you believe the British media, Markle’s nuptials with Prince Harry could also reshape debates about Brexit, class and the role of religion […]

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before meeting with the British, French and German foreign ministers, Brussels, May 15, 2018 (AP photo by Thierry Monasse).

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Last week, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel solemnly declared that from now on Europe would have to take its destiny in its own hands. It’s hard to disagree with Merkel. But that was already true the first time she expressed the sentiment in May 2017, in the aftermath of Trump’s first visit to Europe as president. In the meantime, Europe has not done anything to fundamentally address the challenge of managing trans-Atlantic relations under Trump. As a result, […]

Riot police try to keep protesters away from migrants during clashes at the port of Mytilene, on the Greek island of Lesbos, April 22, 2018 (Eurokinissi photo via AP).

ATHENS—“Burn them alive!” The sinister shouts of far-right thugs to migrants and refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos last month made news all over the world. The thugs had attacked and injured hundreds of refugees camping in the central square of Mytilene, the island’s capital. The police didn’t intervene. While many hoped it was a one-off, the scenes were repeated two weeks ago, when Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the island. The same far-right groups attacked activists, journalists and even police officers. Again, no arrests were made. For those following Greek politics, this might sound all too familiar. […]

Supporters of newly installed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stand on top of a vehicle as they protest in Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia, May 2, 2018 (AP photo by Sergei Grits).

On May 8, Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was chosen by lawmakers to become the next prime minister, culminating three weeks of massive popular demonstrations against the country’s opaque and corrupt political establishment. The initial catalyst for the demonstrations was former President Serzh Sargsyan’s effort to hold onto power by assuming the premiership, having already revised the constitution to strengthen the prime minister’s executive powers. With expectations for change now running high, Pashinyan has his work cut out for him if he is to retain the support of the diverse coalition that brought him to power. In an email interview, […]

A protester carries a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron depicted as King Louis XVI, Paris, France, May 5, 2018 (AP photo by Francois Mori).

On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris to express their disapproval of French President Emmanuel Macron on the one-year anniversary of his election. Macron has wasted little time following through on his campaign promises of economic and fiscal reforms. But his efforts to overhaul France’s labor regulations as well as his willingness to use extraordinary executive powers to push through his agenda have led critics to call him authoritarian and the “president of the rich.” In an email interview, George Ross, distinguished Jean Monnet Chair and visiting professor of political science at the University of Montreal-McGill Center for Excellence […]

People take part in the annual “March of the Living” to commemorate the Holocaust, Oswiecim, Poland, April 12, 2018 (AP photo by Czarek Sokolowski).

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and managing editor, Frederick Deknatel, discuss rising tensions between Israel and Iran over Syria and the Iran nuclear deal. For the Report, Annabelle Chapman talks with WPR’s senior editor, Robbie Corey-Boulet, about Poland’s controversial Holocaust memory law, and the role historical memory plays in contemporary Polish politics. If you like what you hear on Trend Lines and what you’ve read on WPR, you can sign up for our free newsletter to get our uncompromising analysis delivered straight to your inbox. The newsletter offers a free preview article every day of […]

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev leads a Cabinet meeting to draw up measures to support sanctioned Russian companies, in the Gorky residence outside Moscow, April 9, 2018 (Sputnik photo by Alexander Astafyev via AP).

At first glance, the U.S. Treasury Department’s April 6 sanctions against 38 Russian individuals and business entities, including oligarchs and senior government officials, would be easy enough to dismiss as the latest reprisal in an escalating geopolitical spat between the United States and Russia. Just a week before, the two countries traded diplomatic expulsions over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom. Sixty diplomats from each nation were declared persona non grata. The U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg and the Russian consulate in Seattle were both shuttered. The tit-for-tat expulsions followed a February indictment by the […]

Members of the Muslim community pray during Eid al-Adha in the Parco Dora, Turin, Italy, September 1, 2017 (Sipa photo by Mauro Ujetto via AP).

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series about religious minorities in various countries around the world. In early February, a month before Italy’s inconclusive elections, the leader of the far-right party the League, Matteo Salvini, called for the closure of all “illegal” Islamic centers, declaring that “Islam is incompatible” with Italian values. The rise of Islamophobia in Italy has coincided with an anti-immigrant backlash to the migrant crisis that saw just under 120,000 immigrants arrive in the country in 2017 alone, many of them Muslims from Africa and the Middle East. But the question of unregistered Islamic […]

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Warsaw, April 19, 2018 (AP photo by Czarek Sokolowski).

WARSAW—On April 19, the Polish capital paused to remember the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, when Jews took up arms against the Nazi Germans. The 75th anniversary of the start of the uprising was observed in ceremonies led by Jewish leaders as well as officials from the highest levels of government. At one event held at the city’s Monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes, addressing a crowd that included Holocaust survivors, President Andrzej Duda hailed those who rose up to resist the Nazi occupiers. “We bow our heads low to their heroism, their bravery, their determination and courage,” he said. […]