Articles by: "Mark Leonard"
What the Weimar Triangle could do for Europe

In his speech at Sorbonne University in April, and again on his state visit to Germany in late May, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe is confronting its own mortality. Caught between Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Xi Jinping’s China and, potentially, …

The Macron moment

The days of Europe buying its energy from Russia, outsourcing its businesses to China, and relying on the United States for its security are over. The European Union is only mortal and could very well …

The Trump effect may galvanise Europe

Not for the first time, the central figure at this year’s Munich Security Conference was someone not in attendance. This year was Donald Trump’s turn. Like most participants at this annual ‘Davos of Defence’, I …

The global consequences of the Israel–Hamas war

War has returned to the Middle East. A month after Hamas militants carried out their brutal rampage, Israel’s military retaliation continues with an intensifying ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza. For people living, or with family, …

The geopolitics of EU enlargement

Where will Europe’s borders end? On 6 October, EU leaders convened in Granada, Spain, to discuss a question that has captivated Eurocrats, think tanks and journalists throughout the bloc since the start of the war …

This cold war is different

US President Joe Biden brought the leaders of allies Japan and South Korea to Camp David last month to discuss how to contain China and counter Russia’s influence—for example, in Africa’s Sahel region, which has …

The West’s China crossroads

Last month, Canada suddenly announced that it was freezing all ties with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a multilateral lender created by China as an alternative to the World Bank. According to Canada’s finance minister, …

Governing a post-Western world

When NATO leaders descend on Vilnius for next week’s annual summit, they will demonstrate that the organisation, newly united behind support for Ukraine, is far from ‘brain dead’, as French President Emmanuel Macron infamously described …

The post-American Middle Eastern order

May was a busy month for diplomats in the Middle East. Twelve years after the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was officially welcomed back into the fold. As the protracted war …

The Ukraine war and European identity

The European Parliament elections are still a year away, but political parties across the EU have already shifted to campaign mode. While the election will undoubtedly feature a wide range of views on climate change, …

Xi Jinping’s idea of world order

By all accounts, Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a successful few weeks. Hot on the heels of the Chinese-brokered restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he used his recent visit to …