Internet users in Romania are finding their social media posts and online news articles bombarded with comments promoting blatant propaganda, inciting hatred towards the EU and NATO, and support for Vladimir Putin’s Russia. That’s the finding of an investigation which has explored the rapid growth in activity of pro-Russian and pro-Putin propaganda accounts on TikTok, … Read more
Prior to the 2004 EU enlargement, there was widespread optimism about the democratic prospects of Central and Eastern Europe. James Dawson, Lise Herman and Aurelia Ananda examine how this optimism emerged from political science literature and what the real-world effects were on Central and Eastern European democracies. In 2003, Andrew Moravcsik and Milada Anna Vachudova … Read more
Emmanuel Macron, at an event for the national and European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism, in Strasbourg, on March 11, 2025. CYRIL BITTON/DIVERGENCE FOR LE MONDE These days, every opportunity is worth taking. On Tuesday, March 11, Emmanuel Macron chose the inauguration of the future headquarters of France’s domestic intelligence agency, the General Directorate … Read more
A grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD is widely expected in Germany. Yet as John Ryan argues, there are serious questions about whether the new coalition will be able to respond to the multiple challenges facing the country. Friedrich Merz may have emerged as the winner of Germany’s federal election, with the mandate to … Read more
Voters in the predominantly Dutch-speaking Belgian region of Flanders are often assumed to be more conservative than those in predominantly French-speaking Wallonia. Yet as Daan Delespaul shows, there is reason to question whether the two regions constitute distinct political worlds. The structure of western European party systems has long been shaped by sticky political divides … Read more