EUROPE

In the wake of both the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) and Donald Trump’s first election as U.S. President in 2016, far-right movements have experienced a surge of support in elections across Europe. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze how a potential second Trump administration could affect these movements, highlighting the cases of Italy, Germany, and France.

In the beginning of 2023, over a million people took to the streets to fight President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform bill. This bill, which increased the retirement age to 64, prompted union strikes and rioting all over France. With Macron’s centrist consensus collapsing, Marine Le Pen has fully capitalized on anti-immigrant scapegoating for votes. In response, leftist leaders have joined forces under a coalition called the New Popular Front (NFP), vowing to protect pensions and other social services. The NFP won the most seats in the 2024 legislative elections shortly after the party’s creation. Macron’s refusal to appoint a left-wing prime minister in spite of these results, highlights the desperation of France’s ruling class.

Italy has been at the forefront of the European migration crisis due to its immense Mediterranean coastline. With the election of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in 2022, anti-immigration discourse has increased, emphasizing the difficulty of dealing with the issue. As migrants overwhelm processing centers and smaller communities throughout the country, Meloni structured a deal with Albania to ease pressure on Italian social systems. Inspired, the EU has begun to consider similar projects outside the Union.

For the first time in post-World War II Germany, a far-right political party has won a state election. The openly extremist right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) achieved a “historic success” in the eastern state of Thuringia on September 1. This victory serves as a grim reminder of the first Nazi state election win in 1930, which also occurred in Thuringia. 

From 1918-1934, Austria’s largest city underwent a Marxist-led economic transformation known as Red Vienna. Funded by exuberant taxes on the wealthy, the Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAPÖ - a precursor to SPÖ) built 65,000 publicly rented apartments throughout the city with nearby state amenities. Although Nazi occupation ended Vienna’s novel socialist experiment, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) is continuing to advocate for the working class today. This small anti-capitalist movement poses a direct threat to Austria’s entrenched political elite and growing populist right.

In 2012, Italy's Ministry of Justice, namely the Department of Juvenile and Community Justice, launched the Free To Choose program in Calabria. The project sought to remove children from their mafia families and place them in foster care programs, to break the cycle of criminal behavior between generations. Once authorities can prove to a court that the child is in danger due to their circumstances, they can forcefully remove the child from their parents' custody and place them in foster care.

“There has been a troubling resurgence of antisemitic attitudes across Europe, especially in the Scandinavian countries. Given Scandinavia’s, and the continent as a whole, complex and painful history with its Jewish communities, the latest developments in the Middle East have sparked a wave of hostility in various areas.”

Resistance has been a crucial part of Portuguese politics since the days of the Estado Novo dictatorship. College campuses and city plazas became the voice for public discontent amidst state suppression, acting as a catalyst for democratic reform and wealth redistribution. Decades after the 1974 Carnation Revolution ended this brutal regime in a leftist coup d’etat, many continued to protest the government regularly. Recent economic instability has brought Portugal to its knees on several occasions. Throughout this time, teachers have been the most vocal advocates for change. 

What differentiates the EGD from other global zero-emission attempts such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Rio Conference, or the Montreal Protocol is its dedication to promoting a long-term growth strategy that tackles the irreversible impacts of climate change within the EU. The EGD’s climate oriented policy goals includes building a climate-resilient society through the use of databases that strengthen access to climate resources and knowledge on climate change.

On February 27th 1900, Labour was launched as an official political party for Britain’s urban poor. At the time, the party maintained strong ties to the burgeoning unionist movement and helped broadly expand the welfare state while in power during the 1940s and 60s. Despite this earlier success, Tony Blair’s “New Labour” fully embraced the cult of neoliberalism at the expense of the working-class. In the face of encroaching corporate influence, Jeremy Corbyn remains the last major steward for Labour’s proletarian tradition.

Starmer's pragmatic approach, focusing on economic recovery and social justice, seems to strike the right chord with voters disillusioned with the Conservative government's handling of various crises.

“Turn Indignation Into Political Change”- the title of a Spanish anti-government manifesto published in 2014 by a group of college professors and media personalities. In it, these outsiders challenge the legitimacy of the country’s two-party regime and call for the creation of something new: Podemos. This subversive platform would work to protect the welfare state and push for housing decommodification, female liberation, and several other progressive initiatives. 

A battle is brewing in Germany. After decades of stagnating wages and worsening inequality, German workers are being mobilized under a new goal; the three day weekend. The IG Metall steel union, over two million members strong, is demanding a shortened work week for all German metalworkers. This effort could mark the beginning of a new era for organized labor throughout Europe and beyond.

As global warming progresses and exacerbates existing gender inequalities, it has become increasingly clear that the climate crisis is not “gender neutral.” Environmental disasters disproportionately impact women. Integrating a gendered perspective in the conduction of environmental policy, specifically in the case of the EU, is critical to comprehensively assisting vulnerable populations and mitigating the ongoing crisis.

The European Union (EU) has been at the forefront of innovative AI legislation. The EU began to address the gap in legal regulatory structures for AI beginning in 2019 with the European Commission’s outline for AI in Europe which resulted in the publication of an ethics guideline for trustworthy AI. 

The continuous melting of the polar ice caps is forcing governments to rethink their strategic plans in the Arctic. Climate change has allowed for this region to become more important on a global scale, and brings with it both exciting new opportunities and daunting new challenges.

Türkiye (formerly referred to as Turkey) has survived many tumultuous challenges throughout the 21st century. Coups, economic collapse, natural disasters, constitutional crises, and much more. One thing has remained certain however, Erdogan’s iron grip on power. The recent defeat of opposition candidate Kemal Kilicidaroglu has secured Erdogan another five years as the far-right authoritarian leader of Türkiye, a NATO member and the 19th largest economy in the world. This article aims to explain why Erdogan has become so untouchable despite his clear dishonesty and corruption. 

The rise of tragedies related to the migration of such a large number of people has become a common occurrence in the Aegean Sea. Following the 2015 refugee crisis of people fleeing persecution from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan to Central Europe through routes in the Mediterranean, there was a controversial rise among many European politicians regarding migration policies and refugees. This article will address the lack of media coverage with respect to failed migration attempts resulting in deaths of innocent refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and internally displaced persons. 

Ukrainian women have consistently proved they are devoted to the war effort. But who is there for them? The war has disparately impacted women in Ukraine by deepening pre-existing gender gaps regarding access to resources and safety.

Scotland and England have a long history, and have spent the last 300 years united under one government. With Scottish nationalism and want for independence on the rise, the potential negative effects of Scotland’s independence loom over the heads of not just Scotland and England, but the West as well.

Germany’s Inaugural National Security Strategy presents a promising shift in foreign policy decision-making, but is it enough to coordinate Germany’s historically bureaucratic governing structure? Mike Dupre explores why the key to sustainable change might lie in a National Security Council, a proven model in many Transatlantic states.

The stakes for this year’s parliamentary elections are higher than ever. A recent rise in the approval ratings of the country’s liberal party - the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska or PO) - is a beacon of hope in the country’s nearly decade-long battle with the right-wing conservative Law and Justice party (PiS).

After applying for membership last year in 2022, Finland has now entered NATO, posing questions for the future of Nordic-Western alliances and the relationship’s potential consequences during international conflicts, such as the Ukraine War. Since 1944, the country’s eastern border with Russia is the second-longest border that Russia has with any country.

While the pension’s present structure may have proven effective until now, France’s rapidly declining birth rates and aging population pose a challenge to its stability, as current trends would either necessitate an increase in the pension tax for future workers or decrease the quality of life for upcoming pensioners.

The European Commission's decision to bring Poland's case to the Court of Justice of the European Union has been complicated by Poland's growing role in NATO leadership and increasing international influence. The ruling right-wing party, Law and Justice (PiS), has gained credibility, while Poland's relationship with Hungary remains a key factor in determining the outcome of the conflict. With upcoming parliamentary elections and Donald Tusk's return to Polish politics, the EU's actions could be its last chance to weaken PiS's public image before the elections.

With war still raging in Ukraine, the neighboring country of Moldova is facing increased threats from Russia continuing its attempt to spread control. Recent destabilization plots, continued chaos with the Transnistria region, and the global energy crisis have required the Moldovan government to double down on state security.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has been attacking the independence of the Polish judiciary since they came to power in 2015. The European Union has repeatedly taken action against Poland, including triggering Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union and imposing daily fines for Poland's refusal to suspend the functions of the Disciplinary Chamber for the Supreme Court, which was ruled unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2021.

As landlords in Spain decide to list their units on Airbnb rather than renting them out to locals, limited supply skyrockets rent. In Spain's already strained housing market, the effects of Airbnb have forced the Government to intervene.

NATO members are divided over the admittance of Finland and Sweden, with Turkey opposing their inclusion due to perceived support for militant political organizations. To address these concerns, both countries have lifted their arms blockades on Turkey and agreed to work on creating mechanisms to subjugate the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and extradite terrorist subjects.

The Table of Six, a coalition of opposition parties in Turkey, has unveiled a detailed plan to change the country if they win the upcoming presidential election. The alliance aims to restore a healthy democracy, promote separation of powers, and restructure the parliamentary government, but faces significant hurdles such as a lack of security in the electoral process and Erdogan's control over the media and government structures.