Home 6 - The Long Brief

President Donald Trump speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud after his arrival to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Gulf Monarchies, Crypto and Real Estate: How are the Trumps Making Billions of the Presidency?

“Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.” (Donald J. Trump, ...

On December 5, 2024, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, traveled to Montevideo, Uruguay (Photo: Dati Bendo / European Commission / Wikimedia Commons)

Longreads

EU-Mercosur Agreement: A Novel Limbo

The agreement between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur (or the Southern Common Market) has been in the political arena for ...

President Donald Trump participates in a joint press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, December 28, 2025. Photo: Official White House Photo / Daniel Torok / The White House / Flickr, Public Domains.

Commentary

Five Reasons Trump’s Plan for Ukrainian Elections and a Peace Referendum Will Only Prolong the War

In a surprise announcement on February 10, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that his administration was preparing to hold presidential elections before the middle of ...

Longreads

The Rise of ‘Merzoni’: How an Alliance Between Germany’s and Italy’s Leaders is Reshaping Europe

“Merzoni” isn’t a neologism that easily trips off the tongue, and it hasn’t fully taken hold in the world of European politics. Yet, for months, ...

Interviews

Patriotic Lessons: How War and Propaganda Shape Russian Schools

A common teacher from rural Russia unmasks how the state propaganda works. Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000 and began his fifth term as ...

Photo: Illustration (Elimende Inagella / Unsplash)

Longreads

Technocratic Trap of Europe – How Depoliticization Fuels Europe’s Populist Wave

In 2010, Greece faced a sovereign debt crisis that threatened to crush its economy and destabilize the eurozone. To secure emergency loans, the Greek government agreed ...

St Peter's Square, Vatican City - April 2007 Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Commentary

If Pope Leo Joined Trump’s Board of Peace, it Would Compromise Centuries of ‘Positive Neutrality’

Pope Leo XIV is among the world leaders invited to join Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”. Initially aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza, Trump ...

Nestled in a remote corner at the “Top of the World” lies Thule Air Base, Greenland, the Department of Defense’s northernmost installation, located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Aug. 16, 2022. Photo: U.S. Space Force / Paul Honnick / Wikimedia Commons, United States Government Work.

Commentary

Greenland: Staying with the Polar Inuit. How a Secret Military Base Helped Trigger the Silent Collapse of an Arctic World

Today, as Greenland once again becomes a strategic prize, history seems poised to repeat itself. Staying with the Polar Inuit means refusing to speak of ...

Interviews

“According to the Holy See, Unjust Peace is Not Lasting, and Pacifism is not Synonymous with Peace.” — An Interview with Vatican Expert Márk Aurél Érszegi

What is the Holy See’s role in the changing world order? How does papal diplomacy work? To what extent is Leo XIV a continuation of ...

President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer board Marine One at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth, Scotland on Monday, July 28, 2025, en route Trump International Scotland in Aberdeen. Photo: The White House / Official White House Photo / Daniel Torok / Flickr, US Government Works.

Commentary

A Shifting World Order Must Mean the End of the US-UK ‘Special Relationship’

The use of the term ‘middle power’ has risen significantly in the past month after US actions in Venezuela and rhetoric on Greenland have convinced ...