Why the EU Needs to Address Chinese Technology Licensing The Europeans should use the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) to level the business information playing field with China.

New from @michaellaha.bsky.social: The EU should amend the Industrial Accelerator Act to incorporate an “information reciprocity” concept, and level the business information playing field with China.

ip-quarterly.com/en/why-eu-ne...

Poland’s History War Politically, Polish society is split down the middle and is embroiled in culture wars. Museums are caught in the crosshairs.

Polish society is embroiled in culture wars—and museums are caught in the crosshairs.

Read @lucyaash.bsky.social in our spring issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/polands-h...

Keir Starmer Approaches the Danger Zone The British prime minister had a terrible first year in office, and things haven’t improved much since. A bad result for his Labour Party in regional and local elections on May 7 may well cut his poli...

Something to keep an eye on, from @johnkampfner.bsky.social: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a terrible first year in office, and things haven’t improved much since. A bad result for his Labour Party in elections on May 7 may well cut his political career short.

ip-quarterly.com/en/keir-star...

Recommended reading

“It’s in Europe’s Interest that Iran Does Not Control the Strait of Hormuz” The Iran war started as a war of choice, but it is now morphing into one of necessity, Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour tells IPQ. The Europeans are facing a dilemma that is not of their making.

NEW: The Iran war started as a war of choice, but it is now morphing into one of necessity, @carnegieendowment.org's Karim Sadjadpour tells IPQ.

Now, Europeans are facing a dilemma that is not of their making.

ip-quarterly.com/en/its-europ...

Fast Forward (2): Foundations for a Future German Foreign Policy The world is facing the end of an idealistic-normative approach to the international order. Germany needs to recalibrate its approach.

The world is facing the end of an idealistic-normative approach to the international order. Germany needs to recalibrate its approach.

New from Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Mark Speich: ip-quarterly.com/en/fast-forw...

Keir Starmer Approaches the Danger Zone The British prime minister had a terrible first year in office, and things haven’t improved much since. A bad result for his Labour Party in regional and local elections on May 7 may well cut his poli...

Something to keep an eye on, from @johnkampfner.bsky.social: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a terrible first year in office, and things haven’t improved much since. A bad result for his Labour Party in elections on May 7 may well cut his political career short.

ip-quarterly.com/en/keir-star...

With the logic of current US foreign policy solely based on power, the question for Europe is whether it can muster the strength, cohesion, and nerve required to shape whatever global order comes next.

Wojciech Solak in our spring issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/trump-cor...

Merz’ Unfinished Foreign Policy Reforms The Merz government has started to restructure Germany’s foreign and security policy apparatus. The changes are happening too slowly and are not radical enough.

The Merz government is restructuring Germany’s foreign and security policy apparatus; it needs to find big solutions to big problems.

But so far, @bressansar.bsky.social & Philipp Rotmann argue, these changes are happening too slowly and are not radical enough.

ip-quarterly.com/en/merz-unfi...

Germans Are Filing for a Transatlantic Divorce One year on from US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a solid majority in Germany no longer trusts the United States. Opinions about what role the country should play in Europe, thou...

One year on from Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a solid majority in Germany no longer trusts the United States. Opinions about what role the country should play in Europe, though, remain in flux.

Read @koerber-ip.bsky.social's Jonathan Lehrer: ip-quarterly.com/en/germans-a...

Stuck in the Middle Again Europe is up against too many crises and with too little time to prepare.

The best time to prevent a crisis is before it happens. But which crisis, and how long do we have?

Read @rebeccawire.bsky.social on Europe’s predicament: ip-quarterly.com/en/stuck-mid...

Poland and the EU: On a Slippery Slope With its opposition to taking cheap loans from the EU’s SAFE defense fund, the nationalist-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party has decided to make Poland’s attitude to the EU the country’s key politi...

Poland's nationalist-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party has decided to make Poland’s attitude to the EU the country’s key political cleavage. This is unprecedented and dangerous.

Read Piotr Buras, head of @ecfr.eu's Warsaw office, in our spring issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/poland-an...

The Middle Powers Chancellor Germany must embark on a quest for new partners. For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the key criterion for choosing them is whether they’re willing to abide by international rules.

Opinion: "For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the key criterion for choosing them is whether they’re willing to abide by international rules", writes @andreasrinke.bsky.social at @ipq.bsky.social
ip-quarterly.com/en/middle-po...

Fast Forward (3): German Foreign Policy Should Prepare for the Unexpected Germany is facing turbulent times. This requires a clear moral compass as well as a high degree of economic dynamism and military strength.

Germany is facing turbulent times, @fuecks.bsky.social writes. As such, those who craft its foreign policy should prepare for the unexpected.

ip-quarterly.com/en/fast-forw...

The Middle Powers Chancellor Germany must embark on a quest for new partners. For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the key criterion for choosing them is whether they’re willing to abide by international rules.

With each new Trumpian twist and turn, Merz has become more convinced that Europeans—and Germany in particular—need to find new partners around the world (in addition to the transatlantic alliance).

Read @andreasrinke.bsky.social in our spring issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/middle-po...

Fast Forward (1): A Wider Conception of German Foreign Policy Germany needs to stop thinking about foreign affairs and security in an isolated way. Fiscal policy, the country’s economic model, and the defense of our democracy have immense foreign policy implicat...

In our new issue, @wolfgangschmidt.bsky.social writes that he is uneasy with the state of Germany’s foreign and security policy debate, which too often ignores the economic foundations of policymaking and isolates good analysis within the foreign policy sphere.

ip-quarterly.com/en/fast-forw...

German Foreign Policy Needs a Strategy Despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government’s claims of a brand-new German foreign policy, there has really been more continuity than change. What Berlin needs to achieve is nothing less than...

Friedrich Merz claims to have a brand-new German foreign policy—but so far, there’s been more continuity than change with his government.

What Berlin needs is a major strategy for protecting Europe’s security, @henninghoff.bsky.social argues in our new issue: ip-quarterly.com/en/german-fo...

Spring 2026 Issue: A New German Foreign Policy? The 23rd issue of INTERNATIONALE POLITIK QUARTERLY focuses on German foreign policy one year after the Merz government came into office.

Our new issue, A New German Foreign Policy?, features @lucyaash.bsky.social, @andreasrinke.bsky.social, @bressansar.bsky.social, @wolfgangschmidt.bsky.social, @josephdeweck.bsky.social, @rebeccawire.bsky.social, @fraghi.bsky.social, @johnkampfner.bsky.social & more.

ip-quarterly.com/en/spring-20...

Our new issue, out tomorrow.

Europe in the Age of Weapons of Mass Disruption Europe must finally accept that trade disruption is becoming the norm rather than the exception. The Third Gulf War is only the latest reminder.

A preview from our Spring issue, out later this week: In the age of weapons of mass disruption, Europe's leaders must finally accept that irregular trade is becoming the norm rather than the exception, writes @josephdeweck.bsky.social.

ip-quarterly.com/en/europe-ag...

ICYMI EU enlargement and reform will come to dominate European discussions in the coming months. By Milan Nic @milanninberlin.bsky.social & Nikola Xaviereff @nikoxw.bsky.social

Europe in the Age of Weapons of Mass Disruption Europe must finally accept that trade disruption is becoming the norm rather than the exception. The Third Gulf War is only the latest reminder.

A preview from our @ipq.bsky.social Spring 2026 issue:

@josephdeweck.bsky.social explains that Europe needs to move on to a new base case in the age of weapons of mass disruption, presently manifesting itself in the Israeli-US war against Iran

ip-quarterly.com/en/europe-ag...

On EU Enlargement, Germany Is Starting to Move The question of how to facilitate a membership of sorts for Ukraine means that the debate about EU enlargement is fast approaching a critical phase. Berlin is starting to become more flexible.

As ever, a key question for Ukraine's potential EU membership is where the German government stands in this debate.

ip-quarterly.com/en/eu-enlarg...

“Combating Inequality Is in Germany’s Interest” Declining funds, increasing challenges: German development policy is facing a difficult situation. A reform is intended to remedy this, Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperatio...

Declining funds, increasing challenges: German development policy is facing a difficult situation. A reform is intended to remedy this, Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s minister for economic cooperation and development, told IPQ in an interview.

Read it here: ip-quarterly.com/en/combating...

On EU Enlargement, Germany Is Starting to Move The question of how to facilitate a membership of sorts for Ukraine means that the debate about EU enlargement is fast approaching a critical phase. Berlin is starting to become more flexible.

The debate about EU enlargement is fast approaching a critical phase as member states consider the question of how to facilitate Ukraine’s accession. Germany is starting to become more flexible on the subject, @milanninberlin.bsky.social & @nikoxw.bsky.social write: ip-quarterly.com/en/eu-enlarg...

How the EU Is Contesting Russia’s Sphere of Influence in the South Caucasus The European Union doesn’t think of itself as a geopolitical power in the South Caucasus. But its policies there are constraining Russia in ways that matter strategically—regardless of Brussels’ inten...

NEW: The European Union doesn’t think of itself as a geopolitical power in the South Caucasus. But its policies there are constraining Russia in ways that matter strategically—regardless of Brussels’ intentions.

ip-quarterly.com/en/how-eu-co...

Japan Doubles Down on “Plan A” vis-à-vis America Faced with a Trump administration that is treating allies as free-riders, the Japanese are trying to prove their indispensability—for a lack of other options.

Faced with a Trump administration that is treating allies as free-riders, the Japanese are trying to prove their indispensability—due to a lack of other options, writes @dgap.org's Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff.

ip-quarterly.com/en/japan-dou...

How the EU Is Contesting Russia’s Sphere of Influence in the South Caucasus The European Union doesn’t think of itself as a geopolitical power in the South Caucasus. But its policies there are constraining Russia in ways that matter strategically—regardless of Brussels’ inten...

NEW: The European Union doesn’t think of itself as a geopolitical power in the South Caucasus. But its policies there are constraining Russia in ways that matter strategically—regardless of Brussels’ intentions.

ip-quarterly.com/en/how-eu-co...

A Nightmare for the Gulf States—and Europe? The brunt of Iran’s response to the Israeli-American attacks has been directed at the Arab Gulf states. As a result, their business model is in danger. The Europeans may also feel the consequences.

NEW: The brunt of Iran’s response to the Israeli-American attacks has been directed at the Arab Gulf states, threatening the “Gulf Brand”—which will likely have knock-on effects for Europe.

ip-quarterly.com/en/nightmare...

Franco-German Cooperation on Nuclear Deterrence Needs to Start Now The nuclear question is the key one for European defense integration. The good news is that the Europeans seem ready to tackle it.

Yesterday, Macron announced a revolution in French nuclear deterrence, paving the way for its Europeanization. @josephdeweck.bsky.social and his co-authors predicted as much last week and explained why it’s a key piece in European defense

ip-quarterly.com/en/franco-ge...