The 1990s promised a new era of peace, but it was an illusion from the start
After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Europe was lulled into a false belief that the horrors of the 20th century were exhausted.
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Helen Thompson
Helen Thompson is a politics professor and a contributing writer to the New Statesman.
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Ukraine’s imagined European identity is irreconcilable with the political reality
Germany clearly wants the EU to have a workable relationship with Putin, and the bloc cannot provide security for…
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How Covid shook the West’s faith in itself and changed normal life forever
Lockdowns restricted people’s lives beyond recognition – but why did governments defer to the Chinese method of pandemic management?
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Boris Johnson’s rule-breaking and risk-taking have finally caught up with him
The loyalty of Leave voters had hitherto given Johnson cover for his style of leadership – but their fealty…
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The EU wants to be a global superpower – but it has Russia to contend with
As the Belarus border crisis intensifies, migrants are once again being used as a geopolitical weapon against the EU.
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Politicians must tell the truth: we all need to use less energy for the climate
How much energy leaders used in travelling to and from Cop26 is more than an issue of simple political…
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The UK-EU relationship is unravelling before Keir Starmer’s eyes – but still he ties himself in knots over Brexit
The latest Brexit talks raise the issue of Irish nationalism – which is especially divisive within Westminster, and above…
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Why this decade will prove more challenging than the 1970s
Politics is becoming a ruthless contest over who can access energy and at what price.
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How Aukus upended Emmanuel Macron’s grand plan
France was furious at its exclusion from the new alliance – but its posturing about strategic independence from the…
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