News Digest

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Foreign Policy

  • Will America strike Iran?

    2026-02-11

    The most plausible outcome is not a U.S. invasion of Iran or a full-scale regional war. It is a limited, carefully calibrated strike designed to reshape bargaining dynamics rather than end them. Negotiations should be used to extract maximal concessions on nuclear program, on missiles, and on regional proxies.

  • Netanyahu Urges Trump to Include Israel’s Demands in Iran Nuclear Talks

    2026-02-11

    Netanyahu was originally scheduled to travel to Washington on Feb. 18, but renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations pushed up the meeting. A mass shooting at a secondary school in western Canada on Tuesday killed at least 10 people.

  • Can Ukraine Kill Its Way to Victory?

    2026-02-11

    Ukraine's new defense minister says he wants to kill 50,000 Russians a month. That figure exceeds the roughly 30,000 to 35,000 new troops that Russia recruits every month. Russia is working to significantly expand its use of drones.

  • Putin’s Conspiratorial Fantasies Are Blowing Back on Him

    2026-02-11

    Yuri Yevich is the premier authority on tactical medicine in the Russian-speaking world. He famously became a martyr for the Z-patriots when he was charged with ‘discrediting the army’ because he was too honest about military’s medical failures.

  • As Bangladesh Votes, Few Women Are on the Ballot

    2026-02-11

    Jamaat-e-Islami hopes to make its strongest-ever showing in the country’s elections on Feb. 12. Since independence, Bangladesh has made extraordinary gains in female empowerment. Women exploited cracks in the system to push into new spaces.

  • Trump’s Puzzlingly Rosy Jobs Numbers

    2026-02-11

    The January beige book, compiled from data from all 12 districts of the U.S. Federal Reserve, is replete with examples of companies either halting hiring altogether or hiring only to replace departed employees. More than the entirety of all jobs created since Trump returned to the White House are in health care and private education.

  • NATO Has Become a Zombie Alliance

    2026-02-11

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term already created a crisis of confidence for NATO. Without that life force, NATO lacks the credibility and trust that have reassured allies. A revival is possible, but it will require Europeans to take ownership of the alliance.

  • War or Peace? Germany’s Decision-Makers Can’t Decide.

    2026-02-11

    The five episodes are based on a war game, set in October 2026, in which Russia attacks Lithuania. The exercise was conducted on behalf of the Berlin-based newspaper by the German Wargaming Center at Bundeswehr University in Hamburg.

  • What Rubio Gets Right (and Wrong) About the Western Hemisphere

    2026-02-11

    Marco Rubio is right about a central proposition that Washington too often forgets. Hemispheric shocks translate directly into constraints on U.S. action elsewhere. The erosion of democratic norms within the United States weakens both moral authority and strategic credibility.

  • How Taiwan Sees the World

    2026-02-11

    Taiwan and U.S. have agreed to strengthen cooperation on technology supply chains, critical minerals, and drones. Washington aims to help Taipei outmatch Chinese military capabilities by focusing on asymmetric warfare. Taiwan dominates in large part through the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)

  • Europe Is Taking Baby Steps Toward an Economic Boom

    2026-02-11

    The performance gap between the economies on the two sides of the Atlantic is widening. This results in stagnating productivity in Europe and growing dependence on non-European economies. The EU has recently rekindled its plans to achieve a savings and investment union.

  • Why Thai Conservatives Just Won Big

    2026-02-11

    The Bhumjaithai Party has emerged as the largest party in Thailand’s parliament. While it fell short of a majority, it should face few problems forming a coalition. China sought to rally Southeast Asian nations to condemn a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. India-Southeast Asia ties have long been underdeveloped.

  • Bangladesh Holds Most Consequential Election in Years

    2026-02-11

    Bangladesh holds its first election since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The election is expected to be free and fair. Jamaat-e-Islami's political fortunes have surged since Hasina’s ouster.

Politico

LRT

  • Estonia’s foreign intelligence report 2026: highlights

    2026-02-11

    Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service releases its 2026 yearbook Tuesday. It assesses the Baltic country’s external security threats. The top 19 points of the 86-page report are republished below. Russia’s military-industrial complex has increased artillery ammunition production more than seventeen-fold since 2021. China and Russia believe that the current era of geopolitical upheaval allows them to reshape the global balance of power in their favour. The spread of DeepSeek serves several Chinese objectives.

  • Lithuanian prime minister says Taiwan office in Vilnius could be renamed ‘Taipei’

    2026-02-11

    Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said renaming the office would not be a quick decision and would require coordination with strategic partners. She said Lithuania’s foreign policy should focus on national interests rather than what she described as “supposed values”

  • Lithuanian foreign minister says discussions on Minsk policy do not signal shift

    2026-02-11

    Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said emerging discussions about the country’s policy toward Belarus do not mean it is being reconsidered or will be reviewed immediately. Budrys voiced support for ongoing discussions about sanctions policy, saying he has “a bunch of arguments” why sanctions remain effective. Belaruskali filed a claim with an arbitration court in December. It is seeking $12.09 billion in damages from Lithuania. The EU later imposed its own sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers.

  • Ryanair to cut three routes from Lithuanian airports

    2026-02-11

    Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair will discontinue one route each from Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports starting in April. Ryanair said it is reviewing its route network across Europe, affecting both regional and major airports.

  • Lithuania’s intelligence warns of alleged Belarus KGB recruitment attempt via YouTube

    2026-02-11

    Lithuanian-language video circulating on social media identifies its author as the Belarusian KGB. The recording refers to problems “caused by the government’s injustice” and invites viewers to discuss them. State Security Department urges the public not to fall for what it described as a provocation.

  • Hanner head allegedly paid bribe to secure health authority approval – media

    2026-02-11

    Arvydas Avulis, chairman of the board of real estate development company Hanner, paid a 1,000-euro bribe through intermediaries to obtain approval from the National Public Health Centre (NVSC) for real estate projects. The payments were allegedly made to Petras Ruškulis who was later found guilty by the Vilnius City District Court in 44 corruption-related offenses.

  • Lithuanian president says calls to resume dialogue with Putin weaken Europe

    2026-02-11

    Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says remarks by some EU politicians about resuming dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin weaken Europe’s position. He said Europe could participate in US-led talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, but only after close coordination within the 27-nation bloc.

  • Lithuania pits security against voting rights of Russian, Belarusian residents

    2026-02-11

    Lithuanian lawmakers are proposing changes to the country's constitution. They would restrict voting rights to citizens of countries aligned with Lithuania’s ‘European and transatlantic orientation’ The initiative has sparked a polarised debate over national security, democratic participation and immigrant integration. The debate has also split political parties. Legal experts caution that implementing the changes will be complex. Supporters of the proposal argue that integration should focus less on voting rights and more on language and labour-market participation.

📊 VoxEU

  • When war weakens democracy

    2026-02-12

    This column uses data covering 115 conflicts and 145 countries over the past 75 years. Conflict causes a large and persistent drop in the quality of democratic institutions. Ten years after the onset of conflict, democracy in treated countries is about 13% lower than in control countries.

  • Cartographier les contours de la transmission des politiques chinoises au niveau national et international

    2026-02-12

    L'effet combiné des variations des flux de capitaux privés et officiels se traduit par un ajustement très asymétrique du taux de change. Le renminbi reste globalement stable and s'apprécie même légèrement par rapport au dollar américain. Un resserrement monétaire chinois entraîne une contraction importante et persistante de Vox column by Lord Bagri of the London Business School. The author argues that China's monetary policy is having an impact on the global economy. He argues that the impact is being felt in the form of higher interest rates. The article is available in English and Chinese.

✍ Blogs

Paul Krugman

  • The Banality of MAGA Evil

    2026-02-11

    Howard Lutnick, the Commerce secretary, was an omnipresent spokesman for Donald Trump’s policies. He was not impressive in that role, he lacked any hint of gravitas. Lutnik sits at the intersection of not one but at least two ugly conspiracies. The more we learn, the more pedophilia and criminal use of cryptocurrency look related. Epstein, it turns out, was a major early investor in the crypto industry. In the backrooms of MAGA-land, passing around under-age girls is a lot like passing around insider crypto deals.

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