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Foreign Policy

  • The U.S. and Iran Agree on Holding Talks but Not Much Else

    2026-02-05

    The United States and Iran are set to hold talks in Oman on Friday. Friday will mark the first formal diplomatic discussions between the U.S. and Iran since Trump ordered strikes on nuclear sites across the country in June 2025. Tensions between the two countries have remained high.

  • Tulsi Gabbard Is Showing Why Her Job Shouldn’t Exist

    2026-02-05

    Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is the director of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She has no experience in intelligence but has been leading an investigation into the 2020 election. A better approach might be a small, professional cadre of intelligence managers that reports directly to the president.

  • The Death of New START

    2026-02-05

    The last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States expired on Thursday. The two countries without limits on their arsenals for the first time since 1972. U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that a “better agreement’ is needed.

  • A Cricket Crisis With Olympic Consequences

    2026-02-05

    India's government appears willing to weaponize sports for political purposes. Indian cricketers of Pakistani descent have faced visa denials or delays. India may not guarantee entry even to athletes in events it agreed to host.

  • America Is Trying to Bully the World Over Climate Change

    2026-02-05

    The U.S. undid an international shipping treaty to which most of the world’s nations – friend and foe – had already agreed. With no IMO treaty in place, countries will team up regionally to set up carbon-trading schemes.

  • What a Deal Between Trump and Cuba Might Look Like

    2026-02-05

    The internal workings of the Cuban regime are largely opaque to U.S. policymakers. A Venezuelan-style decapitation strategy will not work in Cuba. The issue of democracy would be a sticking point. If the oil blockade triggers economic and social collapse, the consequences for the United States will be grave.

  • Greek Prime Minister Hasn’t ‘Given Up’ on Trans-Atlantic Ties

    2026-02-05

    Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a center-right and liberal politician who has served as Greece’s prime minister since 2019. He says Europe needs to develop its own defense architecture. " competitiveness is going to be the sole issue that we will discuss," he says.

  • Managed Deprivation in Gaza

    2026-02-05

    The cease-fire that went into effect on Oct. 10 is entrenching the conditions driving instability and Palestinian suffering. Israel continues to restrict movement, confining Gaza’s population to a shrinking area while maintaining military control. Only a small number of traders are reportedly permitted to import goods.

  • Trump Shocked Canada Out of Complacency on Defense. Will It Last?

    2026-02-05

    Canada is about 15,000 troops short of its 2032 goal of fielding 71,500 full-time and 30,000 reserve members. Canada exports 52 percent of all its defense capabilities. Of that, 63 percent goes to the United States, largely in the form of supply chain expenditures.

  • Trump’s Hot New Critical Minerals Club

    2026-02-05

    U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance pitched a global minerals “preferential trade zone’ Vance: The zone would grant members access to critical minerals and financing.

  • Trump Is Strengthening the Logic of Authoritarianism and Nationalism in Turkey

    2026-02-05

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a leading beneficiary of Trump’s force-based international disorder. Erdogan has long advocated for a multipolar global order not dominated by great powers. The extension of Turkish influence is a source of national pride and an unquestionable asset for Erdogan.

  • An Oil Deal for Trump Can Mean a Nuclear Deal for Iran

    2026-02-05

    Iranian officials will likely aim to trade away a now-derelict nuclear program for extensive sanctions relief. If it is politically and technically untenable for the Trump administration to provide Iran sanctions relief, does that mean negotiations are doomed?

Politico

LRT

  • Lithuanian president’s private residence under inspection over land ownership complaint

    2026-02-05

    Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda's private residence will be inspected in February. A complaint alleges the president may have unlawfully occupied state-owned land in Pavilniai Regional Park. The Presidential Office told Delfi.lt that the president is aware of the planned inspection.

  • Lithuania confirms first case of Newcastle disease in farm near Vilnius

    2026-02-05

    More than 40 domestic birds were kept on the farm, and half of them have already died. Geese were kept in a separate room and fed outdoors, where they could have been infected by wild birds carrying the disease. The disease does not pose a significant threat to humans, but eye inflammation is possible.

  • Thirty-three to stand trial over human, drug trafficking spanning Lithuania, UK, Ireland

    2026-02-05

    The case centres on an alleged criminal network that operated in Lithuania, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The investigation generated 297 volumes of case material and involved interviews with more than 400 witnesses. Twenty-two people have been officially recognised as victims. Other potential victims live abroad, are deceased, could not be located or declined to cooperate. Authorities allege the group trafficked kilograms of heroin, which was acquired, diluted and distributed across multiple Irish cities. Profits were sent back to Lithuania, Narutavičius said, describing the operation as a ‘million-dollar’ retail drug business.

  • Shots fired at moving trolleybuses in Kaunas, suspect detained

    2026-02-05

    Two trolleybuses were shot at in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. No drivers or passengers were injured in either incident. A 32-year-old man has been detained in connection with the shootings.

  • Planned Vilnius concert by rapper Gio Pika draws controversy over Russia ties

    2026-02-05

    Lithuanian authorities want to bar a performer from entering the country. Gio Pika performed in Russia during the war in Ukraine and visited Crimea. Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said those visits could provide legal grounds to deny him entry. The case has reignited debate over how Lithuania should handle foreign artists. The Foreign Ministry said stricter regulation would require changes to existing laws. The ministry is appealing to the moral responsibility of businesses and society. The Foreign Ministry says stricter regulation will require changes in existing laws and, for now, is appealing for moral responsibility.

  • Europe can prepare nuclear deterrence without confronting US, German lawmaker says

    2026-02-05

    Thomas Röwekamp said any move toward a European nuclear deterrence would need to be coordinated with Washington. Comments come as European leaders reassess the continent’s security architecture amid uncertainty over US policy.

  • US approves funds for Baltic defence despite earlier signals

    2026-02-05

    The $838.7 billion defence package signed by President Donald Trump on February 3 locks in funding for security cooperation with the three Baltic states. An additional $10 million was allocated to Estonia through the Foreign Military Financing program under the overseas missions budget. The Defense Appropriations Act passed the House by a razor-thin 217–214 margin and cleared the Senate with a more comfortable 71–29 before being signed into law by President Donald Trump. The legislation comes at a moment of heightened urgency, as Russian activity along NATO's eastern flank intensifies.

  • People in Lithuania more optimistic about future than most Europeans

    2026-02-05

    A Eurobarometer survey published last week shows that people in Lithuania stand out among EU citizens for their optimistic outlook on the future. Despite the stereotypical view that Lithuanians see everything in bleak terms, 60% of respondents in the country are optimistic about the future of the world.

  • Epstein’s recruitment network: on the trail of one Lithuanian woman

    2026-02-05

    LRT reviewed more than 600 released documents to build a picture of how one Lithuanian woman became entangled in the recruitment network. Ona introduced Epstein to other Lithuanian women and helped coordinate meeting times and places with them. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial on charges of large-scale sex trafficking.

Economist

📊 VoxEU

  • Why inflation may respond faster to big shocks: The rise of state-dependent pricing

    2026-02-06

    New evidence on how firms set prices using direct questions from a large, economy-wide survey of UK firms. State-dependent pricing has increased since 2019 and is more common in smaller firms. 44% of firms described their pricing behaviour in a way that is consistent with state-dependent price setting in 2019.

  • Showing up in the Alps: The economic value of Davos

    2026-02-06

    Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos is costly, with estimates ranging between $20,000 and $70,000 per delegate. This column uses data on attendees from 2009 to 2018 to examine whether attending the Forum yields tangible benefits for companies.

FT Markets

✍ Blogs

Paul Krugman

  • Cryptocrash

    2026-02-05

    The price of Bitcoin is down again, but it's not a sign that it's going to get any better. The fact that BTC is now lower than it was before the 2024 election is significant in two ways. It shows the limits of political favor.

  • Is This Crypto’s Fimbulwinter?

    2026-02-05

    Cryptocurrencies are assets where “ownership’ is defined not by legal title but by possession of a digital key. Bitcoin and to a lesser extent other cryptocurrencies have long been sustained by their cult followings. But recently crypto hoarders like Strategy and BitMine have become major players.

  • Profiles in Cowardice, Tariff Edition

    2026-02-04

    Donald Trump loves tariffs because they offer so much opportunity for dominance displays. He can impose huge taxes on imports without having to go through annoying stuff like getting legislation through Congress. By any reasonable standard, most of Trump’s tariffs are plainly illegal. Right-wing justices don’t want to humiliate Trump, and they’re surely afraid of what will happen if they do. To vote against Donald Trump’s beloved tariffs would be to risk being ostracized and exiled from that milieu. Violent threats against judges and other public officials have soared.

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