France, the third-largest defence exporter, said Wednesday that its weapons export hit a record high last year with the aid of Rafale aircraft sales. This comes as data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows the world's total global military expenditure has reached an all-time yearly high of $2240 billion (or €2035 billion) in 2022 against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Of all the discussions about the dangers that Islamist terrorism poses to Europe, one of the areas that has received the most academic and policy focus is that on so-called foreign fighters.
As the Caliphate in Iraq and Syria crumbles, European governments are paying particular attention to foreign fighters returning to their countries of origin. What to do with children returning alongside them, however, has received much less focus.
An explosion at the underwater Nord Stream pipeline has geopolitical consequences, and highlights the value and vulnerability of the bottom of the ocean.