Weak hands at the helm, from Tokyo to Kiev

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Japanese politics enters uncharted territory

Scott Foster reports on the crushing electoral defeat for Japan’s ruling LDP-led coalition in recent Upper House elections. Voter dissatisfaction with inflation, taxes, and immigration fueled a sharp rise for populist challengers, signaling a shift in Japan’s political landscape.

From Brussels to Berlin, Trump sees an EU ripe to squeeze

Diego Faßnacht argues that Germany’s much-publicized €631 billion corporate investment pledge is more political theater than economic transformation. Washington, meanwhile, plans sweeping tariffs on European imports, confident that Germany will bear the brunt.

Low expectations in Istanbul as Ukraine war grinds on

James Davis observes that talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul yielded little optimism, while Zelensky’s controversial move to bring Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency under presidential control has sparked protests and speculation about his political future.