Opinion

Shrinking away from the challenges posed by international crises like the coronavirus pandemic will not save the millions of jobs set to be lost in the tourism sector.

With the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and the impact of climate change, all eyes will be on Angela Merkel as she takes on her second crisis presidency of the EU.

Europe's last dictator lost his final shred of support in his response to the coronavirus pandemic. With protests at home and isolation abroad, is this the end of the road?

China’s action toward's Hong Kong is part of a pattern of increasingly confrontational behaviour that Europe needs to be much more forthright in calling out and responding to.

The COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed all vestiges of the old neoliberal system. To ensure democracy survives in Europe in tact, the EU must not fall back to business as usual.

The Cohesion Fund was the first financial instrument mobilised to redirect EU money to combat the impact of COVID-19. But as evidence shows, it is vulnerable to abuse.

The legacy of the British Empire can be a source of awkwardness or embarrassment for Britain, but it could also prove to be a source of strength in the future.

Russia and China have been identified as the main actors behind a widespread disinformation campaign during the COVID-19 crisis. The EU now has an opportunity to counteract fake news by promoting its freedoms and principles.

As calls to remove statues of Belgium's controversial monarch, Leopold II, grow louder, Assita Kanko warns of the dangers of having a curated and sanitised version of history.

Despite their differences, China's Xi Jinping and US president, Donald Trump have in common their dislike of any global effort to hold them accountable for their behaviour, including on human rights.

COVID-19 has brought with it a health emergency of global proportions. This has presented a huge challenge to national leaders, to health systems worldwide, and to citizens. It also became an excuse for human rights violations that are showing few signs of diminishing.

Black Lives Matter protests have spread throughout the world, but in Africa, the demonstrations are a reminder the struggle for racial equality has by no means ended for most Africans.

This month, it caused consternation by opening a new coal-fired power station. As it prepares to take over the EU Council presidency and chair the UN Security Council next month, could Germany finally step up and take the lead on the climate crisis?

China's provocative moves in Hong Kong, and the ensuing US response, reinforce the bilateral US-China rupture and formalises the establishment of a new global order that will define the remainder of the 21st century.

Filipinos cannot expect justice from the perpetrators of this slow-rolling massacre in the name of an anti-drug campaign. The UN’s top human rights body should send a strong rebuke to the Duterte administration when it meets in Geneva this month.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, it is becoming clearer that the centralisation of resources is a bad solution in fighting the spread of the virus. In Europe, that means moving power away from capital cities to the regions.

Surveys are beginning to shed light on the impact that the lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19 is having on mental health and well-being. Early findings from these surveys suggest that loneliness is a particular problem for teenagers.

Despite there being laws in Hungary that protect LGBT people from discrimination, the recent bill to end legal recognition of transgender people passed by parliament would undermine such laws and leave transgender people open to prejudice.

Rallying round the flag. How wartime metaphors keep leaders in place during a national crisis. Data from @EuropeElects

The two parties that have governed Ireland since its foundation are facing a test with Sinn Fein's new political power. But will they heed voters voices?

Failing to empower women narrows the Church’s vision and makes it less equipped to be a force for good in the world.

Why are carbon emissions still rising? Why are climate negotiations failing to act? Blame the fossil fuel companies joining in discussions at Davos.

Attempts to rein in the internet will take a step closer in the UK. The proposed new law, however, shows little sign of addressing fundamental issues.

Lebanese politicians have broken their promises in the past and have few credible ideas on how to end the country's dire economic crisis.

However much the Sussexes were looking to defeat the media, their new arrangement only feeds the story — and the press that draws sustenance from it.

A new International Olympic Committee policy barring political expression at the Tokyo 2020 games benefits those in power.