Israel’s complicated relationship with Europe: between Japheth and Esau

By Owen Alterman | Tel Aviv

May 2019 featured three major European events. One didn’t even take place in Europe. The first happened on May 9, Europe Day, when European leaders gathered for their summit in Sibiu, Romania. The second: the set of European Parliament elections across the 28 European Union member states. And the third major European event of May 2019 was the Eurovision song contest, which took place not in a quaint Transylvanian mountain town or across the villages and downtowns of the Continent or British Isles, but in a convention center on the edge of Tel Aviv, Israel. In the city’s beachside park, some 500,000 people packed the largest Eurovision village in the history of the competition.

Exploring Putin’s strategic narrative

By Iulia-Sabina Joja | Berlin

Russia’s foreign policy is President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. It’s a one- man show. This is partially due to the super-presidential system of the country. However, it is also a one-man show because Vladimir Putin himself, now in his fourth term, has a firm grip on his country and a strong vision for foreign policy. Hence, when endeavouring to scrutinise Russian foreign policy, we have to analyse Putin’s discourse and actions.

‘New World Order’: The “natural family” franchise goes global

By Claudia Ciobanu | Bucharest, Warsaw, Brussels, Zagreb

First gay marriage, then liberal democracy… As a global ultra- conservative movement brings its war of values to the Balkans, autocrats are paying attention.

At Saint Spyridon the New Church, the largest Orthodox church in Bucharest, the priest had an important message for his congregation.