From tariffs to trade wars: How U.S. politics challenges EU agreements

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, uncertainty has gripped global trade once again. With sweeping tariffs on steel, aluminum, and European imports, Trump’s “America First” agenda has reignited transatlantic tensions.
While the EU faces rising costs, disrupted supply chains, and targeted tariffs across sectors, Brussels is responding with a mix of strategic calm, legal countermeasures, and trade diversification.
Will Europe emerge as the global champion of free trade or be forced into its own protectionist pivot?

The Decline of the USMCA Renewal: Tariffs and Trade Tensions

The 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) resulted in a U.S. decline to renew and a major departure from North American trade policy. Points of contention quoted in the U.S. decline of negotiation included strict rules of origin, rising trade deficits, and trade policy on non-regional goods. This article examines the reasons behind the decline and how the decline of the renewal will affect North American economic integration.

(Analysis) Critical Minerals and the U.S.–China Strategic Playbook

In 2026, the United States and China are advancing competing strategies to secure critical minerals supply chains and strengthen their positions in the evolving international order. This article explores the key developments, policy initiatives, and strategic trends driving the critical minerals race, highlighting how resource nationalism is becoming an important determinant of national power and geopolitical leverage.

The Nexperia Affair – and what it reveals about Europe and China

A never-before-used Dutch emergency law, a suspended Chinese CEO, and a Beijing export ban that nearly stopped Volkswagen’s production line. The Nexperia affair turned an unglamorous chipmaker into the flashpoint of an EU–China struggle over strategic industry. China’s swift retaliation revealed just how fragile Europe’s grip on its own industrial base has become, and how readily economic interdependence is now used as a weapon.

[REPORT] More Human in Times of Ever More Artificial: A New Window of Opportunity for Mediating Vatican Diplomacy?

As artificial intelligence increasingly transforms societies, economies, and political systems, questions of ethics, human dignity, and social cohesion gain renewed importance. This paper explores the potential role of Vatican diplomacy in addressing these challenges. Drawing on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” (2026), it argues that the Holy See represents a unique source of moral authority and soft power in a rapidly changing world. Unlike actors relying on military or economic influence, Vatican diplomacy promotes dialogue, mediation, and human-centered development. In an age shaped by competing technological futures, it may help foster alternative narratives grounded in solidarity, peace, and human dignity.

CK Hutchison Panama’s Port Ruling in the U.S.- China Rivalry

Panama’s Supreme Court decision declaring CK Hutchison’s port concession unconstitutional has placed a commercial dispute at the center of geopolitical scrutiny. The controversy not only raises questions about legal certainty for multinational firms, but also highlights the strategic significance of the Panama Canal amid intensifying U.S.–China competition.