The Debate

First his war secretary warned against wokism and "fat generals", before Donald Trump told hundreds of generals summoned for an unprecedented gathering of US top brass to expect more deployments to fight the "enemy from within". His bragging about federal troops sent to cities run by "radical Democrats" came amid a rambling speech, one that railed against the press and affirmative action but also included praise for firemen and Barack Obama's way of going down staircases without holding the handrail.

We ask about the US commander-in-chief's intentions, and those of Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host who served as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who declared war on beards, woke culture and anonymous whistleblowers, as well as women and unfit servicemen who can't meet physical training standards.

So how should armies evolve? What's the role of the military when you're the world's biggest superpower, one that's never seen a coup in its 249 years of existence?

Produced by Théophile Vareille, Jean-Vincent Russo and Ilayda Habip.

So far, Benjamin Netanyahu has been able to avoid almost any concessions in his dealings with Donald Trump. Instead, despite growing global outrage over the demolition of Gaza, Washington has always put the onus squarely on Hamas to first release the Israeli hostages. But did Netanyahu go too far with the targeting of a Hamas delegation hosted by US ally Qatar? Will the United States finally impose an end to the war?

In its 21-point plan, the Trump administration is no longer pushing the mass deportation of Gazans and is even siding with Gulf states in rejecting an annexation of the West Bank. 

So for his fourth trip to the White House since Inauguration Day in January, the Israeli prime minister finds himself squeezed between Trump and the far-right West Bank settlers who prop up his coalition.

Read moreNetanyahu supports Trump's Gaza plan, but Hamas has yet to agree

As for Trump, it's a choice between hardcore Evangelicals like his ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and the Gulf states who've raised billions for his ventures and those of his family, like son-in-law Jared Kushner, who's suddenly back in the foreground of negotiations.

Who wins in this struggle between ideology and money?

Produced by Marion Lory, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip and Guillaume Gougeon.

France's former leader Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail for his part in the illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Muammar Gaddafi's Libya. He'll do prison time, even during his appeal. That's on top of his electronic bracelet he wore in a separate case of eavesdropping on magistrates. "I'm innocent," insists the former conservative leader. 

Sarkozy still casts a long shadow over French politics and regularly advises current president Emmanuel Macron despite the four criminal cases against the founder of the Les Républicains party, whose current leader Bruno Retailleau also serves as Macron's interior minister.

Is this verdict a triumph of a judicial branch of government that's independent of political pressures, or overreach as claimed by far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, who's got legal issues of her own?

We look at the facts and ask about the masterminds and bag men of the Libya corruption trial, one that harks back to a time when Gaddafi was back in the good graces of the international community, before Sarkozy himself led the charge to have the UN intervene and stop Gaddafi from quashing the Arab Spring rebellion out of Benghazi. How does Thursday's verdict sit here and there?

Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Guillaume Gougeon and Charles Wente.

Donald Trump has surprised Ukraine and NATO allies with an apparent about-face on Russia at the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. We ask why the US president suddenly thinks Kyiv can win militarily, the same Trump who up until now blamed both sides for the war and most recently assured that Russian drones fired into Poland might be a mistake. We also ask what concrete steps to expect for Ukraine, and also frontline NATO members like former Soviet state Estonia after last weekend's 12-minute violation of its tiny airspace by Russian MiG fighter jets.

But it goes beyond the eastern flank: major European airports have been hit by ransomware attacks and mystery drone flights. The hand of Moscow? There's no firm evidence yet, but with Washington's wavering, it doesn't take much to fuel the anxiety on this continent. 

Produced by Théophille Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.

A fleeting flicker of hope soon to be snuffed out, or are fault lines finally moving in the Middle East? Donald Trump is addressing the United Nations on the heels of the recognition of a Palestinian state by France, Britain and a host of others. The US president condemned the move and blamed everything on Hamas. Has he given up on his Gaza Riviera scheme? 

What's the alternative? Already on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron laid out steps for a two-state solution while Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto volunteered peacekeepers for when guns go silent. We examine options for both the current humanitarian emergency and paths to lasting peace.

Read moreFrance recognises Palestinian state, Abbas vows Hamas will have 'no role' in governance

Peace cannot be imposed from a conference hall in New York, but only from the protagonists themselves. Would Israelis and Palestinians still be willing to make concessions in the name of lasting peace?

Produced by Ilayda Habip, Aurore Laborie, Théophile Vareille, and Charles Wente.

With Gaza under siege and the West Bank under threat, will the symbolic act of recognising a Palestinian state give its inhabitants reasons to hope or despair? Some 715 days since Hamas orchestrated the worst terror attack in Israel's history, what's clear is that Israel has since squandered sympathy with its incessant pummelling of Gaza and the unchecked land grabs by the state and Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

Among the dozen nations recognising Palestine is former colonial power Britain, as well as France, which is home to both Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish populations. Is this a lone act of frustration directed as much at Israel as its main backer, the United States?

Or can Europe move the conversation towards actual peace building? We ask our panel and gauge the mood with our correspondents. We also ask about the "us versus them" statements of Israel's prime minister in the face of calls for international isolation and sporting boycotts. Critics are comparing the pressure to that exerted on apartheid-era South Africa.

But in this showdown, there is no Nelson Mandela figure. At least, not so far. Where is the leadership – on both sides – and the actors who can bargain in good faith?

Produced by Andrew Hilliar, Ilayda Habip, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

King Charles to the rescue? The president of the United States was wined and dined with all the pomp and circumstance of a state visit to Windsor Castle. We asked: honour guards, fighter jet flyovers, and celebrity royals – was it all part of a charm offensive aimed at wooing Donald Trump, whose worldview appears more aligned with far-right figure Nigel Farage than with Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer?

For over a century, the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and US has often felt like a mismatch. But as Starmer prepares to sign major deals on technology, defence, and nuclear cooperation, just how mismatched is it today?

Trump’s stance on global affairs – appeasement of Russia over Ukraine, unwavering support for Israel’s destruction of Gaza, and his aggressive approach to tariffs and trade – has pushed the UK to quietly edge closer to Europe. Yet in practice, is Britain becoming more – not less –dependent on the United States?

Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie, Ilayda Habip and Charles Wente.

First came October 7, 2023 and the bloodiest day of terror in Israel's history. Then came retribution. Since then, it has never stopped. Gaza is entering a new circle of hell with Israeli tanks entering the centre of its capital city and the apparent launch of a ground offensive.

We ask why the spectacle is allowed to unfold. The consequences for Palestinians are all too obvious, but what about for Israelis? Does the flattening of Gaza kill off sympathy for a state founded in large part by survivors of the Holocaust?

Here in Europe, the dark legacy of World War II and collaboration with the Nazis is a fading memory for the younger generation; the one that's the most vocal in calling out what it sees in Gaza. And after Sunday's disruption of the finale of the Tour of Spain cycling race, we ask what's next, starting with the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a week's time. 

Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie, Ilayda Habip and Charles Wente.

It seems that summoning ambassadors for a scolding somehow won't be enough. After last week's unprecedented wave of Russian drones that landed in Poland, it's now Romania's turn to scramble fighter jets and call in the Kremlin's envoy.

As Russia fills Ukraine's skies with ever-increasing unmanned devices, we asked why and whether Vladimir Putin is indeed testing frontline NATO states, who until now thought that the US had their backs.

The US president can't bring himself to categorically condemn Russian aggression, even after a phone call with a new Polish counterpart who's a conservative fellow traveller.

Speaking of fellow travellers, there’s the support of Vice President JD Vance for a German far right that again made historic inroads in Sunday's regional elections and the likeminded Elon Musk who spoke by video link to London’s largest far-right rally in decades.

Caught between Russia's offensive and the illiberal winds blowing from across the Atlantic, what can cash-strapped Europeans do on their own to defend their own continent?

Produced by Aurore Laborie, Henri Pierre Mafulu and Charles Wente.

If Charlie Kirk wasn't previously a household name internationally, he is now. Across the United States, flags are at half mast on government buildings after an assassination that bears the markings of a professional hit job. It was US President Donald Trump himself who broke news of the death of the 31-year-old MAGA influencer, on Truth Social.

We ask about the circumstances of the shooting at a university campus talk in Utah, measure the impact – Kirk's powerful messaging could made his masculinist, anti-woke, nationalist views seem hip and cool to young people – and the backlash in a nation where social media-fuelled vitriol has led to these real-life shootings, like the one targeting Trump himself.

Read moreTrump urges peace after Charlie Kirk killing as manhunt continues

The US president has evoked wartime powers to militarise his response to immigration and crime. What kind of response to expect to the killing of a figure from the front lines of America's culture wars?