The Debate

So much for appeasement: The same Europeans who held their nose and swallowed their pride when the EU agreed Donald Trump’s tariffs last summer can no longer ignore the obvious, that there are limits with a president of the United States who tends to treat them as vassals, not allies… even as adversaries for pushing back on its white nationalist brand of nativism.
We’ll ask how much pain citizens are willing to bear in the name of safeguarding the continent’s security and sovereignty… and how far countermeasures can go in the face of Trump’s grab for Greenland, the tariffs slapped on Denmark’s allies and official policy that views liberal values as a threat.
And then… there’s Ukraine. A lot of the carefully-worded diplospeak from European capitals this past year has been about keeping the US president on board. From Greenland to the Baltics, is Europe ready for what lies ahead?

US President Donald Trump had started his Wednesday pondering military strikes against Iran before pouring cold water on the concept, even expressing doubts that Iranians would accept as leader the late shah's son. In a sign of how fast a news cycle can flip, Iran's foreign minister expressed his assurances in English on Trump-friendly Fox News. After a ruthless response to nationwide protests, has the Islamic Republic once again seen off an existential challenge? 
Read moreIranian foreign minister says there is 'no plan' to hang people during crackdown
After a third night of reported quiet in the capital Tehran, the internet is still restricted and the death toll is still mounting, while the same economic woes weigh heavier than ever on citizens.
Read moreTrump says Iran executions ‘stopping’ as Tehran signals fast trials and hangings
What lessons do Iranians draw? What comes of this latest show of defiance?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

There was no Oval Office made-for-TV drama as US Vice President JD Vance joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark this Wednesday. We ask about renewed pressure by the Trump administration on Copenhagen to hand over that Arctic dependency.
How intent is the US on seizing Greenland? Even if it means the end the Atlantic Alliance that's safeguarded Europe's defence under US tutelage since the end of World War II? It's hard to see how NATO could survive coercive action against a faithful ally by its dominant member.
Read moreTaking over Greenland, a long-standing US obsession
Donald Trump stated his intentions on Inauguration Day nearly one year ago, yet still the question begs: why Greenland? Is it about securing maritime passages, untapped raw materials, muscle flexing or simply the fun of keeping everyone guessing? But as Denmark's prime minister says, it's not fun. It's serious. 
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

A big stress test for the West's rules-based order, or will French judges take it all in their stride? It's the opening day of Marine Le Pen's appeal against a corruption conviction that for now bars the far-right frontrunner from the 2027 presidential race. With the verdict expected in July, that's getting awfully close to Election Day next spring. The National Rally politician and her supporters have branded the case lawfare – a political vendetta. 
Recently, Marine Le Pen voiced her support for another convicted politician – Nicolas Sarkozy, who became the first former French president to serve jail time since the end of World War II. In a new book, he too cries that the fix is in, a message broadly amplified by right-wing media echo chambers.
What are the facts of the case, where 24 others have been convicted for funnelling EU parliament staff funds back home to the mother ship? Do said facts matter? Is France like the United States, which denies plans to pressure the judges in the Le Pen case?
And what about her party's plan B? Could voters simply turn the page on the scion of a far-right family and happily elect her second-in-command Jordan Bardella as France's first far-right president since Nazi occupation?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

It's no longer just about the cost of living. Protests in Iran are entering their third week despite evidence of a ferocious crackdown and the shutting of the internet.
Each time, the context differs but the under-sanctions Islamic Republic of Iran has always outlasted previous movements. Why should this one be any different?
Among the variables, there's maximum pressure from the US that culminated in support for Israel's 12-day bombing campaign last summer and extends to fresh threats of retribution. In the past, like during the 2009 Green Movement, the West has been hesitant to further squeeze a nation where it's ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of sanctions. We ask if Europe wants to also up the pressure. 
But there's always the "nothing to lose" factor. One of the clear signs that revolution was afoot in 1979 was that elites no longer supported the shah. Is it a sign that this time the protests started with Tehran Grand Bazaar merchants fed up with inflation? Back then, the revolution had a face: Ayatollah Khomeini. In 2026, how far could a leaderless movement go?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente