The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE.....

"The main players are outside of this region... A lot of the movements are ... facilitated digitally." Watch the full episode with Donatella Bradic about the Balkan Route on youtu.be/qn0lnl3jf6o or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

On se demande comment un référendum, qui ne peut porter que sur une question simple et claire, pourrait porter sur un problème aussi complexe que l’immigration… De Villiers 2027 ( Compte de soutien ) #référendum #immigration contrepoints.org/philippe-de-vi…

"Italy [has] around 3,000 kilometres of coastline, ... and this maritime border is very costly and ... difficult to control." Watch the full episode with Maurizio Canfora about Italy’s migration diplomacy on youtu.be/i-gC1VmEHnk or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

OUCH! Fitch cut #France to A+ from AA-; Outlook stable.

"This category of migrants comes to benefit from the welfare state and the migration benefits." Watch the full episode with Christos Papapetrou about Irregular Workers and the Cost of Borders on youtu.be/nr56bhbKWIU or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

The "law ... assumes that the irregular coming of migrants is the main tool to arrive in Italy." Watch the full episode with Elena Bonetti about Italy’s Broken Immigration System on youtu.be/roPKergPRJQ or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

Many still conflate free movement with Schengen—and misunderstand both. In my review of Europe without Borders (Princeton UP, 2025), now out in the American Historical Review, I explain this confusion—and what the evidence actually shows. Read here 👉🏻 academic.oup.com/ahr/article-ab…

The Vienna School of International Studies is hosting a Virtual Open House on 27 Jan. 2026 (4:30 pm CET). One of Europe's premier institutions for diplomacy and international affairs. Deadlines: 1 March (DLG, MAIS), 15 March (ETIA, DIA). Register → events.ringcentral.com/events/openhou…

New chapter out (De Gruyter, 2026): after 1989, Germany shifted from Cold War frontier to Europe’s protected centre—driving an asylum regime that externalised control and turned neighbours into a buffer zone—a logic that has fuelled recurring EU crises doi.org/10.1515/978311…

The Petrodollar Enforcement Quagmire: Iraq, Libya, Venezuela, and Iran. My latest on emmanuel-comte.eu/product/the-pe… and open.substack.com/pub/emmanuelco…

My analysis of the cause of the war in Iran is now freely available on open.substack.com/pub/emmanuelco… and emmanuel-comte.eu/product/the-pe…. You are welcome to read, share, and respond.