Ursula von der Leyen's commissioner designations for her second term as President of the European Commission have drawn attention to the future direction of the European Union (EU). As she transitions from her first term (2019-2024) to her second term (2024-2029), how will she aim to steer European politics? 

The conflict between Hamas and Israel has captured the attention of the world, from Copenhagen to Cartajena protests of support or condemnation for one side or another are continuously thrown. From the IR perspective, though, it is certainly well to step back to see the wider picture of how the individual reactions of individual nations lend to a picture of the wider whole.

In the run-up to the election, the public media network Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) showed that 41% of respondents thought that Ukraine should accept territorial concessions to Moscow, should it mean an end to the conflict.

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, the German Parliament announced its intent to vote on the proposed plan to set aside €10 billion (or $10.5 billion) to purchase the F-35 stealth fighter jets from American company Lockheed Martin.