In the Last Monday Briefing of this semester Trump closes in on Venezuela’s Maduro, while shooting near the White house sparks controversy. The Pope travels across the Middle East and the Army seizes power in Guinea-Bissau. In Europe, Ukraine faces political scandals, while France and other EU seek to protect from the same Russian threat.
Spotlight: President Trump maneuvering around Venezuela
By Diego de Carvalho
On Saturday 29th, American President Donald Trump declared that Venezuelan airspace was closed, in yet another chapter of ongoing tensions between the two countries. This is only Mr. Trump’s latest threat against Venezuela, as the United States have deployed naval vessels to the Caribbean in an attempt to pressure the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to leave power.
Mr. Maduro has been Venezuela’s president since 2013 when his predecessor Hugo Chávez died in office. Combined, Maduro and Chávez have ruled Venezuela since 1999, transitioning the country from a free-market economy to a largely state-controlled administration, most notably through the nationalization of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Maduro has ruled Venezuela as a dictator for the past decade, under which living conditions in the country have significantly worsened: poverty, hunger, shortages, and hyperinflation have led to a mass exodus from the country. Last year, Maduro was declared winner of the country’s presidential elections, which were internationally denounced as fraudulent.
Relations between the US and Venezuela have been poor since Chávez’s rise to power and markedly worsened during Donald Trump’s first term, when the US recognized oppositionist Juan Guaidó as the country’s president. In 2020, the US Department of Justice indicted Maduro for narcoterrorism, placing him as a leader of the Cartel de los Soles, a drug trafficking operation supposedly ran by the Venezuelan armed forces: experts contain that the cartel does not, however, exist as an organized entity. Trump has also accused other left-wing governments in the region, such as Cuba and Nicaragua, of drug trafficking.
In July, the United States designated the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing its armed forces to target it more actively. Within this context, the US has mobilized naval forces to the Caribbean and has sunk dozens of boats, igniting diplomatic tensions also with Colombia. Although hostilities had seemed to slightly cool in the last couple weeks, with reports of a phone call between Maduro and Trump, this weekend’s developments seem to indicate a renewed offensive from the American government.
It is unclear whether American intervention in Venezuela will be successful in either the short or long-term. While the US seems poised to continue pressuring Maduro, it may not be willing to engage in full military conflict, given the unpopularity of armed conflict among the American public. If Maduro does not step down, these pressures may further consolidate his power; the United States’ recognition of Juan Guaidó as Venezuelan president in 2019 allowed Maduro to crackdown on opposition within the country. From a long-term perspective, it is also unclear what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like. The country’s democratic and economic institutions would need to be completely rebuilt, yet American attempts at “nation-building” in the Middle East have shown that it is quite difficult to do this in countries plagued by social upheaval. Even as tensions have escalated, there seems to be no roadmap for political stability in Venezuela, in either the near or distant future.
World News
By Veronika Lizier-Zmudzinski
On November 26, two soldiers from the National Guard in West Virginia were shot near the White House. Authorities believe it was a targeted attack. The suspect, an Afghan national, was wounded during a shootout with other law enforcement and has been taken into custody.
Following this event, the government has taken drastic steps. 500 more guards were deployed to DC, although the already existing deployment around the whole country had been deemed unlawful by a court. Not only were more guards sent into the city, but the attack also triggered an immigration response: asylum and visa processing for Afghan nationals was suspended, and the administration announced that it would do a full review of green cards already issued, particularly given to countries labeled “concerning”, but nonetheless a
The chaotic and increasingly intense mix of tragedy, security measures, and political tension has sparked political backlash and has deepened the already divided stances on immigration and domestic security.
Pope Leo’s first foreign visit
By Tamer Imad
Pope Leo’s his first foreign visit is underway, choosing Turkey and Lebanon as the first foreign destinations. He began with a six-day visit to Turkey, where his speeches were largely focus on a broad message of peace in the region. He recited the Nicaean Creed, produced by the council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., alongside Orthodox Bishops on the 1,700 anniversary of the council. He also visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. In Lebanon, Pope Leo met with the President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of Parliament at the Presidential Palace. Large crowds lined the streets to welcome the Pope, with over 150,000 registering attendances for a mass to be held on Beirut’s waterfront.
Guinea-Bissau shaken by a coup d’etat
By Riccardo De Ambroggi
After two years from the last attempt, the political situation in Guinea-Bissau was upset by a military coup after the election’s outcome.
The elections, which occurred in the country on the 23rd of November, were largely contested by international observers, due to the limitation given to the opposition party in contesting the organization of the elections. The results of the elections should have been declared on the 27th, a declaration which would have been paramount since both candidates, the incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embalò and the opposition leader Fernando Dias da Costa, claimed the victory. But the results of the elections never reached the public, because on the 26th of November the military took over the presidential palace in Bissau. The two main parties started accusing each other for the disrupt of the violence: the Madem G15, Embalò’s party, blame the PAIGC of using gunmen to block the results to come out, while the PAIGC accused Embalò of causing a rebellion to declare an emergency to avoid the loss of power.
Brigadier General Dinis Incanha broke the silence by speaking to national television and declaring total control over the country gained by the military. Furthermore, he has imposed a curfew, closed international borders and ordered the suspension of the political institutions and election processes. The High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order is now established and operative and the General Horta Inta-A Na Man is appointed army chief. The future of Guinea-Bissau is more uncertain than ever but the signals are the worst possible.
European News
Zelensky fires Ukraine’s chief negotiator over corruption allegations
By Alice Di Terlizzi
Power relationships are a strange animal. They are born as the epitome of mutual trust and seemingly established confidentiality between a country’s governor and the chosen-to-be individual to stand alongside the latter; still, as if political success carried instability, inebriate its targeted victims with a scent of glory and willingness to emerge, the non-wavering is jeopardized by endemic instability, and the world of politics suffers of deep disarray. That happened exactly within the Ukrainian scenario, when president V. Zelensky commanded the dismissal of his co-dependent, namely Ukraine’s chief of staff and esteemed peace negotiator, Mr. A. Yermak. Zelensky’s second-hand in office had indeed figured among the actors involved in a nuclear corruption scandal, that added to the tension already spiking within Ukraine due to the U.S-Russia peace, leaning more towards inequality than mutual benefits.
On Friday, November 28th, 2025, President Zelensky had to confront the potential involvement of his aide in a scandal on money corruption, with at least a hundred million dollars paid by suppliers to Ukraine’s nuclear company, Energoatom. Despite his strenuous attempts to sway attention from Yermak’s complicity, also considering the commendable efforts made by Mr. Yermak as key negotiator in recent peace confrontations with the US and Russia, Mr. Zelensky’s deliberation came after due debating with his inner political circle. Former officials would depict Mr. Yermak as ‘more than a chief adviser to Zelensky.’
The corruption scandal, as pointed out by anti-corruption investigative body NABU, had significantly undermined the presidential power, whose credibility was even more at stake due to rising uncertainty on Ukraine’s national and global direction. Both U.S. and Russia’s presidencies aim at leveraging the internal turmoil spiking within Mr. Zelensky’s territory, whose leadership was addressed as ‘illegitimate’ by the Russian autocrat on Thursday, November 27th. While Mr. Zelensky holds on to hope from within to resist attacks from the outside, Ukrainian officials stay rooted in harsh reality, wishing for quick peace and democratic reestablishment.
France to introduce limited military conscription.
By Pietro Ferrari
This week, French President Emanuel Macron has announced that the country would introduce a new form of military service in 2026. This limited form of voluntary conscription aims at strengthening military readiness, three decades after the mandatory military service was abolished by Jacques Chirac in 1997. 18 and 19 years old will be able to enlist for a 10-month training period, after which they will be considered as reservists in case of war. The cost of this project is going to be around 2 billion euros for the first year, with an expected 3,000 initial recruits, ideally reaching 10,000 before 2030.
Macron’s move is not the first nor the last by EU countries seeking to increase their military size. Earlier this month Germany approved a new plan for military service, which aims at solving the recruitment shortcomings with a “needs-based service duty”. This same week, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has expressed similar intentions. Other countries in Europe already have full blown military conscription, famously Switzerland and Finland, but also Greece and Turkey, while others utilize a form of lottery to determine who is obliged to serve for a limited time, like in Sweden and Norway. The demilitarizing trend of the last decades, symbolized by the widespread abolition of conscription in European countries, has been starkly inverted by the Russian menace in the East.
EU Parliament Backs Under-16 Social Media Ban
By Teodora Stefan
Last Wednesday, the European Parliament backed a resolution urging the European Commission and EU member states to introduce a unified minimum age of 16 for access to social media platforms, video sharing sites and AI chatbots. Children aged 13 to 15 would be allowed online only with parental consent, while those under 13 would be excluded entirely. This proposal is part of a broader effort to strengthen protections for minors in the digital environment.
Although the resolution is not legally binding, it reflects growing political concern about the effects of online platforms on young people. Lawmakers pointed to research linking constant exposure to social media with anxiety, disrupted sleep and addictive behaviour. They also criticised design features such as infinite scrolling and algorithmic content feeds, which they argue can make it difficult for children to disengage.
The move aligns the Parliament with countries such as Australia and Denmark, which are also considering higher age limits. Supporters say that a common EU standard would prevent the current patchwork of national rules and give parents clearer guidance. However, several groups have raised concerns about enforcement, especially given the challenges of verifying age on global platforms. Some also worry that strict limits could interfere with parental choices or restrict young people’s access to information.
For now, the resolution signals a shift in the political mood. European lawmakers are increasingly willing to intervene in the digital sphere, and the future of children’s access to social media is likely to remain a central topic in upcoming legislative debates.
Every week, your TiL Monday Briefing 🗞: you better read it with a cup of coffee! ☕️
Head of the Monday Briefing column: Pietro Ferrari. Current writing staff: Vatsal Aggarwal, Cristiana Murè. Cartoons by Polina Mednikova. The Monday Briefing column was established in its current form in 2021 by Bojan Zeric.
I’m Veronika. I grew up in the US but am half-Italian, half-Polish. I’m a first-year BIEM student and am interested in not only economics, but fashion, politics, books, and getting to know the community around me.
My name is Tamer El-Imad. I am a first-year Bocconi student in the BIG HEC-Bocconi double degree in Data, Society, and Organizations. My writing interests are primarily focused on politics, with a particular interest in Middle Eastern politics and election analysis.
Hello everyone! My name is Teodora and I’m a 3rd year BIEM student from Bucharest, Romania. I spend my free time reading up on political issues from around the world and I’m particularly keen on topics concerning the European Union. On a more personal note, I’m passionate about art history, music and writing about the world around me.
