The dreadful month of January has finally come to an end. Exam season is over and our university slowly moves toward a new semester. While we were all focusing on general exams, books and slides, the world was moving, faster and faster. But the Monday Briefing is back, so that you can keep track of what is happening around the globe.
Spotlight: Is the EU actually doing something?
During the month of January, the world of international politics has been shocked by many unexpected and significant developments, but the one that certainly no one saw coming was the volume of decisive actions taken by the EU on the geopolitical stage. From Greenland to India, and especially around the World Economic Forum od Davos, the sleeping giant in Bruxelles has given unprecedented signs of not being braindead. As a Europeanist, I could not believe my eyes: is the EU actually doing something?
January did not start well in Bruxelles. The beginning of the year marked an acceleration of US president Donald Trump moves on the international stage: the capture of Venezuelan president Maduro, the boldly claim on Greenland and finally the Board of Peace. Washington moved its pieces, and for once Europe did not stand still. The response to Trump’s claim on Greenland was uncharacteristically united and strong, with an unyielding support for Denmark and for its territorial integrity. In the end Trump had to “chicken out” and announced that a deal settled the issue of Greenland security, by leaving the things exactly as they were before the crisis. The only victim of this whole mess was the Transatlantic relationship as we knew it.
EU response was perfectly displayed at Davos. During the World Economic Forum, several European leaders spoke about Greenland and about Trump. As usual, Macron took the stage and showed the world how a European leader wears a pair of sunglasses, while speaking of “peace and stability” in a planet in which “conflict has been normalized”. Canadian PM Carney delivered another amazing speech, which emphasized the need of collaboration between “middle powers”, such as Canada and the European states. The last major news to come out of Davos was Ursula Von Der Leyen’s announcement of the 28th bureaucratic regime in the EU, which will facilitate innovation and market integration within the Single Market.
The President of the EU Commission, with the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the Indian PM Narendra Modi, was also protagonist in the signing of “the Mother of all Deals.” This Free Trade Agreement between the EU and India has been in the making for more than a decade, but since last year’s protectionist tariffs imposed by Trump the process had accelerated. Trade relations between the Single market and the 1.4 billion people nation will strengthen as a result of lower tariffs on most traded goods, decreased or eliminated import quotas and incentivized investment. The agreement must now go through the approval of both Parliaments, but the signing is an historic moment for the relationship between the EU and India. Finding new and more reliable trading partners in South Asia and America will be a key path to economic growth for the European Market in the next years.
In a matter of weeks, the EU has taken several steps ahead on different fronts. The latest and more comprehensive Sanctions Package towards Moscow, proposed by the Commission last week, will be another one of this list as soon as it gets approved. 2026 has started in a far better way than many of us were expecting, and I now ask myself: is it still possible to be optimistic about the EU and our future? I answer by quoting the French President: for sure!
World News
Recent Protests in Iran: Causes, Crackdown, and Reactions
by Teodora Stefan
Iran has been shaken by nationwide protests since 28 December 2025, marking one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic in recent years. Demonstrations erupted across all 31 provinces, transforming localized economic anger into a broad movement against the Islamist regime and its handling of the country’s deepening crisis.
The immediate trigger for the unrest was a sharp collapse of Iran’s currency, which intensified already soaring inflation and worsened living conditions. Years of state mismanagement of essential services, coupled with unemployment and declining purchasing power, left many Iranians struggling to meet basic needs. The first signs of protests came about when shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike and closed their shops, a symbolic act that quickly inspired demonstrations across the country. Soon, what started as economic frustration evolved into open political dissent.
The government’s response has been swift and brutal. Senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, dismissed demonstrators as “rioters” and promised a “firm” crackdown. Security forces responded with excessive and indiscriminate force, using firearms and other lethal weapons to disperse crowds. According to Amnesty International, tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed, with many more injured or arrested. Since early January, authorities have cut internet access nationwide, a move widely seen as an attempt to conceal human rights violations and prevent information from reaching the outside world. Armed patrols, checkpoints, and nighttime curfews enforced by heavily armed units have further militarized daily life, sending a clear warning that any form of public gathering could be met with lethal force.
As time went on, the scale of repression began to draw significant international attention. Protests in solidarity with Iranians have taken place across Europe, with particularly large demonstrations in cities such as London, The Hague, and, most recently, Berlin. Meanwhile, the crisis has heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened military action in support of protesters, an unprecedented development that has led some Iranians to openly call for foreign intervention. The U.S. has moved military assets into the Middle East, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, while American and Iranian officials have simultaneously held talks aimed at avoiding open war.
Inside Iran, however, hope is fading. Many citizens doubt that meaningful change will come, while opinions on international intervention remain deeply divided. As violence escalates and diplomacy falters, Iran stands at a critical crossroads, with profound consequences for its people and regional stability.
US Kidnaps Maduro, but Little Changes in Venezuela
by Diego de Carvalho
On January 3rd, 2026, American forces attacked Venezuela, capturing the country’s President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, as the culmination of months of political tensions between the two countries. Since then, Maduro has been imprisoned in US, where he has faced charges of narcoterrorism.
In his absence, Venezuela has been governed by his vice-president Delcy Rodriguez, even though the country’s constitution dictates that she calls elections if Maduro’s absence is permanent. In order to alleviate tensions and secure her power, Rodriguez has aligned herself with the American government, reestablishing diplomatic relations and, crucially, easing access of the country’s vast oil reserves to foreign companies. Politically, however, little has changed, as Rodriguez has not called elections much to the opposition’s chagrin. Yet, threatened with further American intervention, repression has softened: some oppositionists have emerged from hiding and Rodriguez is pushing an amnesty bill through Congress. Fueled by cautious optimism, the Venezuelan economy has mildly improved, with a reduction in food and house prices.
It remains unclear the extent to which the US is interested in long-term intervention in Venezuela. While American officials have claimed that they support an opening into democracy, in the past weeks Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dampened any momentum for a rapid transition. However, the US currently seems more focused on accessing Venezuela’s oil; on the day after Maduro’s apprehension, President Donald Trump said the US needed “total access” to the Venezuela’s oil.
The Epstein Files Continue to be Released
by Veronika Lizier-Zmudzinski
On the 30th of January, the Department of Justice of the United States published an additional 3 million pages. Now about 3.5 million pages have been released to the public in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Signed into law in November 2025 by President Trump, the act states that virtually all documents pertaining to the Epstein Case must be released publicly, with exceptions for national security and the protection of investigations that are still open.
The latest release goes beyond the names and details that have been previously known. Included in this new set of files released, are many celebrities, royals, and government officials from all around the world. As pages continue to be released, they begin to draw more of the international community into the story, raising more questions. The unfolding reaction this week underscores the far-reaching impact of the release and signals that its consequences are likely to continue developing as more material is reviewed and analyzed.
“Japanese Prime Minister wins public support, and makes history”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been politically standing out for her role as first female leader in Japan, effective last fall, as well as for being projected to win an absolute majority at the electoral polls on Sunday, February 8th. Her political promises feature a right-leaning conservatism to their respective scopes, as they aim at building a political picture envisioning a ‘strong and prosperous’ Japan, considerably inspired by previous Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while also steering Japan towards the more radical right-end of the political spectrum. As she strives to ‘restore Japan’s backbone’, Ms. Takaichi is being placed at the center of the popular culture, who borrows her image to create new memes and murals, thus reflecting the overall trend of stark people’s approval that makes her a symbolic figure beyond the politically-served role; in these terms, her early election call may be interpreted as the opportunity to leverage her public recognition to win further public support.
The current geopolitical scenario sees Japan coping with China’s negative campaigning, which has so far limited Chinese tourism in Japan, leading to a possible Takaichi-sponsored military intervention in the case of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan. Overall, Prime Minister Takaichi has been favored by the younger population, seemingly prone to trading enforced national pacifism with the prospects of advanced security; on the other hand, criticism addresses the avoidable collision with China, as one hindering the Japanese access to Chinese-based rare earth minerals. The short-lived cycle underlying Ms. Takaichi’s election contributes to shaping its historically idiosyncratic nature, which didn’t leave enough time for candidates to print posters, and now raises questions on turnout fairness considering the difficulties snowfall conditions have placed on physically accessing several polling stations.
Jihadists rise again in Western Nigeria
by Riccardo De Ambrogi
On 3 February two villages in Kwara State suffered a deadly attack from a terrorist group affiliated with Islamic State.
The armed group were reportedly jihadists based in the forests around the Borgu region, near to the border with Benin. They stormed in Woro and Nuku, the two villages, and set on fire houses and shops, ordering residents to embrace their version of Sharia and reject the Nigerian Constitution, suppressing any opposition attempts in blood. According to Amnesty International, gunmen have executed over 170 people in their strike, but the number will probably increase in the next days. A member of the parliament who represents the region claims that the attacks were carried out by the group named Lakurawa, but no one have yet claimed the massacre and Lakurawa mainly operates near the Niger border, so the most relevant hypothesis sees Boko Haram as the group responsible.
The government replied rapidly to the rise in tension by sending the army in the region and imposing a curfew and school closure on certain areas exposed to a higher risk. The presence of jihadist armed groups in the region is not new, but the power of the attacks occurred in Woro and Nuku is worryingly impressive.
Terrorism have increased its capabilities in Nigeria, and in such a poor area inhabitants can’t even count on the state to counter them, while the violence perpetrated throw the villages into an even more extreme poverty, leading, without governmental intervention, to a death spiral.
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.
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.
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.
