The Internationalism

Internationalism No. 86, April 2026 Page 3 From the series European news The next half-century will be the age of nuclear weapons . This was the grim prediction with which Emmanuel Macron concluded his speech on nuclear deterrence, delivered on March 2 nd at the Île Longue submarine base. Standing before Le Téméraire , the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine that carries a strike force equivalent to the sum of all the bombs dropped on Europe during the Second World War , the president announced a significant evolution in French nuclear doctrine. The emergence of new threats and the realignment of American priorities make it necessary, according to Macron, not only to strengthen deterrence by increasing the number of nuclear warheads, but also to rethink the deterrence strategy deep inside the European continent . His proposal is the gradual implementation o...

Internationalism No. 85, March 2026 Page 3 From the series European news At the Davos Forum in January, US President Donald Trump withdrew his threats to take Greenland away from Denmark and impose tariffs on all countries that opposed him. However, the damage had already been done. The episode was a trauma for Europe: now we no longer know how far the Americans might go , commented Emmanuel Macron. The French president warns against an illusory sense of relief after the peak of tensions. This Greenland moment has undoubtedly made Europeans aware that they are under threat . Now, we must think of Europe as a power [ Süddeutsche Zeitung , February 11 th ]. The German chancellor also spoke out in favour of more European power in his speech to the Bundestag on January 29 th . There, Friedrich Merz issued a warning: Anyone in the world who believes [...] that it is necessary to use customs tariffs against Europe must know—and now knows—that we are...

Internationalism No. 84, February 2026 Page 3 From the series European news The irritation expressed by Denmark on December 21 st , after Donald Trump appointed a special envoy for Greenland, turned into widespread alarmism across Europe within a few weeks. Especially after the American military intervention in Venezuela on January 3 rd , Europeans have been wondering how far the Trump administration will push its claim for hemispheric dominance. The day after the raid on Caracas, the American president declared: We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security . The White House then made it known that it would not rule out the use of military force to grab hold of the island, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, despite it being part of the Atlantic Alliance. The first formal European reaction was the statement of January 6 th , signed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spai...

Internationalism No. 83, January 2026 Page 3 From the series European news Ending the chaos and decline caused by Conservative governments, with their succession of four prime ministers between 2016 and 2024, and rebuilding the country: this is how Keir Starmer described his commitment to national renewal in Labour’s 2024 election manifesto. A year and a half after the clear victory that delivered Labour 411 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, YouGov figures [December 16 th ] show the current prime minister’s approval rating has fallen from 44% to 18%. The political landscape is fragmenting, with the two traditional mainstream parties being overwhelmed by the rise of fringe parties. The government has been marred by minor scandals, muddled communications, statements followed by U-turns, and a chaotic run-up to the announcement of the new budget on November 26 th . With defeat anticipated in the local elections in May, frustrat...

Internationalism No. 82, December 2025 Page 3 From the series European news In our analysis, we have considered how the most likely path to EU rearmament could be through the creation of a European pillar within NATO. Rather than a common deterrence signifying the supreme affirmation of the sovereignty of a continental State, it would probably involve the sharing of State sovereignty at European level, in the form of nuclear sharing. This assessment is confirmed by a significant French source. Nuclear backing In an October report by the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS) , Emmanuelle Maître and Etienne Marcuz elaborate on the concrete prospects for cooperation between States to achieve European-scale deterrence. Together with the British system, they write, French nuclear deterrence forms the foundation of a true European pillar within NATO . The creation of a Franco-British Nuclear Steering Group with the Northwood Declaration ...

Internationalism No. 81, November 2026 Page 3 From the series European news We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either , said Friedrich Merz at the end of September, commenting on Russian drones and fighter jets flying over European territory. The German Chancellor's comment confirms what we have observed: the political currents of imperialist Europeanism are attempting to leverage the wars of the crisis in the world order to accelerate continental rearmament. German-led rearmament According to the European Commission's Defence Readiness Roadmap and the September report by the European Defence Agency (EDA), EU countries' military spending has increased from €218 billion in 2021 to €343 billion in 2024, reaching 1.9% of GDP; €392 billion in spending is forecast for 2025. This is only the beginning of European rearmament, because at the NATO summit at the end of June, the allies committed to increa...

Internationalism No. 80, October 2025 Page 3 From the series European news Battlelines for a new world order based on power are being drawn right now. [...] This must be Europe's Independence Moment . So said Ursula von der Leyen in her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on September 10 th . On the military front, the Commission president praised the historic progress made in recent years in building a European Defence Union . She referred to Readiness 2030 , the programme launched in early 2025, which aims to mobilise up to €800 billion in defence investment, and the SAFE programme, which provides €150 billion in European loans for joint military purchases. The Commission also wants to create a drone wall along the Union's eastern borders and an Eastern Flank Watch . Von der Leyen announced that a clear roadmap for getting new common defence projects off the ground, setting clear goals for 2030, and creating...

Internationalism No. 78-79, August-September 2025 Page 3 From the series European news In July, the strategic triangle of London-Paris-Berlin was strengthened with the Northwood Declaration, in which the United Kingdom and France signalled the possibility of coordinating the use of their nuclear weapons through the creation of a “Nuclear Steering Group”, and with the Kensington Treaty, an Anglo-German defence pact. These agreements complement the Franco-British agreements of Lancaster House and the Franco-German Treaty of Aachen. Although Poland signed the Treaty of Nancy with France in May 2025, it was excluded from the recent “E3” consultations, in which only the United Kingdom, France, and Germany participated. Nevertheless, the establishment of the new government led by Donald Tusk, the Civic Platform (PO) leader, in the October 2023 elections, after eight years of anta...

Internationalism No. 77, July 2025 Page 15 European Rearmament Seeks Money and Soldiers From the series European news In her acceptance speech for the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on May 29 th , Ursula von der Leyen argued in favour of her ambitions for a great unifying project with a view toward an independent Europe . According to the President of the European Commission, the current international disorder characterised by authoritarian powers ready to ruthlessly exploit our divisions or dependencies will give rise to a new world order in this decade . To avoid suffering the consequences , an independent Europe should be able to shape this new order . Yet the victory of Polish nationalist Karol Nawrocki, backed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, in Poland’s presidential elections has fuelled concerns among the European bourgeoisie about a new wave of victories for pa...