


Donald Trump’s assault on Europe
His invitation to Vladimir Putin to make a deal over Ukraine has thrown the transatlantic alliance into turmoil
FOR EUROPE, the shocks came in quick and bewildering succession. First Pete Hegseth, America’s defence secretary, told America’s allies that his country was no longer the “primary guarantor” of European security. Hours later Donald Trump said he would open talks with Russia over the head of Ukraine and Europe. Then on February 14th, at the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering, J.D. Vance, the vice-president (pictured), unleashed a stinging attack on Europe, in effect backing the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, nine days before the country’s election. After looking to America as its ally for decades, many leaders and officials wondered whether Europe’s security was crumbling in front of their eyes.
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China’s stunning new campaign to turn the world against Taiwan
Seventy countries have recently backed “all Chinese efforts” to take the island

Xi Jinping swings his “assassin’s mace” of economic warfare
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Allies will not appease Donald Trump for ever
If Trump convinces partners that the post-1945 order really is dead, things will get ugly
As adoptions collapse, demand for international surrogacy is soaring
Yet it is facing a growing backlash from religious conservatives and some feminists
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Washington hawks puzzle over calls for China to help in Ukraine, and hints of a possible TikTok reprieve
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The economics make sense, but the geopolitics are nerve-racking