ECFR’s summer entertainment list 2026
Whether you’re heading off on holiday or staying home this summer, ECFR’s entertainment recommendations—spanning books, podcasts and tv series—will help you reconnect with your internal and external wellbeing
Tue, 13 Oct 2026
Whether you’re heading off on holiday or staying home this summer, ECFR’s entertainment recommendations—spanning books, podcasts and tv series—will help you reconnect with your internal and external wellbeing

When the fighting in Ukraine stops, America and Europe will likely end up facing Russia in a low-grade rivalry for years to come. Here is how to prevent that disordered rivalry from sliding into another war
Zelensky’s outgoing defence minister did not hold back in his criticism of military commanders—and his allegations deserve proper scrutiny
Some European leaders seem to think that abasing themselves for Donald Trump’s pleasure is necessary to save NATO and keep the Western alliance alive. But by so desperately clinging to the good old days of the transatlantic relationship, Europe’s leaders are risking more than just their dignity
Roberto Vannacci’s far-right National Future is four months old and a force to be reckoned with. Italians and Europeans need to recognise the threat he poses to the democratic order
The war between the US and Iran is destabilising North African economies, putting an already fragile region at the very edge of polycrisis
It is high time the EU follow its own trade policy and ban trade of all goods and services from Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank
With American competitiveness declining, the EU has a chance to offer tech start-ups something better. To create this new generation of EU Incs, the bloc will first need to better align its regulation and resources
Le Pen is racing into the French presidential election, even with a fraud conviction hanging over her campaign. Europeans should begin preparing for the rupture her victory could bring
The new defence investment plan is weighed down by the habits of Britain’s defence establishment. By contrast, the British public appear readier to accept change.
Andy Burnham, Britain’s likely next prime minister, is clear-eyed about his domestic political priorities. But, with the world order in flux, all eyes are on his foreign policy approach
The next industrial revolution will be built with microbes as much as machines. China understands this. Europe still has the science to compete but must act quickly before industrial leadership slips away again
A nuclear deterrent does not preclude major war. Putin has learnt this lesson—now Europe needs to do the same.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States is focused on doing business, at the expense of peace. There are ways for Europeans to acquire a veto over these destabilising activities; but the Trump administration may yet replicate this approach across the globe.
Those who follow only intergovernmental negotiations or debates in the media might think that nothing has changed in the decade since the United Kingdom’s voters decided to leave the European Union. Yet new polling finds that large majorities on both sides of the English Channel now support re-engagement.
Ten years on from the referendum, the British electorate has moved on from its old divisions and—in a world of crisis—is embracing an ambitious move back towards the European Union
The Three Seas Initiative helped cut Europe’s dependence on Russian gas—but five of its nine flagship energy projects are still gas-related. The initiative should direct its new €2bn “fund of funds” towards building the clean-energy infrastructure that will outlast the gas era
A full return will require a marathon of democratic persuasion, on the continent as much as in Britain. For one side holds most of the cards
The EU can exploit its system to say no to China—now, and long into the future
Russia is expanding its nuclear-capable, long-range weapon systems to press Europe and fracture NATO. Europeans need to plug the gaps in their nuclear capabilities and create a strategic deterrent that can function without US support