Diplomacy 101: Undiplomatically Speaking
Where Beliefs Clash and Stories Flash
Europe’s Fractures and the Fiction of Unity
EU leaders convened an emergency summit in Brussels after Hungary vetoed a new sanctions package targeting Russian energy derivatives. Viktor Orbán, emboldened by fresh investments from Beijing, declared the sanctions “useless symbolism.” Germany and France expressed open frustration, prompting renewed debate on the EU’s unanimity rule for foreign policy.
Meanwhile, France and the UK launched joint naval exercises off the Baltic coast, alongside Finland and Sweden, signaling solidarity with NATO’s eastern flank amid rising hybrid threats. Moscow responded with cyberattacks targeting Polish logistics networks—low-intensity, high-symbolism.
In Africa, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth once again after elections marred by fraud and violence. President Mnangagwa’s government accused Western observers of “neo-imperial bias,” while South Africa offered to mediate, revealing Pretoria’s desire to revive its long-dormant regional diplomacy role.