France

Matthias Matthijs, senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and Daniela Schwarzer, a member of the executive board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results and consequences of the snap elections in France and the United Kingdom. 

France’s governance is at stake as it holds snap elections for its National Assembly, with the far-right National Rally looking to build on its success in the European Parliament elections; the United Kingdom (UK) has its own snap general elections with Keir Starmer and his Labour Party looking to end the fourteen-year rule of the Conservatives; Iran’s snap presidential elections could signal unity of regime hard-liners or glimmers of change; the European Union (EU) plans to impose provisional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles; and Ukraine strikes more than thirty Russian oil refineries.  

Taiwan holds its presidential and legislative elections, which have major geopolitical consequences for both the United States and China; tech giant Apple deals with patent infringement allegations while more governments consider regulations on tech; the fifty-fourth World Economic Forum Annual Meeting hosts global business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, to address multiple crises such as conflict, climate change, and misinformation; and France appoints Gabriel Attal, the country’s youngest and first openly gay prime minister.

China’s President Xi Jinping woos France’s President Emmanuel Macron, while Macron urges Xi to bring “Russia back to reason” on Ukraine; Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace agreement turns twenty-five; and as Iran celebrates National Nuclear Technology Day, its enriched uranium stocks grow.