Patrick Gibbons

As is so often the case following riots, attention on symptoms drowns out discussion about the cause. This pattern has been evident this week, as unrest in Belfast erupted after a man was stabbed. The alleged attacker was arrested and charged but, following the news that he was allegedly an immigrant, mobs roamed Belfast for days, committing horrendous acts of violence and intimidation. This violence, while quite rightly widely condemned, has allowed politicians to avoid awkward questions raised by the immigration status of the alleged attacker. Having reportedly entered the island of Ireland via Dublin, the case has reopened questions about which border truly exercises control over migration for Northern Ireland.

As world leaders grapple with Donald Trump’s second term, his war with Iran has accelerated European multipolarism, with leaders on the continent searching for alternative solutions to American isolationism. How far should Europe pool security and defence? Should there be a European version of the Anglo ‘Five Eyes’ alliance, as the Netherlands’s coalition government, led by their new prime minister Rob Jetten, has suggested? Is the proposal from Renew Europe – the European Parliament’s centrist grouping – for a Nato-like trade alliance between European countries and their democratic allies – like Canada, Japan and South Korea – realistic?

When RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was targeted in an attempted drone attack on Monday, it didn’t just leave the British government open to accusations that it was slow to respond to events in the Middle East. It also led to criticism from those who would like to see the British overseas territory returned to the Republic of Cyprus.  The drone attack caused minor damage and no one was injured, but in the initial aftermath it was unclear whether it had been shot down by British forces on Cyprus, by Cypriot air defences or by an American warship in the area. The attack has led the UK government to send the warship HMS Dragon to Cyprus, although it will take at least a week to arrive there.

This weekend in Oslo politicians and activists from Norway’s conservative party, Høyre, will meet to confirm their new leader, Ine Eriksen Søreide. This is not just a vote to further the prospects of the next generation of centre-right leaders but – due to a rare alignment of domestic and geopolitical conditions – the potential starting point for a renewed push towards Norway joining the European Union (EU). Formerly Norway's minister of foreign affairs, Søreide is a committed Europhile. She has been unambiguous on EU membership, saying Høyre is ‘clearly a yes party’.  It is perhaps just a peculiar coincidence that has left several North Sea powers outside the EU.

Every time Donald Trump repeats his threats towards Greenland, a familiar claim does the rounds that the UK has ‘first dibs’ should Denmark ever choose to sell the territory. Most versions of this story trace back to comments by Tom Hoyem, who served as Denmark’s last minister for Greenland in the 1980s. The claim gained traction again after Trump’s recent threats about acquiring the island, saying ‘one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland’. These threats – which have now been accompanied by additional tariffs on countries including the UK – are being taken so seriously that the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers met US vice president J.D. Vance in Washington this week.

As the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote approaches, renewed debate about Britain’s relationship with the European Union is perhaps inevitable. A steady drip of stories has suggested that closer ties between the UK and EU may once again be under consideration, with speculation over rejoining the customs union appearing every week since the Budget. Health Secretary Wes Streeting went further just before Christmas, arguing in favour of the move. The economic case for deeper cooperation may be compelling, but even for those who hope this is a prelude to something bigger, it is worth asking a more fundamental question: what kind of European Union would Britain be re-entering? One answer can be found among the generation now beginning to shape European politics from below.