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British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson visits UK troops of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battle group at the military base in Tapa, Estonia March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

European dilemma

Tensions between Russia and the West have ratcheted up swiftly since the Ukraine crisis of 2014, but the seeds for the discord may have been sown earl

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Members of the emergency services wearing protective clothing work near the bench where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in Salisbury, Britain, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

War of nerves

The U.K. government’s investigation into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter has so far raised more questions than answers, but that has

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Catalan crisis

Catalan secessionism has received little international support even as it faces the heavy-handedness of the Spanish government.

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A Eurostar train travels along the High Speed 1 line at the Eurotunnel entrance in Folkestone, U.K., on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Groupe Eurotunnel SA, operator of the Channel Tunnel rail route between England and France, said it may bid for 68 miles (109 kilometers) of track connecting the link with London as the British government seeks a buyer. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

European experience

Europe’s High Speed Rail networks are seen to be hugely driven by political motivations with economic rationale playing a secondary role.

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Foreign students and advisors are pictured outside a campus of the London Metropolitan University in London, on August 30, 2012. Thousands of overseas students on Thursday faced possible deportation from Britain after the government stripped a London university of its right to sponsor their visas. Amid alarm at the potential damage to the foreign student market in Britain -- worth an estimated £14 billion (17.7 billion euros, $22.2 billion) -- the government rushed to reassure foreign students that it was an isolated case. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT

Students or migrants?

The Theresa May government refuses to change its policy on counting international students as migrants, making it tough for them to stay on legally at

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Members of the public observe a national minute's silence in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena attack, on May 25, 2017 in Manchester, England. An explosion occurred at Manchester Arena on the evening of May 22 as concert goers were leaving the venue after Ariana Grande had performed. Greater Manchester Police are treating the explosion as a terrorist attack and have confirmed 22 fatalities and 59 injured. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

After Manchester

The terrorist attack in Manchester makes clear the vulnerabilities of the ruling Conservatives, who have struggled to control the debates generated by

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French President Emmanuel Macron escorts former President Francois Hollande after the handover ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 14, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Cautious optimism

Emmanuel Macron had a clear victory in the presidential election, but the National Assembly elections to be held in June will be the real indicator of

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PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 01: French Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Macron addresses voters during a political meeting at Grande Halle de La Villette on May 1, 2017 in Paris, France. Emmanuel Macron faces President of the National Front, Marine Le Pen in the final round of the French presidential elections on May 07. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Appetite for change

The upheaval at the French presidential election is likely to continue into the elections to the National Assembly, and this may present new opportuni

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks at Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) as they listen to their national anthems before talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, in this June 1, 2012 file photo. Heavily dependent on Russian gas and closer to Moscow than any other leading western nation, Germany faces a major policy dilemma as the Ukraine crisis descends into a Cold War-style confrontation of tit-for-tat threats and ultimatums. For weeks, Merkel and her three-month old coalition government have gone out of their way to avoid antagonising Putin, remaining measured even as Washington and other capitals ratcheted up the rhetoric. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Files (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Different concerns

Europe’s relationship with Russia is complex, defined by suspicion, tough talk and, to a lesser extent, trade dependency. At present Europe is unlikel

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(FILES) This file photo taken on August 24, 2016 shows Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, greeting United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, left, during a campaign rally at the Mississippi Coliseum on August 24, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi.
After helping secure the shock vote for Brexit, UKIP leader Nigel Farage pulled off another coup by becoming the first British politician to meet Donald Trump, upsetting the establishment once again. / AFP PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Jonathan BACHMAN / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ALICE RITCHIE

Echoes of Trump

Trump’s election raises a number of questions for Europe, particularly around the extent to which his victory will impact the politics of the continen

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People react during a referendum results party at the Lexington pub in London, June 23, 2016. Britain has voted to leave the European Union, a historic decision sure to reshape the nationâ€™s place in the world, rattle the Continent and rock political establishments throughout the West. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Brexit shock

The Leave verdict in the United Kingdom has spotlighted the despair and anger of its working class that have their origins in the multiple burdens suc

PARVATHI MENON,in London

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 05: Prime Minister David Cameron holds a Q&A session on the forthcoming European Union referendum with staff of PricewaterhouseCoopers on April 5, 2016 in Birmingham, England. The UK will vote on whether or not to remain in the European Union on June 23, 2016. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Brexit or Bremain?

With the referendum just two months away, public education-led engagement with the issues of Brexit remains tardy because politically disparate groups

PARVATHI MENON in London