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Trump has shocked Europe with his bold and unrelenting desire to seize Greenland as a US territory. Still, it should come as an even greater shock how little Europe had paid attention to this crucial landmass in the stage of newly emerging global conflicts. The Arctic has not weighed heavily in international relationships. However, with the ice melting, new trade routes are opening, and rich resources are becoming more easily accessible.

If people are inclined to believe in things not supported by evidence, they are more likely to be susceptible to the lies of politicians. Disinformation, such as the spread of conspiracy theories to spread distrust among citizens, is a tool widely and effectively used by Russia and China. It is not just conspiracy theories, however, which are plaguing humankind, but a return of an unscientific way of thinking which enlightenment hoped to eradicate.

The gap between real life and the world of film is narrowing. The James Bond franchise guided viewers through the Cold War with its over-the-top villains, and through the relatively peaceful time thereafter with more lukewarm enemies. Now, when a new soft reboot is in order, it is time to bring back tried and tested baddies: the Russians.

The Visegrad Cooperation within the European Union is a regional organization of four Central European member states: the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The cooperation aims to jointly represent the economic, diplomatic, and political interests of these countries and coordinate their possible actions. All four member states joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. 

Russian attempts at interference can be observed all over the world. They are part of the Kremlin\'s foreign policy to gain more influence worldwide and to make as many countries Russian-friendly as possible. The ultimate goal of this foreign policy is probably to upset the unipolar US-dominated world order. We are now at the point where Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at the 2024 Valdai Forum that the old world order is over.

On August 9, Andrzej Duda signed the bill introducing the widow\'s pension. The widow\'s pension is intended to be a new way of combining a retirement pension and a survivor\'s pension. Previously, a widowed retiree could receive their own pension or 85% of their deceased spouse’s pension (the survivor\'s pension). The widow\'s pension allows beneficiaries to receive their own pension or survivor\'s pension along with an additional 15% of the other benefit.

Poland will mark twenty years as a member of the European Union in 2024. In recent years, eurosceptic sentiments undermining the benefits of European integration have gained ground in Poland and Europe. However, the facts contradict these claims: membership in the European Union benefits member states. This is also true for Poland, which will continue to benefit from remaining in the Community, even if it eventually becomes a net contributor.

In public debate one can frequently find support for significant state ownership in the economy, citing the need to protect strategic national interests, including public safety and order. Politicians often argue that privatizing companies with State Treasury involvement would lead to their acquisition by entities hostile to Polish interests.

On June 4 and 18, 1989, partially free elections for the Sejm and fully free elections for the reconstituted Senate were held in Poland. As a result of these elections, a democratic political system was established, and decisive economic reforms were initiated between 1989 and 1990, which included stabilization and free-market changes. Poland was the first socialist country to begin departing from the system imposed by force, which was flawed.

Recent economic shocks and the European Union’s focus on competitiveness have directed the spotlight on the dangers of global value chains. With its unique politics of  ‘eastern opening’ and latecomer position to the globalized market economies, Hungary’s strategy in the geopolitical theatre raises many questions. In the following, I will use an interdisciplinary approach to explain the Hungarian manufacturing industries’ global value chain exposures.