Marc Champion

Marc Champion is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe, Russia and the Middle East. He was previously Istanbul bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. From historians to CEOs, the answer’s the same: Only on our terms. Revelations of the leader's disdain for civilian life should surprise no one. Tories have failed on their security strong suit, and the mess will be hard to fix. Stop talking about liberal democracy and the rules-based international order. But arrest warrants, campus protests and genocide accusations were not inevitable. These were the direct results of Netanyahu's choices. His death in a helicopter crash has opened the race to succeed Khamenei. The alliance gets its military act together, but the shooting of Robert Fico highlights the political difficulties ahead. The Kremlin's appointment of an economist to run the defense ministry is a sign of grandiose intent The US and EU have a chance to keep Georgia from getting dragged into Putin's orbit. The right kind of deal would trade removal of Hamas leaders for Israel's withdrawal and acceptance of the need for a political settlement. Remember Woman, Life, Freedom? The abuses never went away. A billionaire leader in Tblisi echoes Moscow as he rails against 'global party of war.' Cease-fire with a regional deal is more realistic than eliminating Hamas. After a joint plea from the US and 17 other nations focusing on Hamas, Israel should lean into a deal. Let's stop talking about liberal or illiberal democracy – it's just democracy. a settlement must be the goal, but only once Kyiv has established deterrence. Restraint needed in Gaza with escalation risks still high. The contrast between Western allies' response to Iran's missile attacks and Russia's was shameful. It isn’t a question of toughness, but of what can be achieved at what cost. Netanyahu has a window to refocus attention from Gaza to Iran.