As Iran faced attack on the night of February 28th, 2026, it was disclosed that at least two European governments, Germany and Poland, were informed in advance by the US Administration. Although both governments denied any kind of consultation or agreement with the US and Israel on the military operation, the news sparked outrage among other European allies who were […]
Author: Dario Pio Muccilli
US policy threatens EU resiliency, Special to the Star-Revue
As the EU enters 2026, uncertainty looms on one of its flagship policies: the European Green Deal. Adopted in 2019 to tackle climate change, it was designed to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. During Commission President Von Der Leyen’s first term the Green Deal became the EU’s strategy for economic growth, an ambitious plan that gave up traditional assumptions […]
A Postcard from Marrakech by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
“Come here, I show you some carpets” – “Where are you from? Spain? Italy? France?”….”Best Moroccan Quality!” As you start walking through the alleys and streets of the Marrakech city center, the wave of vendors trying to get your attention will hit you harder than the heat, which does not joke around in Africa’s July. Marrakech, the fourth largest city […]
Talking about Iran and the rest of the world, Interview by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
Francesco Tamburini is a Professor at the University of Pisa and a recognized expert in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) studies. We have recorded this interview on June 26th, worried that the news coming from Iran would soon make our conversation outdated, but eventually we ended up discussing much wider issues on the Western civilization, China and the westernization […]
Trump’s assault on education as viewed from Europe, by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
International students are increasingly targeted by the Trump Administration. Not only did the the president threaten to shut down Harvard to them, but he suspended visa interviews for all foreigners wishing to apply to any American university. Italy and the United States have a long history of academic collaboration, marked by institutions such as the Italian Academy at the Columbia […]
Trump’s assault on education as viewed from Europe
International students are increasingly targeted by the Trump Administration. Not only did the the president threaten to shut down Harvard to them, but he suspended visa interviews for all foreigners wishing to apply to any American university. Italy and the United States have a long history of academic collaboration, marked by institutions such as the Italian Academy at the Columbia […]
Despite world powers meeting in Rome, Italy remains a player, not a leader by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
A stunning photo was released after the funeral of Pope Francis, last April 26th: Zelensky, Trump, Macron and Starmer seemingly exchanging amenities ahead of the mass. The message of the photo is clear if read together with the picture of Trump and the Ukrainian leader speaking face-to-face in a corner of Saint Peter Basilica: France and the UK brokered this […]
Eventual Ukrainian reconstruction cannot ignore Russian-speaking Ukrainians, by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
On October 21st, almost 150 (mostly Ukrainian) intellectuals signed an open letter to Unesco encouraging the international organization to ask President Zelensky to defer some decisions about Odessa’s World Heritage sites until the end of the war. Odessa, in southern Ukraine, is a multicultural city with a strong Russian-speaking component. There has been pressure to remove historical sites connected to […]
What’s going on with France?, by Dario Pio Muccilli
As President Macron surprisingly called a snap legislative election in the aftermath of his loss to the far right in the June 9th EU elections, France is today close to having its first far-right Prime Minister: Jordan Bardella, the rising star of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN). By the time of this writing, France has already held the first voting round, which […]
Extreme statements hurt right-wing German political party, by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
It’s Potsdam, Germany, around noon, Chaled-Uwe Said, local leader of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), is giving away flyers, bottle openers and pens for his re-election campaign to the City Council. But people coming out from the nearby supermarket rarely stop at his table. Even though AfD leads as the second party in the national polls, there is […]
Response to Gaza protest create schism in Italian government by Dario Pio Muccilli, EU correspondent
As the Gaza war continues, Europe is hit by demonstrations organized by pro-Palestine activists in every town, notwithstanding its size or importance. In Pisa, a leading university city, last February 23rd, a small and peaceful demonstration organized by local students ended up with many 15-19 year olds beaten by police with truncheons. The case, starting as a local news, soon […]
Masha Gessen essay outrages German sensibilities, by Dario Pio Muccilli, EU correspondent
Since WWII, Germany has been the closest ally of Israel in Europe. The historical shame coming from the Holocaust crimes pushed Berlin/Bonn to support Israel in all the wars that happened with its Arab neighbors. Weapons, intelligence and diplomacy—Germany has assured them all to Tel-Aviv. Right now Germany keeps its so-called “special relationship” with Israel. Several Federated States have prohibited […]
Italian Prime Minister unwittingly expresses her feelings on the Ukraine, by Dario Pio Muccilli, EU correspondent
Telephone pranks are usually seen as an entertainment for kids – but international politics has actually discovered that it could also be a very serious issue, moreover if the victim is Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, a front-runner of Ukrainian support. On November 1st, a Russian comic duo, Vovan and Lexus, released online the audio of a prank where Meloni was […]
