European Council

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ECB president Lagarde to step down in February, nine months early

Awaits a recommendation from finance ministers; leaders aim to decide before the end of the year, with the Dec. 17-18 summit as the target

Christine Lagarde leaves the European Central Bank on Feb. 7, 2027, about nine months before her term ends, after announcing on Oct. 29 that she wants freedom to speak on matters beyond monetary policy. Euro-area inflation reached 4% in October, up from 3.8% in September, led by energy costs.

Updated 10 hours ago

Trump’s 2025 national security strategy revives Monroe Doctrine and pivots U.S. power to the Americas

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Leading institutional response to U.S. National Security Strategy

On December 5, 2025, the Trump administration released a 33-page National Security Strategy declaring a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The document formally revives the 19th-century idea of the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence and promises to reassert American preeminence across the Americas.

Updated May 10