Syz the moment

The conservative support has slipped below 30% ahead of the February election. Friedrich Merz’s center-right CDU/CSU alliance leads with 29% in the latest Insa survey, down one point from last week. The AfD also dropped by one point to 21%, while support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens remains steady at 16% and 13%, respectively. 👉 As it stands, a so-called grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD appears to be the most likely outcome Source: HolgerZ, Bloomberg

He steps up criticism of Trump’s expansionist rhetoric. Currently, Scholz's SPD is trailing in third place, behind the CDU/CSU and AfD. Source: HolgerZ, Bloomberg

👉 A Danish foreign minister said Wednesday Denmark is “open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can cooperate, possibly even more closely than we already do, to ensure that American ambitions are fulfilled,” multiple outlets reported, just one day after President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland. 👉 Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters the United States and NATO had “legitimate” interests in the region, saying “in conjunction with the melting of the Arctic and new shipping lanes opening up, we are unfortunately also seeing an increase in great power rivalry.” 👉 Greenland is part of Denmark, has representatives in the Danish parliament and its foreign relations are controlled by Denmark, though there has been a growing push for full independence in recent years. 👉 Løkke Rasmussen also noted “Greenland has its own ambitions” and said “if they materialize, Greenland will become independent, though hardly with an ambition to become a federal state in the United States,” Politico reported. 👉 The comments from the Danish diplomat followed a Tuesday press conference from Trump in which he said, “We need Greenland for national security purposes” and would not commit to not using military force to acquire it or the Panama Canal. 👉 Trump also questioned whether Denmark has a right to Greenland on Tuesday, saying, “nobody even knows if they have any right, title or interest.” ⚡ The most important category in the chart below is „Other“. It’s mainly rare earths. Trump probably seeks to solve some strategic problems for the US. Source: Michael A. Arouet on X, Forbes

France says Europe is a strong continent and won’t be intimidated. It’s warning Trump against threatening the bloc's "sovereign borders" Source: Telegraph, Visegrád 24

Justin Trudeau’s popularity has been at a historic low after voters and members of his own party turned against him following a turbulent period of speculation about his ability to govern the G7 country. Source: FT

that would create some sort of “economic union” between the US and Canada – declaring that at least half of his countrymen would support such a merger. "There's 41 million Canadians sitting on the world's largest amounts of all resources, including the most important, energy and water. Canadians over the holidays have been talking about this. They want to hear more. What this could be is the beginning of an economic union. Think about the power of combining the two economies and erasing the border between Canada and the United States. I like this idea and at least half of Canadians are interested. Nobody wants Trudeau to negotiate this deal. I don't want him doing it for me, so I'm going to go to Mar-a-Lago. I'll start the narrative".

- On China and the Panama canal: “To the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal… the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything.’” - On Canada: “To Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World.” - On Greenland: “To the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!” Closing Note: “We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country… and, in 26 days, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Will US imperialism be one of the major theme of 2025??? Source: Truth Social, @mario nawfal on X

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government Monday, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country’s budget. Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business. The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and crisis and pressure from financial markets to reduce France’s colossal debt. The government, put together by newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds. Among them: two former Prime minister - Manuel Walls and Elizabeth Borne. Both failed. Back to the future?