As U.S.-EU trade tensions mount, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni steps into the role of unlikely power broker. Her visit to Washington could redefine not only Italy’s diplomatic clout, but the future of European unity in an age of fractured alliances and rising economic nationalism.

We like to think we’re independent thinkers—but most of our choices are inherited, absorbed, or imitated.

As economic tools become increasingly entangled with national security strategies, the EU faces a critical moment in defending its sovereignty without sacrificing its alliance with the US.