EUROPE.

• Position: IN THE NEWS 2019

RUSSIA

President Vladimir Putin (above) has maintained his 19-year-long grip on the Russian government by stifling dissent and cracking down on political enemies. President Trump continues to push for better relations with Russia, and he met with Putin in July 2018. But relations between the two nations remain strained, largely because U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with the aim of helping to elect Trump to the White House.

Caption: President Putin has ruled Russia with an iron fist.

Caption: Migrants await rescue in the Mediterranean, 2017

REFUGEES

The number of migrants arriving in Europe after fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa is down from the peak of the crisis in 2015. But in 2018, tens of thousands continued to risk the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. The huge influx of refugees--almost 2 million in the past few years--has prompted a backlash in some European countries, including Germany and Italy. Other nations, such as Hungary and Poland, have refused to accept any migrants.

NATO

Traditionally, the United States has been a leader of NATO, the 29-country military I alliance dedicated to protecting Western Europe's freedom. But President Trump has guestioned the importance of the alliance and complained that many countries aren't paying enough to support it. Trump has also clashed with European allies over the Paris climate agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and the issue of tariffs (taxes on imported goods).

Caption: Leaders from Europe and Asia with Trump at the G-7 summit meeting in Canada, 2018

Political Systems Around the World

Communist one-party state: Land and businesses are government-owned, and individual and political freedoms are severely limited. (Example: North Korea) The definition has become muddied, since China and Vietnam now allow a substantial amount of private enterprise.

Constitutional monarchy: A king or queen is head of state but has limited power. An elected parliament (legislature) chooses the prime minister, who leads the government. (Bhutan)

Dominant party: A system in which one political party rules. Other parties may exist but have relatively little power. (Russia)

Military rule: The leader of a country's armed forces controls the government. (Thailand)

Monarchy: A king, queen, or prince rules the government, usually for life and by hereditary right. (Saudi Arabia)

One-party dictatorship: A single party and its leader hold power. (Eritrea)

Parliamentary democracy: Voters elect the parliament. A prime minister, usually leader of the party with the most seats in parliament, heads the government. (Canada)

Presidential...