This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor.

I welcome my colleague Anatole Levin of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Since last we spoke, there's a world of change. I note that Europe is changing, as is the story in Ukraine constantly. We have some fixed points in Europe. The German government is in a delivery of a new election, probably in February. There is some ceremony. There will be a no-confidence vote in the Bundestag.

Oloff Schultz government will then fall formally. And the new election is set for February 23rd.

The Christian Democrats and the socialist, the SPD, are the two strong parties in Germany.

And rather than explore the intricacies of the Bundestag, I go immediately to the news from

Paris that the minority government headed by the Prime Minister Bernier has now fallen

with a no-confidence vote.

I believe that no elections can be held, no new elections can be held until 12 months

after the last election, which was July, meaning until next summer. So President Macron is now

being looked upon for leadership, but suddenly he's very mortal. Ms. Maloney, the head of the right of center government in Rome, is said to be under pressure

because of a dip in GDP from Italy.

Sir Kirstarmer has problems of his own with the budget.

So all of Europe is in turmoil.

Yes, money, but also confidence.

And I turn from Europe only to mention that Ukraine

war is in the middle of all of this. European Union promising cash, I believe, rebuilding.

But the shooting is still going on. In addition to cruelty demonstrated by the Russian forces

to use drones, reported in the Financial Times,

to blow people's feet off as they're in their garden in Kheirsons.

So there is no lack of cruelty, but at the same time, the governments that form the backbone

of the EU are in turmoil.

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