New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- More than 75 years after the end of World War II, conflict is spreading across Europe once again. But this time, the antagonism is within nations, and the contest, though fierce, is mostly non-violent and will be determined by the ballot box.

This week alone, Spain's left-of-centre prime minister Pedro Sanchez dissolved parliament early and called for fresh elections after his plan to speed up housing projects in the country was blocked by his right-wing political opponents.

Sanchez was responding to nationwide outrage after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her Madrid apartment because she was unable to meet a rent increase, triggering mass protests over the country's lack of housing.

In France, meanwhile, on ...