Foreign policy & defence
The refugee crisis: Fixing Schengen is not enough
17 February 2016
Europe's refugee crisis is a foreign policy crisis with domestic spill-over; it has to be solved abroad as well as at home.
No denial: How NATO can deter a creeping Russian threat
09 February 2016
Russia is sowing uncertainty about its intentions on NATO's eastern borders. At the Warsaw Summit in June, NATO should take steps to strengthen its deterrence.
Cameron's security gamble: Is Brexit a strategic risk?
21 December 2015
Britain has shown its international ambitions with airstrikes in Syria and an important defence and security review. But the referendum on EU membership threatens Britain's interests.
Bulletin Issue 105 - December 2015/January 2016
30 November 2015
- Britain, immigration and Brexit, Simon Tilford
- Adrift: The impact of the ECJ's Safe Harbour ruling, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Rem Korteweg
- Millstone or multiplier? EU foreign policy, Ian Bond
China's European charm offensive: Silk Road or Silk Rope?
27 November 2015
China is building closer relations with European countries, offering investments to all. EU member-states should welcome China’s contribution, without abandoning European values and interests.
Merkel after Paris
20 November 2015
Merkel's relatively open and liberal stance on refugees makes it easier for her to respond robustly to the attacks in France through security and foreign policy.
Terrorism in Paris: Aux armes, citoyens?
17 November 2015
The West should draw the right lessons from the Paris attacks. A military response to Daesh in Syria must be combined with better European intelligence co-operation.
EU foreign policy co-operation: A millstone or a multiplier for the UK?
12 October 2015
Submission to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee inquiry on the costs and benefits of EU membership for the UK's role in the world.
By participating actively in EU foreign policy co-operation, the UK can get 27 other countries to take co-ordinated actions aligned with British aims. It could...
By participating actively in EU foreign policy co-operation, the UK can get 27 other countries to take co-ordinated actions aligned with British aims. It could...
Beware of cheap oil!
07 October 2015
Europe’s economies welcome the collapse of oil prices. But serious foreign policy problems await if oil remains cheap.
The insoluble Syrian problem: Only wrong answers?
29 September 2015
No-one, including Putin, has a peace plan for Syria. The EU should stop pursuing unrealistic military and political aims and focus on helping the war’s victims.
Issue 104 - 2015
25 September 2015
- Jeremy Corbyn and the rise of groupthink, John Springford
- Eastern mess: The EU's partners need attention, Ian Bond
- Will the eurozone reap what it has sown?, Simon Tilford
Eastern mess: The EU's partners need attention
24 September 2015
Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine signed EU association agreements in 2014, but reforms are now stalling. The EU needs to push the three governments to do more.
The battle for reform in Kyiv
16 September 2015
The government in Kyiv has introduced some important reforms. But vested interests and corruption are thwarting its efforts to modernise the state and the economy.
The Undiplomats: Right-wing populists and their foreign policies
21 August 2015
The foreign policies of right-wing populist parties could damage European interests. Mainstream parties should address the problems populists highlight, without copying their policies.
Chasing the dragon: Russia's courtship of China
04 August 2015
Russia wants the West to fear a Moscow-Beijing axis. But China sees Russia as a route to Europe, not a destination in itself.
Issue 103 - 2015
27 July 2015
- How to keep Greece in, Christian Odendahl
- Could eurozone integration damage the single market?, Charles Grant
- Greek foreign policy: The next ruin?, Ian Bond, Rem Korteweg
Greek foreign policy: The next ruin?
27 July 2015
Grexit could create a foreign policy mess for Europe. Despite its Russophilia, Syriza's current foreign policy may be the best on offer.
The four horsemen circling the European Council summit
24 June 2015
Grexit, the Mediterranean crisis, Russia's aggression and the British question will continue to sow discord in Europe. Unless leaders can think European, not national.
Don't mention Beijing: The EU and Asia's maritime security
27 May 2015
With tensions rising in the South China Sea, Europe should intensify its dialogue with south-east Asia about maritime security.
After a deal: How to keep Iran honest?
22 May 2015
If a nuclear agreement with Iran is reached, the hard work begins: Europe should help contain Tehran’s regional influence while working with it too.