Foreign policy & defence

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What Libya says about future NATO operations

What Libya says about future NATO operations

Tomas Valasek
26 August 2011
In Libya, the Europeans have for the first time responded to Washington's calls to assume responsibility for their neighbourhood. This should be cause for cautious optimism about NATO.
The US and the EU should support the Palestinian bid for UN membership

The US and the EU should support the Palestinian bid for UN membership

Clara Marina O'Donnell
25 August 2011
The US and the EU should support the Palestinian request for UN recognition. If framed constructively, the Palestinian initiative can strengthen the prospects for peace.
soldiers

Race to the bottom

Tomas Valasek
24 August 2011
For decades, European countries cut defence budgets with little worry. The United States kept enough troops on the continent to deter all potential enemies, almost irrespective of how small European militaries became.
Gadaffi

Britain draws the wrong lessons from Libya

Clara Marina O'Donnell
01 August 2011
When it comes to defence, the United Kingdom is giving up on the EU. For most Britons, the war in Libya has confirmed that the majority of European countries are simply not serious about defence.
What Libya says about the future of the transatlantic alliance

What Libya says about the future of the transatlantic alliance

Tomas Valasek
29 July 2011
Libya is the first war fought according to Barack Obama's rules, with the United States taking a back seat. The Europeans responded well: by taking decisive military action to maintain the stability of their neighbourhood.
Trio leadership

Trio leadership: The need to liberalise the European defence market

Clara Marina O'Donnell
03 June 2011
TGAE report
Over the last year, renewed defence spending cuts in many EU member-states have increased the need for closer EU defence co-operation. European governments have long acknowledged that significant savings could be gained through more common procurement in defence, joint logistics and common ownership of the most expensive military capabilities. In...
Palestinian

Palestinian reconciliation is an opportunity for peace

Clara Marina O'Donnell
01 June 2011
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict risks deteriorating further amidst the upheaval in the Arab world and Palestinian efforts to gain recognition at the UN. But one glimmer of hope has emerged.
Ark Royal

EU ministers tackle defence austerity

Tomas Valasek
01 June 2011
How do you do more with less? The EU defence ministers agreed last week that the way to limit the impact of the economic crisis on their defence budgets lies in more co-operation.
Press freedom

Press freedom – the new accession criterion?

Katinka Barysch
16 May 2011
Countries that want to join the EU need to show that their democracies work well. However, press freedom – a key ingredient of any pluralist democracy – is under threat in most of the countries that are now queuing for accession.
Surviving austerity

Surviving austerity: The case for a new approach to EU military collaboration

Tomas Valasek
22 April 2011
A wave of budgetary austerity is weakening Europe’s defences. The armed forces of Europe will lose important skills and capabilities unless they can find ways of saving money through collaboration. Tomas Valasek examines previous efforts at pooling and sharing, and explains why some succeeded better than others. The formation of...
Can the Arab spring bring peace to the Middle East?

Can the Arab spring bring peace to the Middle East?

Clara Marina O'Donnell
21 April 2011
Many western diplomats and observers argue that the popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East reinforce the need for Israelis and Palestinians to return to peace talks.
The EU and Russia: All smiles and no action?

The EU and Russia: All smiles and no action?

Katinka Barysch
18 April 2011
The relationship between the EU and Russia has been warmer than it has been for year. Yet there has been little progress on a new bilateral treaty, an energy dialogue, the new modernisation partnership or security co-operation.
Europe needs a military avant-garde

Europe needs a military avant-garde

01 April 2011
A union of 27 member-states is large and unwieldy. So it is not surprising that sub-groups - formal and informal- are playing a bigger role in managing what the EU does. The Euro Group is emerging as an important institution in its own right, with its own summits.
Turkey, the EU and the Mediterranean uprisings thumbnail

Turkey, the EU and the Mediterranean uprisings

Katinka Barysch
16 March 2011
The revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have brought home to many people that Turkey has become a force to be reckoned with in this region. Turkey enjoys lots of credibility in the Arab world. It has burgeoning trade ties and solid political relations with many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.
What cuts in US defence budget will mean for the transatlantic alliance

What cuts in US defence budget will mean for the transatlantic alliance

Tomas Valasek
15 March 2011
The US defence budget seems set to fall as Washington begins to restore order in its finances. Spending on the military has reached such heights – $700 billion, or 20 per cent of the US federal budget – that it has become too large for deficit-cutters to ignore.
A new neighbourhood policy for the EU file thumbnail

A new neighbourhood policy for the EU

11 March 2011
The revolutions in North Africa have exposed the failings of the EU's neighbourhood policy. Rather than fostering democracy, the policy entrenched autocracy.
What should NATO’s new strategic concept say about Russia?

What should NATO’s new strategic concept say about Russia?

Tomas Valasek
09 March 2011
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO has strived to reduce mutual suspicions with Russia and to build a more co-operative relationship. So it is vexing that 20 years on, Russia continues to view NATO as a hostile alliance.
A new opportunity for EU foreign policy

A new opportunity for EU foreign policy

01 February 2011
The EU's foreign policy has not impressed many people in recent years. A wide range of views among member-states has made it hard for the EU to develop focused policies on key issues such as Russia and China.
Bulletin issue 76

Issue 76 - 2011

Charles Grant, Katinka Barysch, Sir Julian Priestley
28 January 2011