Foreign policy & defence

Error message

Notice: Trying to get property 'vocabulary_machine_name' of non-object in _cer_topics_taxonomy_term_page_view() (line 104 of /var/www/vhosts/cer_live/site/sites/all/modules/custom/cer_topics/cer_topics.module).
How should Europe respond to sovereign investors in its defence sector?

How should Europe respond to sovereign investors in its defence sector?

Clara Marina O'Donnell
01 September 2010
A small number of sovereign investors, sometimes originating from non-democratic states, are buying shares in European aerospace and defence companies.
Who is winning Eastern Europe's great game? thumbnail

Who is winning Eastern Europe's great game?

Katinka Barysch
19 July 2010
The US is withdrawing from the former Soviet space; the European Union struggles to be taken seriously there. Does that leave Russia free to strengthen its influence in the countries around its borders? Not necessarily, for the situation in the region is complex.
Membership for Russia a step too far for NATO?

Membership for Russia a step too far for NATO?

Tomas Valasek
08 July 2010
There are growing signs that Russia’s relations with NATO are on the mend. Senior Russian thinkers, some close to the government, have been cautiously talking up the possibility of Russia joining the alliance, as have several western officials and think-tanks (including the CER.)
A transatlantic defence market, forever elusive?

A transatlantic defence market, forever elusive?

Clara Marina O'Donnell
01 July 2010
Despite close political and military ties across the Atlantic, defence markets are fragmented by burdensome export controls and government reluctance to buy equipment from abroad.
NATO, new allies and reassurance

NATO, new allies and reassurance

Ronald Asmus, Stefan Czmur, Chris Donnelly, Aivis Ronis and Klaus Wittmann, Tomas Valasek
12 May 2010
NATO spends too little time thinking about potential conflicts close to home and developing the means to react. Some of its members – mostly in Central and Eastern Europe – worry that the alliance would not be able to come to their defence in a crisis.
Human rights cannot be a luxury in Afghanistan thumbnail

Human rights cannot be a luxury in Afghanistan

Joanna Buckley
07 May 2010
The Afghans with whom I worked in Bamyan province, Afghanistan, often asked me why foreigners were so concerned about the destruction of historical monuments yet seemingly so indifferent to the human suffering that occurred.
Should the Nabucco pipeline project be shelved?

Should the Nabucco pipeline project be shelved?

Katinka Barysch
05 May 2010
Nabucco - a pipeline to bring Caspian and perhaps Middle Eastern gas to Europe - is the flagship project of the EU's fledgling energy diplomacy. Nabucco would add to the EU's energy security, strengthen its neighbourhood policies and improve relations with Turkey.
Pakistan

The EU must deliver on its commitment to Pakistan

Clara Marina O'Donnell
01 April 2010
In April 2010 the EU will hold its second summit with Pakistan. The EU started holding these summits last year, as part of an effort to address security threats stemming from the country, especially the Islamist militants who use it as a safe haven to undermine the allied war effort...
Building a European external action service: A difficult birth? file thumbnail

Building a European external action service: A difficult birth?

Hugo Brady, Natividad Fernández Sola
05 March 2010
TGAE report
In foreign policy terms, the EU’s global partners often have to deal with the competing external relations bureaucracies of the European Commission, the EU’s Council Secretariat (itself acting separately for both the HR and the six-month EU Presidency) as well as the different diplomatic services of the member states.
Can and should the EU and Russia reset their relationship?

Can and should the EU and Russia reset their relationship?

Katinka Barysch
22 February 2010
Russia's oil-fuelled boom has ended and President Medvedev is calling for radical improvements to the economy. Some EU politicians are tempted to offer Russia a 'modernisation partnership' to re-launch the stalled EU-Russia relationship.
Britain explores sharing defence equipment with Europe

Britain explores sharing defence equipment with Europe

Clara Marina O'Donnell
15 February 2010
With its public finances under growing strain, Britain may soon be forced to look at saving defence costs by pooling its military assets with those of its allies. The decision will not be taken until after the next general election (which will probably be held in May 2010). In the meantime, however, the issues at stake have been set out in a report published by the ministry of defence on February 3rd.
Germany opens Pandora's box

Germany opens Pandora's box

Franklin Miller, George Robertson, Kori Schake
08 February 2010
In November 2009, the German government called for the removal of all US nuclear weapons from Germany. But Germany should not claim protection from NATO's nuclear umbrella without sharing the risks associated with hosting nuclear weapons.
Pipeline politics: Why Nabucco is stuck

Pipeline politics: Why Nabucco is stuck

Katinka Barysch
29 January 2010
Last year, plans for the Nabucco pipeline – almost a decade in the making – appeared finally to make some headway. In March, the EU earmarked €200 million for preparatory work.
Can Turkey combine EU accession and regional leadership?

Can Turkey combine EU accession and regional leadership?

Katinka Barysch
25 January 2010
The looming deadlock in Turkey's EU accession bid stands in contrast with its increasingly active role in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Some observers worry that Ankara is turning away from the West and is instead pursuing a 'neo-Ottoman' or 'Islamist' foreign policy.
Ukraine and the EU

Ukraine and the EU: A vicious circle?

Tomas Valasek
01 December 2009
There is no rule for how a government desiring to join the EU should make its case. But countries that managed to accede in recent years had done so by observing a few simple guidelines: cultivate friends among EU governments, be prepared to make painful sacrifices and, above all, show...
Last hooray for the EU on Iran?

Last hooray for the EU on Iran?

Tomas Valasek
25 November 2009
When the EU's first 'foreign minister', Cathy Ashton, starts work on December 1st, she will find Iran on top of her 'to do' pile. Earlier this week, Tehran turned down a proposal from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that would have seen a large part of the country's stock of uranium moved out of the country for further enrichment.
What Eastern Europe can learn from the crisis

What Eastern Europe can learn from the crisis

Katinka Barysch
11 November 2009
It is 20 years since the Berlin Wall crumbled and political and economic freedom started spreading through Eastern Europe. Today, however, the region is mired in deep recession.
NATO, Russia and European security

NATO, Russia and European security

Tomas Valasek
06 November 2009
Countries in Europe's east and north worry that Moscow is blundering into a confrontation with NATO. They have begun demanding that the alliance start preparing for a possible conflict. But are they right to be concerned?
Is Turkey Iran's friend?

Is Turkey Iran's friend?

Katinka Barysch
04 November 2009
Is Turkey really Iran’s “friend”, as Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed in a recent interview with the Guardian newspaper? Erdogan’s visit last week to Tehran suggests so.