Foreign policy & defence
The roadmap to better EU-NATO relations
20 December 2007
President Sarkozy has recently said that France may re-integrate into NATO's military command. This abrupt change in French policy opens doors to a much-needed improvement in EU-NATO relations.
Preparing for the multipolar world: European foreign and security policy in 2020
18 December 2007
The world is becoming increasingly multipolar. Will that mean democratic poles lining up against autocracies, in two competing camps? Or will all the leading powers support multilateral institutions?
Turkey's role in European energy security
12 December 2007
Turkey – located between big energy producers and the EU market – is crucial for Europe’s energy security. However, plans for the Nabucco pipeline as an alternative to Russian gas supplies are in trouble.
The EU must stand firm on Bosnia
03 December 2007
The EU’s inability to halt the Bosnian civil war of 1992-95 marked the nadir of its attempts to build an effective foreign policy. Eventually the Americans helped the Europeans stitch Bosnia back together, at the Dayton peace conference.
Europe’s defence and its new security strategy
03 December 2007
The European Union is starting work on a new security strategy. France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, wants it approved in the second half of 2008, during his country’s EU presidency.
Issue 57 - 2008
30 November 2007
- Politics, Sarkozy and the euro, Philip Whyte
- Europe’s defence and its new security strategy, Tomas Valasek
- The EU must stand firm on Bosnia, Charles Grant, Tomas Valasek
Bringing Syria into the Middle East peace process
23 November 2007
The nearer the Annapolis conference comes, the less it looks likely to deliver peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The weakness of the key actors and the current conditions on the ground in the Palestinian territories offer little reason for optimism.
The US elections and Europe: The coming crisis of high expectations
01 November 2007
The election of a new US president in 2008 offers an opportunity to repair US-European relations. But, as Kori Schake argues in this essay, both sides must guard against high expectations.
A grand bargain with Russia?
19 October 2007
Relations between the Russia and the West have not been so prickly since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Viewed from the US and the EU, Russia is being obstructive across a whole swathe of issues, such as its blockade of trade with Georgia, its refusal to accept independence for Kosovo, and its opposition to further UN sanctions on Iran.
What now, Ukraine?
05 October 2007
Ukrainians voters have spoken, sort of. On September 30th, they elected a new parliament. They made some heartening choices, backing forces of reform and sidelining smaller, less relevant parties.
What Europeans think about Turkey and why
25 September 2007
Surveys show that a majority of EU citizens are against Turkish membership. This matters since France, Austria and probably other countries too will hold a referendum on Turkish accession.
The EU should talk to Hamas
01 August 2007
In Britain, senior diplomats are mulling over whether to revise the government’s policy of not talking to Hamas. Until now Britain has staunchly defended the EU policy of opposing talks with Hamas. That policy, shared by the other members of the ‘quartet’ – the UN, the US and Russia...
Re-imagining EU development aid
01 August 2007
Imagine the Berlaymont late at night. A full moon hangs in the sky. High up in the building, an office lamp still shines. It illuminates four people. They are sprawled comfortably in armchairs for an intimate conversation. The four lead the EU on international affairs.
Issue 55 - 2007
27 July 2007
- The EU should talk to Hamas, Charles Grant, Clara Marina O'Donnell
- Re-imagining EU development aid, Simon Maxwell
- Reciprocity will not secure Europe’s energy , Katinka Barysch
Where next for Turkey?
24 July 2007
Some of Turkey’s critics say that it has no place in the EU because it is not a European country. Others criticise the quality of its democracy.
The EU should talk to Hamas
11 July 2007
The conspicuous role of Hamas in the recent release of Alan Johnston was not only good news for the BBC correspondent. Hamas showed that it cares about how it is perceived abroad, that it wants to be considered a credible actor, and that it hopes to end its international isolation.
EU business and Turkish accession
22 June 2007
Many EU politicians and their voters are unsure about the merits of Turkish accession. Europe’s entrepreneurs are not. They are showing confidence by investing billions into the fast-growing Turkish economy, partly because they expect that EU accession will continue to change the country for the better.
Serbia's European choice
19 June 2007
Serbia's accession prospects are looking up, following the formation of a new government in Belgrade and the resumption of SAA talks with the EU. However, disagreements over Kosovo could quickly derail the process again.
Turkey before the election
15 June 2007
I have recently come back from Turkey, where the mood is a mixture of relief, hope and anxiety: relief that the army has remained in the barracks; hope that the early election in July will result in a workable compromise between the AKP and the secularists; and anxiety that the crisis that started in April has done lasting damage to Turkish society and its political system.
Sarkozy, secularism and Turkey’s European future
01 June 2007
Can things get worse for Turkey? The presidential election is stalled; the army threatens to intervene; millions are protesting in the streets; EU negotiations remain partly suspended; terrorism in the South-East could prompt military forays into northern Iraq; and the new French president wants to see Turkey in a Mediterranean...