The article conceptualises the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as a big man to explain his proven capability for navigating the […]
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Category: EU External Relations & Global Politics
“European Strategic Autonomy and the US–China Rivalry: Can the EU Prefer not to Choose?”, Sylvie Bermann (IAI, Italy)
The US–China rivalry is not just a battle between democracies and autocracies, in such a complex context the EU should […]
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“The EU-Ukraine Security Partnership: Status and Prospects”, Oleksiy Melnyk, Mykhailo Pashov, Leonid Polyakov and Mykola Sunhurovskyi (Razumkov Centre, Ukraine)
The goals of this study include independent expert assessment of the situation in the field of Ukraine-EU security partnership in […]
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“Rethinking South Sudan’s Path to Democracy”, Andrew E. Yaw Tchie (NUPI, Norway)
South Sudan’s peace process is still largely up for negotiation. A new South Sudan must emerge through a civilian technocratic […]
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“It’s security stupid! Politicisation of the EU’s relations with its neighbours”, Magdalena Góra (IES, Poland)
The European Union’s security depends on how stable and peaceful its neighbours are, and yet the security situation around it […]
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“Right-wing Populism in Associated Countries: A Challenge for Democracy”, Tamta Gelashvili, Denis Cenusa and Anna Medvedeva (NUPI, Norway)
This policy paper provides a structured comparative analysis of the nationalist populist actors, discourses and strategies in three Associated[1] Eastern […]
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“Media Narratives on Russia in the Context of Post-Maidan Ukraine”, Vineta Kleinberga and Elizabete Vizgunova (LIIA, Latvia)
Associate researchers of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs: Vineta Kleinberga and Elizabete Vizgunova recently published their article: “Media Narratives […]
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“Taliban dilemmas”, Juan Garrigues (CIDOB, Barcelona)
The Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in recent weeks is partly the result of a strategy based on conceding significant […]
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“The Belt and Road Initiative and the Internationalisation of China’s Scientific Power: The Case of Italy”, Lorenzo Mariani (IAI, Italy)
What are the elements and the impact of the inclusion of scientific cooperation within the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) […]
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“The COVID-19 Crisis and the Mediterranean Basin: Overcoming Disparities, Promoting Genuine Cooperation”, Anis Germani and Rania Masri (IAI, Italy)
The race to battle COVID-19 and secure personal protective equipment, ventilators and vaccines, aggravated by both nationalist monopolistic policies and […]
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“Turkey’s relations with the US and the EU at the beginning of the Biden presidency: Prospects for change?”, Toni Alaranta (FIIA, Finland)
US-Turkey ties are strained because of conflicting interests in Syria and on a more fundamental level due to Turkey’s different […]
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“Security Communities in Crisis: Crisis Constitution, Struggles and Temporality”, Øyvind Svendsen (NUPI, Norway)
How do we approach a security community in crisis? This article theorises crisis dynamics in and on security communities. How […]
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“New World Order: Germany’s Dangerous Idealism vis-à-vis Russia”, Kristi Raik (EFPI, Estonia)
The German journal Internationale Politik, Germany’s magazine for global thinking, published an article “New World Order: Germany’s Dangerous Idealism vis-à-vis […]
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“How to Think About the China-Russia Partnership”, James Sherr and Frank Jüris (EFPI, Estonia)
Since the conclusion of the Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation in 2001, the balance of power between China and […]
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“Counter-terrorism as a Public Policy: Theoretical Insights and Broader Reflections on the State of Counter-Terrorism Research”, Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
In spite of the growing amount of literature published on terrorism over the past 20 years, counter-terrorism is rarely considered […]
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“The Strategic Compass: Entering the Fray”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The Strategic Compass for the EU’s security and defence policy, to be adopted in 2022, must generate immediate action. The […]
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“China in the Western Balkans: geopolitics with Chinese characteristics?”, Tamás Peragovics and Ágnes Szunomár (IWE CERS, Hungary)
China’s role as a global investor and financier has grown rapidly in recent decades, including in Europe. From German robot […]
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“US–China Rivalry and European Strategic Autonomy in the post-Covid Global Economy”, Paolo Guerrieri (IAI, Italy)
The world economy has changed profoundly over recent years. The US–China conflict dominates today’s international stage. Given these shifts in […]
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“Russia’s corona diplomacy and geoeconomic competition: A Sputnik moment?”, Sinikukka Saari (FIIA, Finland)
The Russian science, technology and innovation (STI) system is geared towards global geoeconomic competitiveness and is based on three S’s: […]
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“Russia’s Neighborhood Policy and Its Eurasian Client States: No Autocracy Export”, Helge Blakkisrud and Pål Kolstø (NUPI, Norway)
Do authoritarian regimes engage in active export of their political systems? Or are they primarily concerned about their geopolitical interests? […]
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“European Union in Central Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic: crisis response and future recovery”, Ana-Maria Anghelescu (EIR, Romania)
The policy brief examines the European Union’s assistance to Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) in the […]
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“Spain and the Maghreb: neighbourhood, nearshoring and the post-pandemic”, Eduard Soler i Lecha (CIDOB, Barcelona)
Can geographical proximity, so often an irritant, begin to generate mutual opportunities? This is the possibility that has opened up […]
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“Understanding Ad-Hoc Security Intitiatives in Africa”, Cedric de Coning, Andrew E. Yaw Tchie, Natasja Rupesinghe and Anab Ovidie Grand (NUPI, Norway)
The policy brief examines the rise of ad-hoc security initiatives (ASIs) as an established type of collective security mechanism. ASIs […]
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“Nordic-Baltic Connectivity with Asia via the Arctic: Assessing Opportunities and Risks”, Bart Gaens, Frank Jüris and Kristi Raik (EFPI, Estonia)
The Arctic is occupying an increasingly important position in connectivity between Asia and the Nordic-Baltic countries. This is not least […]
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“Iran-India Relations Before and After the U.S. Withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal and the Consequent Sanctions”, Erzsébet N. Rózsa (IWE CERS, Hungary)
Iran-India relations ancient as they may be, their focus and scope are much more defined by contemporary interests, strategic perceptions, […]
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“EU arms export policy: achievements and current challenges”, Kyriakos Revelas (CIFE)
The EU regime for conventional arms exports, with its common criteria and commitments binding on Member States, aims at a […]
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“How to reverse in a one-way street”, Marc Franco (Egmont, Belgium)
There is not much joy in EU-Russia relations or in relations between Russia and the West in general. Judging by […]
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“Russian Strategic Communication Towards Europe: Goals, Means and Measures”, Jakub Godzimirski (NUPI, Norway)
This chapter examines the relationship between Russian strategic objectives and the use of communication measures in Russian policy towards Europe […]
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“The evolution of the policy response to jihadi returnees in Europe (2012-2020)”, Thomas Renard (Egmont, Belgium)
The mobilisation of European volunteers for the jihad in Syria and Iraq was unprecedented. Fighters returning to Europe present a […]
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“The Politics of Competence in Global Health: The European Commission’s Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Øyvind Svendsen (NUPI, Norway)
What was the European Commission’s (EC) global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how did it use the crisis to […]
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“What Destination Awaits the Development of Botswana: The Sharp Edges of Diamond Dependency: Some Political Economy Considerations”, Dániel Muth (IWE CERS, Hungary)
Botswana has long been lauded for developing uniquely strong political institutions and using its diamond revenues productively to enhancing the […]
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“The Sahel’s jihadists don’t all govern alike: context matters”, Natasja Rupesinghe and Mikael Hiberg Naghizadeh (NUPI, Norway)
The way jihadist insurgents in the Sahel governs differs between but also within groups. Jihadists do not follow strict ideological […]
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“20 years on from 9/11: War impossible, peace improbable”, Moussa Bourekba, Ana Ballesteros, Pol Bargués, Carme Colomina and Eduard Soler i Lecha (CIDOB, Barcelona)
First Afghanistan, then Iraq. Two decades on from the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 (9/11), the president of the […]
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“Borderlands: Europe and the Mediterranean Middle East”, Raffaella A. Del Sart (RSCAS-EUI, Italy)
Borderlands in Europe and the Mediterranean Middle East proposes a profound rethink of the complex relationship between Europe-defined here as […]
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“Georgia’s Europeanization challenged from within: Domestic foreign policy discourses and increasing polarization”, Salome Minesashvili (NUPI, Norway)
Georgia`s foreign policy, especially the implementation of international agreements, is best understood in the context of domestic contestation among alternative […]
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“The root cause of ‘Western’ failure in Afghanistan”, Seán Golden (CIDOB, Barcelona)
A better understanding of tribal cultures and strategic theories based on them might have prevented errors in Afghanistan and better […]
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“Principled Pragmatism Reset: For a Recalibration of the EU’s Diplomatic Engagement with the MENA Region”, Silvia Colombo (IAI, Italy)
The launch of the EU Global Strategy in 2016 raised many expectations concerning the EU’s willingness and ability to reconcile […]
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“Afghan refugees: Europe should develop an ambitious and collaborative structure”, Bernard Siman (Egmont, Belgium)
The TV news and press coverage of the mayhem in Kabul and around its airport mask the greater scrum by […]
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“Elections in Russia: a measure for nothing or relevant after all?”, Marc Franco (Egmont, Belgium)
Russians go to the ballot box on 17 to 19 September. Most commentators consider the election as a non- event […]
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“EU strategy: Resolutely moderate”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
As competition and rivalry between the great powers increase, the overriding challenge for international politics in the first half of […]
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“Afghanistan: The End of a Strategic Distraction”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
The military intervention in Afghanistan was a near complete success. Or it would have been, had the US pulled out […]
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“Global Governance at a Turning Point”, Ettore Greco, Nicola Bilotta, Fabrizio Botti (eds.) (IAI, Italy)
This book collects contributions from international leading experts on how the Italian Presidency of the G20 in 2021 could advance […]
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“The EU–UK Partnership and Implications for Differentiation Within the EU and Between the EU and Third Countries”, Jannike Wachowiak and Fabian Zuleeg (IAI, Italy)
The UK’s departure from the EU represents a unique process of disintegration that fundamentally changes EU–UK relations. This paper discusses […]
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“Stability, Sustainability and Success in the Sahel: The Next Steps for the Czech Engagement”, Ondřej Horký-Hlucháň, Jan Daniel and Ondřej Ditrych (IIR, Czech Republic)
As a follow-up up to the military involvement of the Czech Republic in the region since 2013 and the consequent […]
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“Why North Africa is slowly decoupling from Europe”, Francis Ghilès (CIDOB, Barcelona)
Akin to a very slow moving of tectonic plates that never produces something as dramatic as a volcanic eruption or […]
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“Threats and Challenges in the Post-Qaddafi Libya”, Erzsébet N. Rózsa (IWE CERS, Hungary)
In the past decade, the post-Qaddafi Libya—its transition, the struggle for accessing its natural resources, and the fight against terrorism—has […]
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“Understanding public relations to cybersecurity incidents”, Alberto Gomez (Elcano, Spain)
Against the widespread belief that public opinion is likely to panic in response to severe cybersecurity incidents, the relevant scholarship […]
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“Biden and Europe, values and interests”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Before his trip to Europe, President Biden spoke of its purpose as “rallying the democracies”. But international politics is not […]
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“Building up Cybersecurity Policies in the Visegrad Region: Which Cooperation?”, Federica Cristani (IIR, Czech Republic)
The Visegrad region has been the target of cyberattacks, both in the public and private sectors, in the last years. […]
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“Grand Strategy in 10 words: A Guide to Great Power Politics in the 21st Century”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
In a world that has returned to great power rivalry, understanding the grand strategy of these powers is crucial. This […]
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“World politics in 2021: Infected by rivalry”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
If China is rising, it must be seeking world domination. If Russia is declining, it must be plotting revenge. The […]
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“Soft power put to the test”, Raquel Jorge-Ricart (Elcano, Spain)
Just a few weeks ago, China’s president, Xi Jinping, called for a more “loveable” image for China during the Chinese […]
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“Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Africa–EU Partnership on Migration and Mobility: A Developmental Perspective from West Africa”, Aderanti Adepoju (IAI, Italy)
The far-ranging effects of COVID-19, and subsequent impacts on migration drivers, trends and governance, have already produced significant implications for […]
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“Analysing the EU Global Strategy on foreign and security policy”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
In his contribution to the 4th edition of the CSDP Handbook, Sven Biscop, of the Egmont Institute, analyses the genesis […]
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“Does China pose a challenge to our liberal democracies?”, Andrés Ortega (Elcano, Spain)
The US is embarking upon a strategy of definition against China, based on a broad domestic consensus predating Biden, but […]
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“Biden’s Visit: Five Must-Dos in Brussels”, Sven Biscop (Egmont, Belgium)
Trump’s approach to international organisations reminded one of Groucho Marx: “I refuse to join any club that would have me […]
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“Seizing the Moment: European Strategic Autonomy and the Biden Presidency”, Riccardo Alcaro and Nathalie Tocci (IAI, Italy)
The European Union was increasingly ill at ease in the world in which Covid-19 unleashed social and economic devastation in […]
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“The UK’s Integrated Review and the future of cyber”, Danny Steed (Elcano, Spain)
The long-awaited Integrated Review was released in March by the British government, promising the most radical shakeup in the UK’s […]
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“How Should Europe Address Iran’s Missile Proliferation Activities”, Azriel Bermant (IIR, Czech Republic)
One of the criticisms that has been levelled at the Iran nuclear agreement officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan […]
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“Pivoting Stabilisation in the Sahel: competing visions and implementation checkpoints”, Delina Goxho (Egmont, Belgium)
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has recently announced greater transparency from (and better conditionality with) Sahelian leaders following a […]
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“A moment to reflect: Creating Euro-Mediterranean bonds that deliver”, Haizam Amirah-Fernández and Eduard Soler I Lecha (CIDOB, Barcelona)
In times of the pandemic, humankind faces a global crisis. The Euro-Mediterranean area is no exception to this. Looking back […]
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“Iran’s presidential election 2021: what to expect from Ebrahim Raisi’s first term”, Luciano Zaccara (Elcano, Spain)
This analysis explores the implications of Ebrahim Raisi’s victory in the 2021 Iranian presidential election. First it analyses the process […]
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“Six Principles to Guide EU Action in the Western Balkans”, Majda Ruge (IAI, Italy)
Amid uncertainty about future EU enlargement prospects and the US’s continued shift towards the Indo-Pacific, one of the few axioms […]
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“A new start for EU-US relations?”, Jim Cloos (Egmont, Belgium)
The election of President Biden was greeted by sighs of relief across Europe and offered the promise of a renewed […]
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“Measuring Legislative Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Introducing the ParlAct and ParlTech Indexes”, Ittai Bar-Siman-Tov, Olivier Rozenberg et al (Sciences Po CEE, France)
This research note introduces two novel indexes designed to measure legislative activity (ParlAct) and use of digital devices to maintain […]
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“Mistakes, misunderstandings and miscalculation: Reducing the risk of NATO/Russia military incidents and escalation”, ELN-LIIA round table report (LIIA, Latvia)
Ahead of the NATO and Biden-Putin Summits, the European Leadership Network (ELN) and Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) convened […]
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“Special section: Small States and the Corona Crisis”, Anna-Lena Högenauer, Külli Sarapuu and Nicos Trimikliniotis (CERE)
The aim of the section is to explore the small state governance of COVID-19. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been […]
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“Comprehensive Security and New Challenges: Strengthening the OSCE”, Monika Wohlfeld and Fred Tanner (IAI, Italy)
The Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe’s comprehensive security approach, developed in the 1970s, continues to guide its work on […]
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“Natural gas price control: Theoretical issues and world case studies”, Sergio Ascari (RSCAS-EUI, Italy)
The book focuses on existing price controls that still prevail worldwide in end user markets. It provides an overview of […]
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“Conclusions on contestation of EU foreign policy: diverse causes, various modes and multiple effects?”, Elodie Thevenin, Lina Liedlbauer and Franziska Petri (IES, Poland)
This conclusion brings together insights from the seven contributions to the Special Issue “Contestation of EU Foreign Policy” focusing on […]
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“Social ties and Jihadist terrorism: what turns violent radicalisation into terrorist involvement?”, Álvaro Vicente (Elcano, Spain)
An analysis of the social ties that link a group of young people, radicalised into Jihadism in Spain, to various […]
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“Israel’s Trilemma”, Haizam Amirah-Fernández (Elcano, Spain)
A trilemma occurs when three elements cannot exist at the same time. Israel has been living in one of those […]
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“Contestation of European Union foreign policy: causes, modes and effects”, Franziska Petri, Elodie Thevenin and Lina Liedlbauer (IES, Poland)
This Special Issue presents an overview of how and why European Union (EU) foreign policy is contested. Particular attention is […]
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“The Visegrád Countries and Brazil”, edited by Sándor Gyula Nagy (IWE CERS, Hungary)
The book aims to strengthen economic, cultural, scientific and human connections between Brazil and the Visegrád countries, and to contribute […]
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“Navigating a COVID World: The European Union’s Internal Rebirth and External Quest”, Riccardo Alcaro and Nathalie Tocci (IAI, Italy)
The world on which COVID-19 has unleashed its destructive force is one where the partly supranational and multilateral-minded EU is […]
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“Crisis between Morocco and Spain: the risks of Trump’s gift”, Haizam Amirah-Fernández (Elcano, Spain)
Morocco had been showing for weeks signs of discomfort and anger with Spain for the reception in a hospital in […]
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“COVID-19 and lower skilled migrant workers: which lessons for Europe?”, Flo Van den Broek (CIFE)
This paper explores how the COVID-19 crisis exposes the EU’s sectorial approach to labour migration and why it is so […]
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“Forging Political Identities and Becoming Citizens: The Political Preferences and Engagement of South American Immigrants in the United States and Spain”, Narayani Lasala-Blanco et al (Sciences Po CEE, France)
Research in the United States has emphasized the importance of anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic hostility to galvanize shared identities and a […]
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“The EU Must Change Vocabulary on Israel-Palestine”, Michelle Pace (IAI, Italy)
Europe has long been involved in Israel-Palestine. Since the creation of Israel in 1948 and the parallel beginnings of the […]
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“EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement”, Francesca Hartmman (Elcano, Spain)
On the 28th of June 2019, after two decades of negotiation, a historic trade agreement was struck between the European Union (EU) and the […]
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“Re-globalisation with hiccups”, Andrés Ortega (Elcano, Spain)
It was once thought that globalisation would integrate everything into complex and varied supply chains, thereby avoiding the need to […]
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“Abraham Accords for peace and prosperity: form the start to the future”, Amin Forghani (CERE)
A series of unprecedented peace agreements across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region brokered by the United States […]
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“Political Socialisation: Out of Purgatory?”, Florence Haegel (Sciences Po CEE, France)
This paper aims to put contemporary political socialisation research in perspective. It offers a rapid overview of the crisis of […]
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“Europe’s Naval Engagement in the South China Sea”, Giulio Pugliese (IAI, Italy)
The EU’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific calls for a “meaningful European naval presence in the region”. What does […]
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“What’s in a tweet? Twitter’s impact 2021 on public opinion and EU foreign affairs”, Lewin Schmitt (CIDOB, Barcelona)
This paper uses text mining and sentiment analysis of Twitter posts to explore the EU’s diplomatic communication practices and to […]
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“New global public goods and evils”, Andrés Ortega (Elcano, Spain)
Although its origins go back earlier, the idea of global public, or communal, goods has sparked new interest and relevance with […]
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“Strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity of societies at risk from hybrid threats”, Cedric de Coning (NUPI, Norway)
How would the civilian population of a specific country respond to significant disruptions caused by hybrid threats? This paper explores […]
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“Europe in a Complex and Contested World: Perspectives from the US, China, Russia and Iran”, Giulio Pugliese (IAI, Italy)
The conference elucidated Europe’s role and positioning at a time of multipolar competition – one of JOINT’s major research assumptions […]
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“A European Strategy in Libya: an Uneasy Bargain”, Francis Ghilès (CIDOB, Barcelona)
The capacity of the European Union to shape events constructively in southern rim Mediterranean countries has been questioned since its […]
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“A Spanish perspective on the Biden Presidency and the future of transatlantic relations”, Carlota García Encina and Luis Simón (Elcano, Spain)
This analysis examines the transatlantic relationship and the potential for a strategic synergy in its three dimensions for Spain –bilateral, […]
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“COVID-19 effects on peace and conflict dynamics: The need for prevention prevails”, Katariina Mustasilta (FIIA, Finland)
Armed conflicts around the world have continued largely unabated, irrespective of the global pandemic. Despite influencing conflict-affected contexts, the pandemic […]
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“Emerging Disruptive Technologies: The Achilles’ Heel for EU Strategic Autonomy?”, Ester Sabatino and Alessandro Marrone (IAI, Italy)
Emerging disruptive technologies (EDT) – ranging from artificial intelligence (AI), big data, autonomous systems, hypersonic weapons and robotics to name […]
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“The EU and the Eastern Mediterranean: how to deal with Turkey”, Eduard Soler i Lecha (CIDOB, Barcelona)
Can a NATO ally and candidate for accession also be an adversary? EU leaders and institutions have always seen Ankara […]
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“The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees”, Sergio Carrera and Andrew Geddes (RSCAS-EUI, Italy)
This book examines the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum from different multidisciplinary perspectives and world regions. The various Chapter […]
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“The OSCE as Sisyphus: Mediation, Peace Operations, Human Rights”, Philip Remler (IAI, Italy)
Over the past decade, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been returning to its origins as a Cold […]
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“The Rise of Local Politics: A Global Review. Annual Review of Political Science”, Patrick Le Galès (Sciences Po CEE, France)
Not all politics is local. Not even local politics is necessarily local. The reemergence of local politics is not comparable […]
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“Dual citizenship and naturalisation : global, comparative and Austrian perspectives”, Rainer Bauböck and Max Haller (RSCAS-EUI, Italy)
This volume examines changes in state attitudes to dual citizenship and their social impact, zooming in from analyses of global […]
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“The Post-Crisis Developmental State: perspectives from the global periphery”, Gerőcs, Tamás, Ricz, Judit (IWE CERS, Hungary)
The focus of this volume is on the role of the developmental state in a situation in which a series […]
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“Economy and culture: two tracks for China’s soft power in Italy”, Lorenzo Mariani and Francesca Ghiretti (IAI, Italy)
is chapter seeks to illustrate the modalities through which Chinese soft power has been developing in Italy. It demonstrates how […]
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“Italy and Africa: “Value Oriented Diplomacy” in Action”, Fabrizio Lobasso (IAI, Italy)
The “Partnership with Africa” outlines present and future scenarios for the African continent and the role Italy can play in […]
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