Four Scenarios for the Iran Nuclear Deal
After a hiatus of over five months, negotiations to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),[1] commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, have finally resumed in Vienna. Struck in July 2015 by Iran and a group of six powers – France, Germany and the UK plus China, Russia and the US, as well […]
Multipolarity and EU Foreign and Security Policy: Divergent Approaches to Conflict and Crisis Response
Growing multipolar competition affects the ability of the EU and its member states to formulate and implement common action on crises and conflicts. The effort by the “international community” to ensure global security and peace is weakening due to a divergence in the approaches to crises and conflicts by the major powers, which are often […]
Collateral Damage: How EU Internal Policies Shape Crises and Conflict Abroad
Europe is increasingly affected by conflicts in its neighbourhood, but its ability to prevent and resolve them remains limited. This dilemma underlines the need for European foreign and security policy to make optimal use of tools, assets and resources available. The EU’s main framework to do so, the Integrated Approach to Conflicts and Crises, emphasises […]
Brief/European Reactions to AUKUS and Implications for EU Strategic Autonomy by Marta Marafona
In this Brief, Marta Marafona, MSc in European Studies and Research Assistant H2020 Project at Maastricht University, analyses the different reactions of EU Member States and institutions to the AUKUS deal and its implications on EU strategic autonomy.
European Reactions to AUKUS and Implications for EU Strategic Autonomy
On 15 September 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced AUKUS, a trilateral deal aimed at intensifying security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific area ostensibly to counterbalance Chinese influence. While AUKUS foresees cooperation in a number of policy areas, its core element is the provision of US-made nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. This has […]
Paper/Not Yet Fit for the World: Piecemeal Buildup of EU Military, Cyber and Intelligence Assets by Kristi Raik
This new JOINT Paper by Kristi Raik, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) analyses EU’s military, cyber and intelligence tools, to understand how they can enhance crisis and conflict management efforts.
Paper/Regional Fragmentation and EU Foreign and Security Policy by Agnès Levallois
In this JOINT Paper, Agnès Levallois, Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), explains how the EU can address regional fragmentation, highlighting how this is a significant challenge for the Union as it undermines central states’ authority and distributes it amongst other actors – including non-state armed groups.
Not Yet Fit for the World: Piecemeal Buildup of EU Military, Cyber and Intelligence Assets
In the past decades, the EU has developed an increasingly broad, multi-sectoral set of foreign and security policy instruments. All of these can be relevant in sustaining the EU’s crisis and conflict management efforts. While trying to create a more effective and integrated toolbox, the Union has faced a number of challenges. First, as the […]
Regional Fragmentation and EU Foreign and Security Policy
There is broad academic consensus on the fact that the fragmentation of regions presents a significant challenge for the EU. Fragmentation undermines the authority of central states, the EU’s most natural counterparts, and distributes it amongst a great number of actors – including non-state armed groups. To address fragmentation, the EU should increase coordination between […]
Afghanistan, AUKUS and European Strategic Autonomy
Security and defence are increasingly grabbing the spotlight in European public debates. In just a few weeks, the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan and the deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS) to share nuclear submarine technology and step up their security partnership in the Indo-Pacific have reinvigorated the debate […]
Identity and Transitional Justice in the Horn of Africa and Libya
Identity and conflict shape each other. This is evident in the historical trajectory of the Horn of Africa (HoA) – notably in the conflicts in the Gambella region, between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in Somalia and Tigray – as well as of Libya during and after the long autocratic rule of Muammar Gaddafi.[1] The nexus between […]