US, Europe & NATONATO & AfghanistanPalestine & UN bid
  • All alone? What US retrenchment means for Europe and NATO
    Report by François Heisbourg, Wolfgang Ischinger, George Robertson, Kori Schake, Tomas Valasek, 01 March 2012
    Army soldier
  • Why France is leaving Afghanistan
    Insight by Edward Burke, 02 February 2012
    Why France is leaving Afghanistan
  • The US and the EU should support the Palestinian bid for UN membership
    Insight by Clara Marina O'Donnell, 25 August 2011
    The US and the EU should support the Palestinian bid for UN membership
  • The EU should do more to support UN peacekeeping in Africa
    Bulletin article by Richard Gowan, 01 June 2009

    The EU likes to highlight its commitment to tackling failed states, addressing humanitarian disasters and bringing order to unstable regions.

  • Making a success of the EAS
    Insight by Charles Grant, 21 May 2009

    If the Irish people vote yes to the Lisbon treaty at the second attempt, and the Czechs, Germans and Poles also ratify, the EU will set up an ‘external action service’ or EAS. This new institution promises to make the Union’s common foreign and security policy more effective.
  • What the economic crisis means for the EU's eastern policy
    Policy brief by Tomas Valasek, 01 April 2009

    The EU's new 'eastern partnership' risks being undermined by the economic crisis. The initiative offers countries like Armenia and Ukraine fresh incentives, such as free-trade agreements and easier visa regimes, to adopt European norms of democracy and open markets.

  • Obama, disarmament and Iran
    Bulletin article by Tomas Valasek, 02 February 2009

    Barack Obama has pledged to take steps to rid the world of nuclear weapons. “I will not authorise the development of new nuclear weapons. And I will make the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide a central element of US nuclear policy”, he wrote in December 2008.
  • Gaza, Europe and empty gestures
    Insight by Clara Marina O'Donnell, 08 January 2009

    'We're fed up with empty gestures', the Israeli prime minister told a high level delegation from the EU. Several foreign ministers and EU officials had come to the Middle East to try to help end the war raging in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which has killed over 700 Palestinians and 10 Israelis in the twelve days since it started.
  • The EU takes on defence procurement
    Insight by Clara Marina O'Donnell, 28 November 2008

    The EU is in the middle of a little noticed – but potentially important – debate about defence markets. For the first time, the European Commission could be authorised to help reduce barriers amongst the EU’s segmented national defence markets.
  • Willing and able? EU defence in 2020
    Essay by Daniel Keohane, Tomas Valasek, 02 June 2008

    Demand for military forces is growing. And the Europeans increasingly turn to the EU when in need of troops for peacekeeping or for delivering humanitarian aid. But will the EU be able to keep up with the demand?

  • Sarkozy's bold European defence initiative
    Opinion piece by Charles Grant
    Financial Times, 24 March 2008

    Gordon Brown will welcome Nicolas Sarkozy to London on March 27. Almost 10 years ago, their predecessors as British prime minister and French president, Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac, launched the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) at St Malo. At this week's Franco-British summit, defence co-operation will once again be on the agenda.