• Insight by Charles Grant, 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.

  • Bulletin article by Kori Schake , 01 October 2007

    Answer this: which US president bombed Iraq, attacked Afghanistan, and started a war without UN Security Council approval? Here is a hint: the same president, explaining why he launched the strike on Iraq, said: “Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbours or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons”. It must be George W Bush, right?

  • Insight by Tomas Valasek, 29 August 2007

    In his first 100 days in the office, Nicolas Sarkozy turned France’s domestic political scene on its head. He trounced and marginalised the far-right National Front in the May presidential elections.

  • Insight by Tomas Valasek, 02 August 2007

    Gordon Brown scarcely mentioned Europe during his visit to the United States, certainly much less than Tony Blair used to. That is understandable.

  • Insight by Charles Grant, Clara Marina O'Donnell, 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.

  • Bulletin article by Tomas Valasek, 01 June 2007

    Washington’s holiday from strategic debates is over. In the years immediately after September 11th, feelings of solidarity with a president at war prevented serious discussions on the merits of US foreign policy.

  • Insight by Charles Grant, 16 April 2007

    Taiwanese domestic politics is nasty and messy. The two main political forces – the KMT, which believes in ‘one China’, and the DPP, which leans towards an independent Taiwan – hate each other with venom that is unmatched in most other functioning democracies.

  • Insight by Tomas Valasek, 14 March 2007

    For those spoiling for another good transatlantic fight, the headlines from last week’s EU summit must have come as manna from heaven.