Foreign policy & defence
Belarus blue
15 March 2006
The Wall Street Journal
To a first-time visitor, the capital of Belarus seems normal. People look content, streets are clean and orderly, and cafés ring with lively and frank exchanges.
The great firewall of China will fall
26 January 2006
The Daily Telegraph
Google, the popular search engine that floated on the stock market last year, has not abandoned its corporate motto: "Don't be evil".
The real crisis for Europe
10 October 2005
Newsweek
So, is Turkey to start membership talks with the European Union? The reception could hardly be more hostile. As the public sees it, the EU is big enough already. Political leaders from France's Nicolas Sarkozy to Germany's Angela Merkel are opposed.
Slow train from Istanbul
27 September 2005
The Wall Street Journal
The talks on Turkey's accession to the EU are scheduled to start on Monday. But public support for Turkish EU entry continues to fall: less than one-third of voters in the "old" EU support Turkish membership, according to the EU pollster Eurobarometer.
Turkey offers EU more punch
01 September 2005
European Voice
Rather than undermine the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, Turkish membership of the Union could boost the bloc's power in trouble spots across the Middle East and Central Asia, argues Charles Grant.
Opponents of Turkish accession to the EU often claim that it would damage the cohesiveness of the EU's...
Opponents of Turkish accession to the EU often claim that it would damage the cohesiveness of the EU's...
A beacon of liberty flickers: Observations on Georgia
18 July 2005
New Statesman
President Bush proclaimed Georgia a "beacon for liberty" when he visited Tbilisi in May. Georgia has certainly made great progress since people power overthrew the corrupt and incompetent regime of Eduard Shevardnadze in 2003. Nevertheless, clouds are dimming the light of that beacon.
There is something amiss, for example, when none...
There is something amiss, for example, when none...
Variable geometry
01 July 2005
Prospect
The end of enlargement would be a tragedy. Perhaps it can be saved by "variable geometry".
The French and Dutch referendums have halted both deepening and widening in the EU. The two ideas have always been intimately linked. The political elites in core countries such as France were reluctant to accept...
The French and Dutch referendums have halted both deepening and widening in the EU. The two ideas have always been intimately linked. The political elites in core countries such as France were reluctant to accept...
Europe must keep its 'soft power'
01 June 2005
Financial Times
In the aftermath of the French rejection of the European Union constitution, on the eve of the Dutch referendum and amid political uncertainty in Germany, there is a growing risk that the EU will start to backtrack on its commitment to continued enlargement.
Yet, in recent years, Europe has prided itself...
Yet, in recent years, Europe has prided itself...
The lure of Beijing
25 May 2005
The Guardian
China's foreign policy establishment likes the idea of the EU. In Beijing, senior ministers turn up to speak at conferences with titles such as "The Future of EU-China Strategic relations".
Turquie-Europe : les dix règles d’or
13 December 2004
Les Echos
L’engagement des négociations en vue de l’adhésion de la Turquie sera un test majeur pour les ambitions européennes en matière de politique étrangère.
Space-age spending holds key to EU's destiny
28 October 2004
European Voice
If Europe wants to become a 21st century global power, it must reach for the stars. In other words, European governments should invest more in satellites and other space-based technologies to boost local high-tech industries, monitor the environment and help to manage military operations.
Space-based technology is becoming increasingly important in...
Space-based technology is becoming increasingly important in...
Why collaborate in Europe?
01 July 2004
RUSI
Defence analysts agree that Europe must increase its military prowess. Twenty-five EU governments collectively spend approximately £120bn on defence, which means that the EU is the world's second biggest defence spender after the US.
The US heads home: Will Europe regret it?
26 June 2004
Financial Times
The burning of Bush The US president was once known for his ability to unite factions but, with his foreign policy in tatters around him, he is dubbed the Great Polariser. What went wrong for George W. Bush and his advisers?
Europe's defence agency cleared for take-off
12 March 2004
E!Sharp
Even though 15 EU governments collectively spend €160 billion on defence, they are struggling to remedy the problem because they spend their money very poorly. The cost of new military technologies is soaring and European defence ministries need to extract more value out of each euro they spend.
Big three join forces on defence
05 March 2004
E!Sharp
While attention focused on the collapse of the talks on a new EU constitution at last December's summit, a crucial step was taken towards creating a common defence policy, writes Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.
Mighty Europe
05 February 2004
The Wall Street Journal
London, Paris and Berlin are working hard to put the past behind them. After a year that began with bitter rancor over Iraq and ended with the collapse of negotiations over the European constitution, the desire of pro-Europeans to face the future is understandable.
Beneath the rows and gesture politics, Europe's...
Beneath the rows and gesture politics, Europe's...
Iran between worlds
03 February 2004
Open democracy
How do Iranians see the world – its foreign policy establishment, its dissident intellectuals, and its ordinary people? Charles Grant, just returned from a week in Tehran, presents a vivid portrait of a political system under pressure.
The rest of the world has become used to viewing Iran as a stable...
The rest of the world has become used to viewing Iran as a stable...