European foreign policies & institutions
All at sea? UK-German co-operation in the Nordic-Baltic region
26 September 2024
Whatever happens in Ukraine, Russia will remain a threat to EU and NATO interests in the Nordic-Baltic region. The UK and Germany should try to co-operate more closely there.
NATO at 75: Strong but brittle?
15 July 2024
NATO’s 75th anniversary summit sought to project unity and strength, but large challenges simmer under the surface.
Navigating the storm? The EU, the UK and Trump 2.0
10 July 2024
A second Trump presidency would lead to extensive transatlantic turbulence. The UK and its European partners would need to be pragmatic in finding new ways of working together.
China and the West: The gap is set to grow
05 June 2024
China’s relations with the US and the EU are likely to worsen, because of both its aid for Russia and its economic strategy.
The EU's defence ambitions are for the long term
13 March 2024
The Commission’s new proposals to strengthen Europe’s defence industry will be hamstrung by limited funding and member-states' doubts. But in the long term, the EU’s role in defence will probably grow.
Two years (and ten years) of war in Europe: Hard times for Ukraine
07 March 2024
After a difficult year for Ukraine, Putin may be encouraged to think he can win the war. But this is a fight neither Ukraine nor Europe can afford to lose.
Europe and the US election: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
22 January 2024
There is a good chance that Donald Trump will return to the US presidency in 2025. That would endanger European interests, but Europe is not investing in mitigating the risks.
Can European defence take off?
19 January 2024
The EU’s defence industrial policies will help determine whether Europeans can increase their ability to provide support to Ukraine, persuading Russia that its war is unwinnable.
A sea of troubles: Addressing the EU's incoherence on the Indo-Pacific
08 January 2024
A security crisis in the Indo-Pacific would severely affect European interests.
Note to the West: Help Georgia and Moldova as well as Ukraine
21 April 2023
Russian influence in Georgia and Moldova is a threat to Western interests. While Putin is tied up in Ukraine, the West should weaken his position in the other two states.
From partners to rivals? The future of EU-Turkey relations
23 June 2021
EU-Turkey tensions have cooled since last summer. Relations are unlikely to improve as long as Ankara's domestic and foreign policies continue to cause friction with many member-states.
Containing NATO's Mediterranean crisis
08 March 2021
NATO’s southern neighbourhood in the Middle East and North Africa has become a hotbed of instability, and Turkey’s unilateral actions have fuelled tensions that are undermining the alliance’s cohesion.
Bulletin issue 136 - February/March 2021
01 February 2021
- Transatlantic relations for the Biden era and beyond, Ian Bond
- Preparing for a CDU-Green coalition in Berlin, Sophia Besch, Christian Odendahl
- Foreign policy co-operation: Brexit's missing link, Luigi Scazzieri
Lukashenka fights for survival
13 August 2020
There was never any doubt who would ‘win’ Belarus’s presidential election. But the country is undergoing profound changes – which pose dilemmas for both Russia and the EU.
Trump's Iran policy leaves the EU few options
11 December 2018
Trump’s decision to re-impose sanctions has placed the Iran nuclear agreement on life support and further destabilised the region. Unwilling to seriously support the deal, Europeans will have to rely on diplomacy to limit the damage.
Defence spending in NATO: Stop convincing Trump, start convincing Europeans
10 July 2018
Trump’s desire to get Europeans to "pay up" will bring about conflict at the NATO Summit. It is important to get the facts right.
Trump's two summits: Can NATO navigate the dangers?
04 July 2018
Donald Trump attacked his allies at the G7 summit, then embraced North Korea’s Kim. Will summits with NATO and Vladimir Putin follow the same pattern?
Plugging in the British: Completing the circuit
22 June 2018
Post-Brexit internal and external security co-operation arrangements seem as hard for the EU and UK to agree on as trade. Other third countries’ relationships with the EU provide models.
Bulletin Issue 120 - June/July 2018
30 May 2018
- On Brexit, TTIP and the City of London, Sam Lowe
- Trump and Europe: Atlantic hurricane season?, Ian Bond
- Can EU-UK defence negotiations be positive-sum?, Sophia Besch
Trump and Europe: Atlantic hurricane season?
30 May 2018
Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal adds further stress to the transatlantic relationship. European responses must avoid making things worse, for both sides' sake.