Europe will have to juggle environmental concerns, access to resources, and the Arctic’s growing geostrategic role. This will require cooperation with all the major players, including China, if the region is to remain stable and peaceful.
The Europeans need to ditch their passive attitude toward trying to restart talks between the United States and Iran. Time is of the essence: Tehran may be just four months away from amassing enough fissile material for an atomic bomb.
A new survey shows that Belarusian society has become much more politicized since the beginning of protests in August 2020. Western actors must seize on this opportunity to engage with ordinary Belarusians.
Josep Borrell’s trip to Moscow confirmed the miserable state of European foreign policy, which lacks strategy and direction. Starting with Germany, member states need to think beyond their own national interests.
The EU has approved a new global human rights sanctions regime. But will national interests continue to prevent the union from effectively protecting people in places like Belarus, China, and Russia?
Smaller EU countries are punching above their weight in defending values and supporting pro-democracy forces in the EU’s neighborhood. They are preparing for the day after in Minsk and Moscow.
The poisoning of Alexei Navalny and his detention in Moscow should spur the EU into finally adopting a tough and united strategy toward the Russia of President Vladimir Putin.
When Joe Biden takes office as U.S. president, the EU will have four years to fireproof and rebuild relations with America. The EU must make an energetic investment in saving its most important relationship.
The EU’s new investment deal with China robs the bloc of leverage, contradicts its policy of working closely with the United States on Beijing, and makes a mockery of Europe’s commitment to values.
International politics saw a surge in new words and a return of old expressions. Going through some of them gives us a flavor of the year of 2020, which few of us will look back to with nostalgia.*
The rollout of coronavirus vaccines across Europe is imminent. But the EU should seize the opportunity to also share the vaccines with Africa, which would boost mutual trust and the EU’s soft power.
Incoming U.S. president Joe Biden offers a chance to renew transatlantic ties and forge a common EU-U.S. policy toward China. But for that to happen, the Europeans must agree on how to deal with Beijing.
Come January 2021, the United States and Germany will have to move quickly to resolve big differences, notably over China and Russia. At stake is the strength of transatlantic ties between America and Europe.
Four months after the start of mass protests in Belarus, a new survey shows that Belarusians are optimistic they will achieve regime change. The EU must make sure it’s ready for the transition when it comes.
Georgia has missed the chance to achieve a coalition government and end the tradition of one-party rule. After its 2020 parliamentary election, the country seems doomed to another four years of oligarchic rule.
Russia’s peace deal for Armenia and Azerbaijan has halted the war over Nagorny Karabakh and exposed the Western countries as bystanders. The Europeans must now try to help shape a lasting peace on the ground.
Europe’s leaders cannot expect a free ride from the incoming Biden presidency. It’s time to prepare the ground on security, defense, and strategy if the changing transatlantic relationship is to remain relevant.
Joe Biden will be America’s next president, but relieved European leaders are deluded if they expect a return to the past for the transatlantic relationship.
Europe is sorely in need of a strategic culture, regardless of who wins the 2020 U.S. election. With all the instability in the EU’s Eastern and Southern neighborhoods, this is more necessary than ever.
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