Sanctions can be one of the EU’s most effective instruments of soft power. Yet EU governments are unwilling to make full use of this resource and put values before interests.
When European foreign ministers meet on July 22 they might finally understand what the downing of MH17 means for their policy toward Russia.
European leaders should pull together and impose tougher sanctions on Russia. That would give important reforms in Ukraine a greater chance of succeeding.
For the first time in months, diplomatic links have been established between Ukraine and Russia. Do the two sides have the perseverance to continue this dialogue?
The Ukraine crisis has shown the weakness of the EU’s soft power in countering Russian propaganda. Europeans must understand the value of providing independent information.
Europe risks becoming an in-between territory, with the United States and Asia pulling it in opposite directions. Europeans must understand how dangerous that would be.
It is not only the Ukraine crisis that worries German companies doing business in Russia. It is also Moscow’s unwillingness to modernize the Russian economy.
Despite Moscow’s ongoing interference in eastern Ukraine, Western European countries continue to welcome lucrative energy deals with Russia. Interests still trump values.
Every week, a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
NATO is emerging from the Ukraine crisis without a new sense of purpose or direction. Yet the rest of the world is investing huge hopes in the Western military alliance.
Every week, a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
Believing the Ukraine crisis will simply fade away is a recipe for disaster. The EU and NATO need to take much stronger action to stop Russia’s meddling in Eastern Europe.
EU-Belarus relations have been frozen for years. A debate is now taking shape on whether the new geostrategic context across Europe’s East might unblock this atrophy.
As G7 leaders meet in Brussels, Europe is weak and divided, and the transatlantic relationship is in dire need of repair. Yet neither side seems capable of mending broken ties.
Every week, a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
Obama’s forthcoming visit to Poland is a reminder that Washington stands with its Eastern European allies. That is a stark contrast to the position of Western European capitals.
If Ukraine’s president-elect wants to end his country’s violence, he must concentrate his efforts on diplomatic talks that started in a halfhearted manner before the election.
As Germany’s global influence grows, there are calls for the country to accept more responsibility for international stability. Those demands will be disappointed.
The challenges facing Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president-elect, are daunting—not least because he does not rule over his entire country.
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