The European Council on Foreign Relations

Egypt’s popular putsch

2012-01-26T14:50:11+00:00

It is too early to write off Egypt's revolution. Unlike in the past, politics is now a live issue across the country, and that popular force is a difficult one to control or stop, and even the steps that have been taken now seemed impossible just over a year ago.

Iran: the year of living dangerously

2012-01-25T08:48:07+00:00

The European decision to tighten sanctions against Iran is correct. Careful, balanced and measured pressure on Tehran is necessary as we face a particularly dangerous year for relations with the Iranian regime.

Assad’s continued defiance in the face of growing isolation

2012-01-13T12:02:36+00:00

Are the days of the Syrian president numbered? Despite popular opposition and growing international isolation, Assad's eventual demise is by no means assured.

The year of the HUBRICS

2012-01-12T09:07:09+00:00

With Europe and much of the West facing a seemingly painful decline, attention continues to shift to the BRICS and the world's other rising powers. But are these countries overplaying their hands as the cracks begin to show in their economic virility?

Don’t write off the Arab League in Syria ... yet

2012-01-10T11:35:10+00:00

On Sunday, the Arab League agreed to continue its controversial observer mission in Syria. In this piece, originally published by Foreign Policy two days before the League meeting, Richard Gowan makes the case for keeping the mission going.

Ten trends for 2012

2011-12-21T09:56:20+00:00

After a frenetic 2011, what are the big trends that are going to shape Europe and the wider world in 2012? Here are ten that ECFR experts think are likely - and one widely predicted trend that we don't think will happen...

The EU and Algeria: reasons for hope

2011-12-14T10:24:07+00:00

Algeria did not catch fire in the year of the Arab Spring, but this does not mean that it does not deserve the attention of the EU. Algeria needs to reform if it is to remain stable, and it needs European help to do so.

How not to intervene in Syria

2011-12-02T13:59:33+00:00

The hunt is on for ways to offer security and aid to Syrian civilians, but the risk of any military-humanitarian mission backfiring is high. The lessons of Darfur are that any peacekeepers would be targeted, especially as the unrest turns into full-scale war.

China’s desert-dance in Libya

2011-10-31T16:45:21+00:00

As its international profile and interests grow, China's foreign policies - now those of a great power - are coming under increasing scrutiny. Here are the four fault lines that are forming in how Beijing deals with the world.

Why enlargement-lite will not save the Arab Spring

2011-10-25T09:30:08+00:00

The European Union has a vital role to play in helping consolidate the transitions of the Arab Spring. But first they need to rethink their approach and develop a new foreign policy for the Southern neighbourhood: Enlargement lite will not work.

Europe’s multipolar neighbourhood

2011-10-04T08:03:42+00:00

The upheavels in North Africa are further evidence that the EU's neighbourhood has fundamentally changed, both to the south and to the east. In response, the EU needs to develop a real foreign policy to deal with this increasingly competitive region.

Now is not the time to give up on the UN

2011-09-28T09:57:12+00:00

Many analysts will see last week's debate over the Palestinian bid for recognition at the UN as yet another example of Western decline. Yet the reality is more complex. Cracks are emerging between non-Western powers at the UN, presenting opportunities for Europe – if the EU's member states can get their act together.

Ten reasons for a European ‘yes’

2011-09-19T08:47:25+00:00

There are 10 good reasons for Europeans to support enhanced UN status for the Palestinians. There is also an eleventh reason: the 27 EU nations can show that they count on the world stage if they are able to stick together.

Why the EU should abstain on the Palestinian issue in the UNGA

2011-09-14T12:45:47+00:00

Europeans have much to gain from unity during any vote at the United Nations supporting Palestinian statehood. However the best response to a complex situation is to abstain. A response to ECFR's recent memo in favour of a 'yes' vote.

Gowan Eu peacekeepers for Libya

2011-08-31T10:52:03+00:00

In the wake of Gaddafi's fall, American commentators have been keen to urge that any peacekeeping operation in Libya is a primarily European one. Yet there are serious potential problems with this approach – not least that Libya's new leaders have declared their opposition to the idea of any foreign boots on their soil.

Who is the next Egytpian pharaoh?

2011-07-22T08:14:50+00:00

Egypt's transition towards democracy is a delicate work in progress. The identity of the new leader - the new 'pharaoh' - of a third of all Arabs will be crucial if the transition is to be a successful one.

Germany’s contribution to the Arab Spring: arms sales

2011-07-11T11:59:00+00:00

Berlin's failure to support intervention in Libya but willingness to arm Saudi Arabia shows the central contradiction in a foreign policy that is increasingly driven by the needs of a geoeconomic power's export industry.

Without military reform Egypt cannot democratise

2011-07-05T08:15:58+00:00

Egypt will struggle to progress towards democracy unless some form of military reform takes place. The first challenge is to make sure that any moves towards reform are palatable to the entrenched interests of Military Inc.

In search of a ‘new Egypt’

2011-07-04T13:13:47+00:00

After the euphoria of toppling Hosni Mubarak several months ago, little has been seen of the reforms demanded by protestors in Egypt. Democratisation is a long and complex process, but it is important that the rule of law and broad political participation are given prominence.

Recognise Palestine - alongside Israel

2011-06-27T14:40:25+00:00

A UN vote recognising Palestine in September won't help Palestinians much, and will damage others. Europe is at the centre of this diplomatic game, and it is Europe that must find a clever way out of the impasse; if not by getting negotiations restarted, then by sponsoring a resolution that reflects its own views."

Falling into the same old traps: France’s response to Morocco’s new constitution

2011-06-22T08:57:29+00:00

The Arab Spring forced the EU to pledge change in the way it promotes human rights around the world. But Sarkozy's response to Moroccan King Mohammed VI's limited promises of constitutional reform this week suggest an alarming return to interest-driven business as usual.

China’s Libya hedge highlights shift on non-interference

2011-06-15T14:39:54+00:00

Last week's meeting between China's ambassador to Qatar and the head of Libya's opposition movement signalled a departure from Beijing's traditional insistence on not interfering in the internal affairs of other nations. China's growing interests around the world means that we can expect more of the same in the coming years.

The EU and Libya: Missing in action in Misrata

2011-05-31T13:36:01+00:00

The European Union needs to learn the lessons from the past as it wrestles with using military support to underpin its humanitarian assistance in Libya. This will allow it to develop more credible intervention forces for future crisis - ones that might actually work.

South Sudan & Palestine could heat up the UN’s summer

2011-05-25T09:46:00+00:00

The reputation of the UN and Ban Ki-moon may hinge upon the outcome in two of the world's trouble spots - South Sudan and Palestine. South Sudan in particular remains a crucial test of the institution's ability to handle weak states.

Moral anaesthesia and the death of Bin Laden

2011-05-13T09:14:02+00:00

The White House isn't happy about answering uncomfortable questions over Bin Laden's death: in the logic of war, the details of his demise don't matter. But in the logic of justice they are important.

Ban Ki-moon’s address to the Sofia Platform

2011-05-12T10:47:21+00:00

Read the UN Secretary-General's address to last week's Sofia Platform, a major conference hosted by ECFR and the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which brought together Europe and the Middle East to discuss the Arab Spring.

Club Med and the migrants: Europe’s response to the Arab Spring

2011-05-10T11:55:37+00:00

Comparisons between the Arab Spring and 1989 are hollow if European leaders fail to rethink their approach towards those fleeing unrest. The EU now has a chance to rethink its approach to the Middle East and North Africa, but it needs the "Club Med" member states that know the region best to engage.

Eastern European questions, not lessons, for the Arab revolutions

2011-05-09T08:21:45+00:00

Dimitar Bechev reflects on the Sofia Platform, a major conference hosted by ECFR and the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week, which brought Europe and the Middle East together to discuss the Arab Spring, with fascinating consequences.

Are the Arab Revolutions the last nail in the UM coffin?

2011-05-05T09:25:26+00:00

Even before the Arab revolutions, the Union for the Mediterranean was seen by many as moribund. Can it – and should it – survive, and in what form?

Muslim Peacekeepers in Libya: Brothers in Arms?

2011-05-04T07:50:54+00:00

In 1987, Muammar Gaddafi proposed an Islamic peacekeeping force to end the Iran-Iraq war. Could a mainly Muslim force now keep the peace in his own country?