Foreign policy & defence

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Europe without the UK: Liberated or diminished?

Sophia Besch, Ian Bond, Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Sam Lowe
13 March 2019
In 2016 the CER made ten predictions about the effect of Brexit on future EU policy. How do they stand up now, on the eve of the UK’s departure?

Five years (is/is not)* a long time in Ukrainian politics (*Delete as applicable)

14 February 2019
It is five years since Ukraine’s then president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled the country for Russia. Since then, some commentators say a lot has changed, while others say not much. But however confused the picture, Ukraine still merits attention.

The lessons of Brexit: Annual report 2018

04 February 2019
The CER's annual report features an essay on the lessons of Brexit. It also describes some of the highlights among our events and publications during the year we celebrated our 20th birthday.

Trump's foreign policy: Two years of living dangerously

25 January 2019
President Donald Trump has given America’s traditional allies cause to worry that the US will withdraw from its global role. Those allies must now avoid precipitating what they fear most.

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. 

China and Europe: Buying hearts and minds?

29 November 2018
The EU does not need to compete financially with China’s grandiose ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) everywhere. But it should at least stop China buying the support of EU member-states.

Is Trump right to nuke the INF Treaty?

02 November 2018
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a cornerstone of European stability. The US should challenge Russian treaty violations, but not abandon the treaty without a better plan.

Protecting European networks: What can NATO do?

Sophia Besch
31 October 2018
With the 'cyber defence pledge' NATO is trying to get its allies to do more to protect their networks. The alliance should lead by example.

One year since Macron's Sorbonne speech: Plus ça change?

25 October 2018
In September 2017, newly-elected French President Macron laid out his grand vision for relaunching the EU. He has not achieved much so far, but Macron remains the greatest hope for driving much-needed reforms.

Premature elections won't stabilise Libya

10 October 2018
The push for elections in Libya risks deepening the country’s divisions. Europe should agree on a common position, and work towards a settlement acceptable to key Libyan and regional players.

Moving Balkan borders: Peace plan or Pandora's box?

28 September 2018
Moving borders in the Western Balkans is risky, but might occasionally be the best option. The EU should not block a Serbia/Kosovo deal, but should work on risk mitigation.

Europe should keep Turkey close

27 July 2018
EU-Turkey relations have deteriorated sharply in recent years, and even maintaining transactional co-operation could become increasingly difficult. The challenge for Europe is how to prevent relations from souring further.

Defence spending in NATO: Stop convincing Trump, start convincing Europeans

Sophia Besch
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.

Game over? Europe's cyber problem

Camino Mortera-Martinez
09 July 2018
The EU knows that a cyber war is happening, but not how to fight it. To be up to speed, the bloc needs to update its cyber security plan

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?

Beyond firefighting: An EU strategy for Gaza

Beth Oppenheim
29 June 2018
The EU should respond more robustly to the recent violence in Gaza. The Trump administration is not a credible mediator; the EU should step in.

Moving on after Galileo – lessons (to be) learnt

Sophia Besch
28 June 2018
The EU and the UK have not been able to come to an agreement over Britain’s participation in the Galileo programme.