Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: EU

Russia’s Bullying Pushes Ukraine Further West

Russia’s Bullying Pushes Ukraine Further West

The European Union (EU) is approaching a major milestone in its relations with Ukraine. Next month, the most valuable state in eastern Europe that remains a non-member will have the opportunity to expand its relations with the West by signing an Association Agreement with the EU. Once signed, the agreement will provide a new framework […]

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The EU and Syria – Waiting for Superman?

The EU and Syria – Waiting for Superman?

  After a two-week marathon, wherein the world was expecting military strikes against Syria in order to punish the Assad regime, the situation is finally settling down. Two reasons behind this abrupt shift from missiles to diplomacy: Russia and western public opinions. First, Russia, a close Syrian ally, has been trying to avoid any sort […]

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Whither Bulgaria?

Whither Bulgaria?

For nearly four months now Bulgaria’s major cities have witnessed the country’s largest protests in over 16 years. Calling for greater transparency, less corruption, a robust campaign against organized crime, and the resignation of the entire government, protestors have gathered by the thousands, taking to the streets daily to voice their outrage with a dysfunctional […]

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New Deal and the Curse of ‘Community Self-Governance’

New Deal and the Curse of ‘Community Self-Governance’

  On July 21, I tweeted the following reflection: “A society can govern itself with custom instead of modern law, tribal system instead of government; (however) it cannot ride both horses at the same time.” Reacting to that old tweet, a few days ago, I received a one-liner e-mail that read “We must be doing […]

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Efforts to Light Africa Increase

Efforts to Light Africa Increase

President Obama’s trip to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania was touted as a commitment to begin a new partnership with the rising continent. Home to 6 of the 10 fasted growing economies, Africa has made great strides – the International Monetary Fund predicts growth of 5.4 percent this year and 5.7 percent next year, but […]

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The Dilemma of Snowden’s leak

The Dilemma of Snowden’s leak

Should Europe care about the Snowden’s leak? Absolutely, but don’t expect too much from the EU and its Member States to fully defend privacy rights of European citizens. Earlier this week, Edward Snowden, a former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton contracted by the NSA, leaked top-secret […]

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Iceland’s Election: What does it mean for the Arctic?

Iceland’s Election: What does it mean for the Arctic?

On Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Iceland, two center-right parties seized power from the incumbent Social Democrats. Iceland Review states that the Independence Party won a reported 28.5 percent of the vote, while the Progressive Party won 25.2 percent. What does this mean for Iceland’s Arctic strategy and the region at large? The EU dimension First of […]

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Farewell My Lady

Farewell My Lady

  Margaret Thatcher, also known as the Iron Lady, has died on April 8th. The media and think tank planets have not missed the occasion to discuss her policies, attitudes and legacies. I will neither write an obituary nor a commentary on Ms. Thatcher, but rather list below the most outstanding coverage on the question. […]

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Brave New Bailout

Brave New Bailout

Writing in 1931, Aldous Huxley used Cyprus as the setting for a social experiment gone wrong in his dystopian novel “Brave New World.” The failed experiment sent a warning to future generations regarding the perils of excessive social tampering. Fast-forward nearly a century and Cyprus is yet again the setting, but this time for a […]

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The European Game of Thrones

The European Game of Thrones

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, called it quite. They both announced in a matter of days that they would retire from their respective positions at the end of their mandates. Based on the Treaties, both positions are renewable. […]

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The Northern Sea Route: An Iceland-China Link

The Northern Sea Route: An Iceland-China Link

Coming on the heels of a UCLA study reporting that new trans-Arctic routes could be open to shipping by mid-century, Huigen Yang, the Director Polar Research Institute of China, met with Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Össur Skarphéðinsson, on March 15 to discuss northern shipping. Both countries stand to benefit if the Northern Sea Route is developed: China, […]

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Competing Rights: The GMO Debate

Competing Rights: The GMO Debate

The question of whether genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are helpful or harmful has persisted since the 1970s, but reached no solid conclusion. As the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to hear oral arguments on Tuesday, February 19 in Bowman v. Monsanto Co. that will have far-reaching implications for the GMO debate: whether self-replicating technologies can […]

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Arctic Frontiers: Day One

Arctic Frontiers: Day One

I’m currently in Tromsø, Norway where the Arctic Frontiers conference is taking place all week at the local university. Today’s program featured several high-level politicians, including the foreign minsters of Norway and Sweden, the Canadian Minister of Health and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, the Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and the Lieutenant […]

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The Future of the EU: A View from the U.K.

The Future of the EU: A View from the U.K.

  Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended the U.K.’s full participation in the EU from the most recent wave of Euroscepticism in a speech at Chatham House late last month. Conceding up front that the European social model needs reform to remain sustainable, an argument echoed by the moderate left in the U.S., Blair […]

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Celebrating the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Celebrating the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

On Monday December 10, the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament President Martin Schulz will represent the EU and receive the Nobel Prize in Olso. As discussed in a previous piece, the Peace Prize came as a surprise, but also marked an important turning point in […]

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