Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: European Union

Reshaping Ukraine’s Western Integration

Reshaping Ukraine’s Western Integration

There is widespread fear of an escalation of the current Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict into a large and prolonged inter-state war in Europe. This could lead West European governments to agree to Putin’s key demand of reneging on NATO’s future inclusion pledge for Ukraine and Georgia. Should this happen, the West needs to compensate the two countries for the de facto broken 2008 Bucharest NATO summit promise. Ukraine and Georgia as well as Moldova can be provided with official EU membership perspectives and an assurance that Brussels will start accession negotiations once the three republics’ Association Agreements have been implemented.

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The Perpetual Etranger

The Perpetual Etranger

  The border crisis between Poland and Belarus is more complex than a dispute between two sovereign nations. The extension of the EU border into the former Warsaw Pack area and towards the former border of the Soviet Union was always a source of tension as Poland was seen as a barrier to large armies […]

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The Significance of the Have-Nots

The Significance of the Have-Nots

It is no surprise to those that live on the Mediterranean that often policy that is made in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris foresee little impact on the borders of the EU. When many decision are made in the centre of Western Europe, often it is Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal that have to manage the […]

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Why and How Ukraine Should Open Up to the EU Now

Why and How Ukraine Should Open Up to the EU Now

Kyiv should foster Ukraine’s European integration, economic growth and national security by offering EU citizens instantaneous residence and work permission Recent Eurostat data reveals that Ukrainians have been granted the most residency permits of any nationals in the EU last year. During 2017 alone, approximately 662,000 Ukrainians received such permission to live and work in […]

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Angola’s Story of Politically Exposed Persons and Debt Traps

Angola’s Story of Politically Exposed Persons and Debt Traps

In its financing attempts that brought the resource-rich country to become indefinitely indebted for a long time, the Government of Angola sought a US$15 billion loan from China (one of many) last May. Just as this latest round of financing commenced, Standard and Poors downgraded Angola’s sovereign credit rating to B- due to concerns about […]

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New European GDPR Rules Affect Everyone

New European GDPR Rules Affect Everyone

The new General Data Protection Regulations, or GDPR that has recently come into effect inside the European Union may have as much of an influence inside the EU as it will internationally. Any companies that do not adhere to the new data privacy protection rules may find themselves in violation of the GDPR if they […]

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2018: A year of challenges for President Macron

2018: A year of challenges for President Macron

Thousands demonstrated against President Emmanuel Macron’s labour law reforms in September. With the President’s popularity in decline, the French government will face a new set of challenges in the first months of 2018. In late September, the freshly elected government led by Emmanuel Macron faced its first street protests when thousands demonstrated against controversial reforms to France’s […]

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In the Quest for Successful Refugee Integration, Merkel Must Address Employment Discrimination Against Ethnic Minorities in Germany Head-On

In the Quest for Successful Refugee Integration, Merkel Must Address Employment Discrimination Against Ethnic Minorities in Germany Head-On

On Sunday, Germany elected Angela Merkel as chancellor for the fourth time, matching the postwar record set by the late Helmut Kohl, who was chancellor of West Germany at the time I was born there. Helmut Kohl has cemented his place in German and European history as the unifier of East and West Germany and one […]

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Trump Jeopardizes EU Security in Riyadh

Trump Jeopardizes EU Security in Riyadh

The Islamic Military Alliance, recently supported by Donald Trump, poses a security and economic challenge to the European Union.

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Brexit and the Irish Border

Brexit and the Irish Border

Brexit was fought and decided on immigration. Yet while the argument about migrants was debated, the issue of the Irish border was largely ignored.

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The EU at 60: Between Globalism and Nationalism

The EU at 60: Between Globalism and Nationalism

In their quest for power, populist parties prescribe protectionism and the reestablishment of national sovereignty as panacea to all of the EU’s ills.

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North Korea Is Only One Tree In The Forest Of U.S.-China Relations

North Korea Is Only One Tree In The Forest Of U.S.-China Relations

Stressing only the expediency of resolving the DPRK issue, the U.S. risks not seeing the forest for the trees in the overall scheme of U.S-China relations.

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EU Funds Allocation: Is Brussels Flexing Its Muscles?

EU Funds Allocation: Is Brussels Flexing Its Muscles?

European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourová proposed to make the distribution of EU funding dependent on whether states uphold fundamental EU principles like the rule of law.

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Europe’s ‘Fault Lines’ should be Discussed at the UN: Ambassador Almeida

Europe’s ‘Fault Lines’ should be Discussed at the UN: Ambassador Almeida

The head of Europe’s delegation to the United Nations describes an ideological battle in the EU between globalism and nationalism.

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Increased Great Power Competition Changes Strategy of “Swing” Powers

Increased Great Power Competition Changes Strategy of “Swing” Powers

U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China hostilities have led to foreign policy strategy recalibrations for the Philippines, Japan, and Turkey.

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