EU Foreign Affairs & Security Archives

A Turning Point: How the EU’s Response Could Change Geopolitics in Eastern Europe

Posted on May 28, 2021 by A Path for Europe

As is well reported on by now, Belarusian authorities ordered a Ryanair flight traveling from Athens to Vilnius to make an emergency landing in Minsk just a few days ago. The flight was accompanied by a MiG-29. Their aim was to arrest dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich, which they brazenly did, and trotted him out to do a coerced speech where he was clearly shaken and physically assaulted. What was even more bizarre was the fact that the Belarusian government blamed Hamas for putting a bomb on the grounded Ryanair flight. Of course, Hamas denied any responsibility. […]

The Curious Case of Moldova and Its Implications for the Black Sea Region

Posted on February 24, 2021 by A Path for Europe

Back in November, the pro-EU candidate Maia Sandu won the Moldovan race for Prime Minister against pro-Russian incumbent Igor Dodon by a margin of 57.75% of the vote to 42.25%. While not a major event even in European politics, this election could be a bigger sign of a major shift in Moldova from a traditionally stalwart Russian ally to a country with budding EU aspirations, or even possibly reuniting with their Romanian siblings to the West. […]

Disinformation: One of the Greatest Threats to European Democracies

Posted on February 18, 2021 by A Path for Europe

The automation of the production and circulation of disinformation has never before been so easy and cheap. We now have automated social bots that can rapidly disseminate a post containing disinformation on average more than fifty times a day. However, their role is not limited solely to that; they are also used to rapidly generate ad revenue by directing traffic. We have only recently started to awaken to the consequences of this technology for our societies and democracies. […]

The Tigray Conflict and the EU Development Funds

Posted on February 12, 2021 by A Path for Europe

Last November, in the Ethiopian region of the Tigray, an ethnic-based political crisis broke out and quickly transformed into a military conflict. The war escalated and several thousands of civilians were killed and many more became displaced. The fighting is likely to significantly impact the unstable political situation present in the Horn of Africa: Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Sudan, as well several ethnic-based conflicts in the region. What could be the role of the EU in such a fragile context? […]

At the Intersection of Climate Change and International Security

Posted on February 8, 2021 by A Path for Europe

Terrorist attacks and weapons of mass destruction: these are just a few of the threats that come to mind when considering international security. As the United Nations warns of a new climate crisis each week, climate change is deemed as the security threat most pertinent. By threatening resource scarcity and growing global unrest with conflict potential, the climate crisis is consistently growing larger in scale and clearer in outline. […]

To QMV or Not to QMV? Paths Towards a More Efficient EU Foreign Policy-Making

Posted on February 1, 2021 by A Path for Europe

Many may have missed the news that South Dakota single-handedly stopped the former President Donald Trump from criticising China’s human rights abuses, despite the rest of the country supporting the idea. […]

Breathing Life Into the Colombian Peace Process? The EU’s Strengths and Weaknesses as a Peacebuilder

Posted on November 30, 2020 by A Path for Europe

The EU is an important promoter of peace in Colombia and has successfully taken on a role as a strong supporter of the implementation of the Peace Agreement. This article highlights the EU’s contributions to the Colombian Peace Process, but it also identifies three problems in the EU’s approach to peacebuilding in the region. […]

What Trumpism Misses About America’s Transatlantic Comparative Advantage

Posted on November 3, 2020 by A Path for Europe

In the midst of election season in America, the outcome of the election is one of the core issues for European capitals and how it will affect the Transatlantic partnership going forward. Most assume that relations would quickly improve if Joe Biden were to be elected; however, it would still not change many of the challenges that both sides of the Atlantic have to deal with. […]

The Political Unrest in Mali and the European Union

Posted on October 12, 2020 by A Path for Europe

In June 2020 the Malian population protested against their President, and irregularities in the elections. Two months later, on 18 August 2020 a coup d’état orchestrated by the military led to the arrest and resignation of the president. The political crisis will likely turn into a regional security issue. […]

Brexit, betrayal and Ireland

Posted on October 2, 2020 by A Path for Europe

For those witnessing the United Kingdom’s spectacular descent into ignominy over the last four years since voting to leave the European Union, Tuesday September 8, 2020 is a date that will not soon be forgotten. On that afternoon, Brandon Lewis (Northern Ireland Secretary of State), speaking from the House of Commons’ despatch box, announced the government’s intention to break international law in pursuit of its Brexit policy. […]