Give no respect, get no money. This seems to be the new and strongest stance so far adopted by EU institutions in the face of countries violating the rule of law. Yet, is this a true commitment or mere window dressing? It would appear that, in the hierarchy of EU issues, rule-of-law violations have been put aside by the Covid-19 pandemic, the following economic downturn and the impending climate crisis. […]
In 2007 Ethiopia launched the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam” [GERD], a $4.5 billion project. Once completed, the project is supposed to be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and the seventh largest in the world. With construction work almost completed, on 07th July 2020, the water reservoir was scheduled to start. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to unearth the fault lines in our global security, and not only in the countries already grappling with preexisting conditions. The security threats between nations are taking center stage as the world struggles to adapt to the new normal, causing mass instability in countries that until now did not appear wrought with fragility. […]
The impact of a Union-State between Russia and Belarus may not seem all that significant to Europeans at first glance. However, the secondary and tertiary effects could completely change the security dynamic on the Eastern flank of the EU – all of which are members of NATO. […]
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” The 2008 catch phrase of Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff of former U.S. president Barack Obama, is particularly relevant to the mounting phenomenon of online disinformation. […]
During the Covid-19 pandemic, talks and discussions around African debt cancellation, or relief, became current and debated internationally. The crisis impact on African economies could lead to a slow down in growth of 1.8 percent in the best-case scenario, or a contraction of 2.6 percent in the worst case. […]
There is a conflict brewing over the Eastern Mediterranean with a potential to escalate beyond the diplomatic battlefield. The issue at hand involves the Libya – Turkey maritime boundary treaty between the Turkish government and Libya’s UN recognised Government of National Accord, which has officially been referred to the United Nations for approval. […]
On the 20th of May 2020, the French Council of Ministers adopted a resolution to end the involvement in the West African CFA franc. The decision implied that the Central Bank in Paris renounced any monetary governance on the former colonies in West Africa. […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has caught everyone’s attention on governments’ and EU institutions’ efforts to contain the spread of the virus and promote economic recovery. But remember that not so old dream (or nightmare?) of a more sovereign Europe on defence matters? […]
The coronavirus pandemic has erupted a void in both the EU and the US that extremists are clamoring to fill. Conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, anti-vaxxers, and anti-refugee groups alike have become extraordinarily vocal during the pandemic and have used the crisis to push their political agendas while the world is seized with uncertainty and trauma. […]