The EU is increasingly detached from efforts to stabilise Iraq. But EU governments cannot afford to ignore the situation there, and should use the year ahead to identify strategies to assist Iraq alongside the next US administration.

The Democratic Party may push for Iraqi troop withdrawals and Europeans may continue ignoring the war, but both should be honest about the consequences of doing so.

Whatever the electoral outcome, Putin wins. But this time, the manner of the Russian strongman’s victory will undermine not only Russian democracy; but the credibility of Europe’s democracy-promotion.

The EU delegation has prepared an unusually full agenda for the annual EU-China Summit. However, there is a real danger they will go home empty-handed, and the Chinese will hijack the event to lecture about Taiwan and the Dalai Lama.

The EU waffles while Washington and Tehran move towards war. Yet Europe has a big stick if it is willing to use it

The U.S and Iran are on a collision course. But both countries’ policies are based on misperceptions of each other’s strength.

Europe should set up a reserve corps of 5 000 trained and equipped civilian specialists ready to be deployed to help in fragile, failing and post-conflict states.