The European Council on Foreign Relations

ECFR podcasts

2010-08-16T10:25:48+00:00

ECFR italiano: le missioni civili all'estero funzionano?

ECFR español: El enfoque integral para la defensa europea

ECFR français: la crise et les devoirs du couple franco-allemand

ECFR reports: Europe in crisis - what next?

ECFR deutsch: zu Deutschlands Rolle in Europa

tomorrow’s warriors

2010-09-02T09:41:02+00:00

Europeans need to respect what non-Western powers think, and that includes their militaries. Europe's Asian, African and Latin American counterparts are already playing a more vital role on the world stage; once Europe's defence budget cuts start to bite, this role will only increase.

A crisis of values?

2010-08-18T09:35:20+00:00

The economic crisis has unquestionably dented the credibility of the liberal international order and caused a Europe-wide identity crisis. But, Susi Dennison argues, it would be a dangerous time for the EU to abandon its values, principles and approach to international relations. The economic crisis is already big enough; the last thing Europe needs is an existential one too.

Calling in the EU-Team

2010-08-10T11:11:35+00:00

The EU needs to go beyond the standard "wait, react, peacekeep!" approach to handling looming crises. Instead, Richard Gowan argues, the EU ought to focus on early diplomacy. Given the strains on national budgets, this may be a job for the EU-Team (aka the European External Action Service).

The Gaza prison

2010-08-09T10:45:34+00:00

It's easier to enter a maximum security prison than Gaza. Lord Patten argues that the world – starting with the US administration and the European Union – should tell Israel to take its boot off Gaza's windpipe.

Preventing the next generation of Kosovos

2010-08-03T14:13:13+00:00

At a time of constrained budgets, getting the EU to invest more in conflict prevention and human rights protection in faraway places like Sudan and Kyrgyzstan may be a hard sell. But, as Richard Gowan argues, the alternative is another generation of Kosovos.

L�pez Aguilar on Left-wing Europe

2010-07-28T11:00:35+00:00

En Europa, la crisis tiene su lado político: el declive de la participación y el auge del populismo. La izquierda parece haber sido superada por una revolución conservadora. El miembro del Consejo de ECFR López Aguilar llama a esa izquierda atacada por un pesimismo de la voluntad a retomar la iniciativa, porque en esta crisis ¡es la política, estúpido!

A test calibrated to fix the result

2010-07-27T10:40:38+00:00

The EU's bank stress tests were flawed. The methodology suffered fundamental problems and was designed to fix the results. As ECFR council member Wolfgang Münchau argues in the Financial Times, if you tried to test the safety of cars using the same method, you would end up in jail.

Coalitions of the weaklings

2010-07-23T16:19:07+00:00

Before the euro crisis, Europe's leaders talked up the EU's global role. Now they are emphasising Europe's weaknesses and turning their backs on important foreign and security issues. In the meantime, crises continue to bubble in places like Sudan and the Middle East. Richard Gowan argues that weakness is not an excuse for inaction, but a reason to work in coalition.

Kosovo: statehood isn�t the problem

2010-07-22T08:57:30+00:00

In its advisory opinion of 22 July 2010, the International Court of Justice said that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008 "did not violate general international law". But is statehood the real question hanging over Kosovo? Richard Gowan believes that corruption, rather than statehood, is the biggest issue facing Kosovo.

Embryo states

2010-07-20T11:26:39+00:00

Everyone's talking about the BRICs. But we shouldn't forget about the territories trying to become states. Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan and East Timor: they're all looking for our attention, and in some cases make better 'states' that the recognised ones.

PIGS can fly

2010-07-13T09:37:47+00:00

Spain's footballing triumph at the World Cup came as a welcome distraction for the Spanish people. Their economy is a shambles; their politicians are struggling to do their jobs; and the Spanish presidency of the EU badly damaged their international reputation. But at least Spain's football team offer lessons as well as hope.

The BRIC bloc

2010-07-07T08:57:19+00:00

The Political West (the US, Europe and Japan) are in the doldrums while the BRICs keep growing. A third of world economic growth in the last decade has taken place in BRIC countries. So far, so good for the BRICs. But what next?

SeminarEuope’scrisis what next

2010-07-05T08:45:27+00:00

The second of two high-profile seminars hosted by ECFR to mark the opening of our new London offices in Westminster. A panel of George Soros, Emma Bonino, Joschka Fischer, Lord Kerr, Anatole Kaletsky and Mark Leonard examine how Europe is coping with the financial crisis and what it means for the future.

Happy birthday, Congo!

2010-06-30T14:40:38+00:00

Fifty years after gaining independence, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains deeply unstable. The help of China and the EU is needed to limit the dangers. But one is more likely than the other to lend a hand.

Torreblanca on Presidencies

2010-06-29T10:01:30+00:00

Spain’s EU presidency fell far short of expectations, but it was handed a presidency without precedent. One thing is certain: a foreign relations system based on holding summits without content has no future at all.

Britishforeignpolicyseminar

2010-06-28T08:44:16+00:00

The European Council on Foreign Relations hosted two high-profile seminars to mark the opening of their new London offices in Westminster. The first of these looked at ‘British foreign policy in Europe and the world’, and included a panel discussion with Malcolm Rifkind, Timothy Garton Ash, Charles Grant, and Paddy Ashdown, moderated by ECFR’s Daniel Korski.

Germany�s withdrawal symptoms

2010-06-25T12:04:44+00:00

The euro crisis seems to have revealed a more inward-looking and nationalistic Germany. But Germany�s shift towards the domestic is more subtle than it appears. And it is certainly not just a recent development.

The euro crisis could lead to the destruction of the European Union

2010-06-23T16:08:28+00:00

George Soros gave a public speech on the euro crisis in Berlin on 23 June. In his speech, Mr Soros argued that the euro crisis could lead to the destruction of the European Union, setting in motion a “downward spiral” as member states struggle to reduce public deficits. He said delicate manoeuving is required, with German leadership. You can download the full transcript of the speech here in English, German and French.

Torreblanca on EU-Cuba

2010-06-23T09:14:48+00:00

The common position on Cuba is so anomalous and exceptional that, rather than providing an example of European sponsorship of human rights, what it exemplifies are glaring contradictions in European policy.

Der politische Zwerg wird zu stark

2010-06-21T13:32:09+00:00

Die Machtbalace in den deutsch-franz�sischen Beziehungen hat sich radikal verschoben.

Kyrgyzstan: Russia�s Rwanda

2010-06-18T08:56:39+00:00

Just as France maintained links with its former colonies in Central Africa, Moscow has maintained ties with the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia. In light of the recent violence in its backyard nation of Kyrgyzstan, what lessons can Russia learn from France�s experience in Central Africa?

GlobalChinacommentary

2010-06-17T08:53:42+00:00

The economic crisis has strengthened Chinese power relative to the rest of the world. Now, if Europe is to make its limited influence count on issues ranging from Iranian proliferation to climate change and the Dalai Lama, it needs to develop a global China policy.

Susi Cuba Spain

2010-06-12T09:17:56+00:00

The EU’s position on Cuba will be discussed at the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council, and the debate is likely to be heated. But beyond the arguments the EU can learn lessons from its relations with Cuba: strong-arm tactics don’t work, realism is important, and the EU’s approach is out of date.

glass half full

2010-06-11T13:46:40+00:00

The Western Balkans are taking steps towards reconciliation, but there is still a long way to go. At the current rate of progress the chances of these countries joining the EU by 2020, as some hope, are slim. Is the glass half full, half empty - or simply too big for Balkan leaders to fill?

Glass half full torreblanca

2010-06-11T08:02:25+00:00

A good day for good cop diplomacy

2010-06-10T11:08:40+00:00

The UN Security Council has approved new sanctions on Iran. Europe’s good cop diplomacy contributed to this success, and will play an important role in holding the new agreement together.

Foreign policy needs a rethink above and beyond Europe

2010-06-09T09:26:43+00:00

At the end of June Spain reaches the end of its rotating presidency of the EU. Spain’s economic woes and the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty have made it a difficult presidency to handle. But there’s more at stake: the decreasing influence of the EU on the international stage puts Spain in a difficult position. Should it move away from Europe, and if yes, how?

Torreblanca on Russia

2010-06-01T08:57:54+00:00

The EU-Russia summit in Rostov is an opportunity for the new EU to show it can act effectively on the international stage. But only if it first tries to understand what Russia’s motives are and where it can help.

The International Criminal Court: A Time for Consolidation

2010-05-28T18:25:12+00:00

Eight years ago countries across the world backed the launching of a permanent International Criminal Court to bring those who commit mass atrocities to justice. The ICC is up for review, starting on 1 June in Uganda. The biggest question on the table is: should the ICC have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression?