The EU?s ?slow food? enlargement
The EU enlargement debate used to be about expanding freedoms and preventing conflict. But a lot of Europeans now think that whatever lies outside the EU?s borders can stay there
Commentary
Sudan, 2011
In January 2011 the people of South Sudan will vote on whether to secede from the North. Violence is expected to follow. The EU must start preparing now for an intervention in Sudan if it is to have any chance of being ready to help
A new START, but that doesn’t mean it’s NOFUN
Obama’s moves over nuclear weapons need putting in context. The US no longer needs them to equalise the USSR’s conventional forces, but others might need nuclear weapons to equalise the US military
Sudan: the EU?s election problem
The EU has had to withdraw its election observers from Darfur before the upcoming Sudanese election. No surprise there: Darfur remains a dangerous place. But what why did the EU get involved in this controversial poll in the first place?
Prejudices
Sorry, but protestants do not perform better than catholics and EU laws do not represent 80% of national legislation. It’s time to have another look at some deep-rooted prejudices
The price of principle
Attention turns once again to Sri Lanka this week as the country gears up for its parliamentary elections. The EU recently decided to stop treating Sri Lanka as a preferential trading partner. What does this mean for Sri Lanka, and does it affect the EU?s clout in standing up for human rights around the world?
What kind of interpolar world?
Two stories about the Middle East ? Israel?s latest settlement plans and Iran?s nuclear programme ? shed more light on the world?s power structure than the pages of a thousand history books
Trench warfare
Snubbing the European Union never came so easy or at such a cheap price
The EAS and Europe’s place in the world
Building the EAS is not simply about backroom Brussels politics and bureaucratic infighting. It is about giving Europe the means to punch its weight in a changing world
Copenhagen, and why Beijing should not over-play its hand
The Copenhagen Climate Conference showed the world that China was willing to use its power aggresively. But although it walked away without having given an inch, Beijing should worry about over-playing a strong hand