Democratic Asia changes course
In the past few years, almost all of East Asia’s fully fledged democracies have changed leadership – but this has gone rather unnoticed by European observers who focus on China alone
Articles
What does China think?
China is emerging not just as an economic giant, but as a powerhouse of ideas about politics, economics and world order. Its own model of globalisation could re-shape much of the world.
Fighting in Chad should prompt EU re-think
If the European Union is to succeed in Chad, it will need to design an integrated response, covering political, development and military action alike
State building and the EU’s supra-national momentum
Kosovo’s imminent independence – while the right course – raises difficult questions about some elements of the European project
France’s Shakespearean defence review
There are two sure signs that France’s defence review is entering its end-game: a new imprecision has crept into forecasts of when the outcome will be published (“spring”); and interesting disclosures are beginning to appear
Is the EU living up to its rhetoric on human rights?
The gap between the EU’s rhetorical and actual commitment to democracy and human rights could lead to growing international scepticism about the EU’s role on the global stage
Serbia’s European dream lives on – but only just
Pro-European Boris Tadic may have regained the Serbian presidency, but his country remains sharply divided and the fight for its European future is not over. The EU should think hard about ways to support the pro-democracy camp.
The EU and Iraq: starting to find a strategy?
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.
In need of an EU approach to China
Gordon Brown, like many of his EU counterparts, focussed on national interests and commercial contracts in his China trip last week. But EU leaders need to work together not compete with each other to benefit from China’s rise.
Afghanistan: Europe’s Forgotten War
New ECFR report, to be published on Monday 21 January, criticises European efforts in Afghanistan and calls for a “grand bargain” between the United States and the EU to avert failure