Hidden women: How European countries can help protect Afghan women’s rights
European countries need to look for the partners they made over the last 20 years and together redraw an Afghan-led strategy to protect women’s rights
Human Rights
Saied’s crackdown: How the EU can stand up for human rights in Tunisia
The EU has invested heavily in Tunisia’s transition to democracy since 2011. Now it must stand up for the rule of law and for the rights of those under threat
Aggression on trial: The tricky path towards prosecuting Russian war leaders
A UN-backed court could reinforce condemnation of Russia’s aggressive war and reduce Putin’s legitimacy on the international stage. But its establishment and success will depend on the commitment it receives
Peace of work: Yemen’s fragile ceasefire
The current truce in Yemen could lead to negotiations on a long-term ceasefire. But this would require greater concessions by the Houthis and sustained diplomatic engagement from regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran.
System failure: The causes of humanitarian crises
Humanitarian crises in places like Afghanistan, Yemen or Ethiopia are not only a reflection of internal turmoil – but mirror a much grander development: system failure
13 Dec
Part of the problem? A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
Part of the problem: A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
2 Feb
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: The West should engage not confront China
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
Why America is facing off against the International Criminal Court
The US long ago took umbrage at the – unlikely – prospect that the ICC could prosecute Americans. The consequences of this stance are now revealing themselves.
An election in Belarus: How the West could support a marginalised opposition
In the run-up to a difficult election for President Alexander Lukashenka, the three main opposition candidates have been excluded from the vote and there have been mass arrests. Western countries should try to deter further repression in Belarus without isolating the country.
Publications
Order from chaos: Stabilising Libya the local way
The tragedy of Libya in well known in outline but poorly known in detail – to many in Europe, that is. But Europe has a role in the country’s stabilisation.
Surveillance, privacy, and security: Europe’s confused response to Snowden
Europe needs to work towards new rules for digital surveillance
International Justice and the Prevention of Atrocity
The EU needs a more coherent approach to international justice
Drones and targeted killing: defining a European position
What Europe needs to do
The struggle for pluralism after the North African revolutions
What next for Egypt, Tunisia and Libya?
Shooting in the dark? EU sanctions policies
Do EU sanctions work?
The EU, Algeria and the northern Mali question
The EU needs to develop a more effective relationship with Algeria
How the EU can support reform in Burma
Europe can help Burma reform, but its help must be gradual
Europe and the Arab revolutions: a new vision for democracy and human rights
The EU’s role in building accountable societies in North Africa
Towards an EU human rights strategy for a post-Western world
Have global changes undermined the pull of Europe’s values?
Articles
Hidden women: How European countries can help protect Afghan women’s rights
European countries need to look for the partners they made over the last 20 years and together redraw an Afghan-led strategy to protect women’s rights
Saied’s crackdown: How the EU can stand up for human rights in Tunisia
The EU has invested heavily in Tunisia’s transition to democracy since 2011. Now it must stand up for the rule of law and for the rights of those under threat
Aggression on trial: The tricky path towards prosecuting Russian war leaders
A UN-backed court could reinforce condemnation of Russia’s aggressive war and reduce Putin’s legitimacy on the international stage. But its establishment and success will depend on the commitment it receives
Peace of work: Yemen’s fragile ceasefire
The current truce in Yemen could lead to negotiations on a long-term ceasefire. But this would require greater concessions by the Houthis and sustained diplomatic engagement from regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran.
Why America is facing off against the International Criminal Court
The US long ago took umbrage at the – unlikely – prospect that the ICC could prosecute Americans. The consequences of this stance are now revealing themselves.
An election in Belarus: How the West could support a marginalised opposition
In the run-up to a difficult election for President Alexander Lukashenka, the three main opposition candidates have been excluded from the vote and there have been mass arrests. Western countries should try to deter further repression in Belarus without isolating the country.
Germany’s belated debate on colonialism
Initiatives designed to change German attitudes towards colonial history will be important in improving Germany’s relations with African countries
Politicised aid: Why Europe should sustain cross-border humanitarian assistance to northern Syria
European countries should work to renew the UN Security Council resolution on cross-border humanitarian access to northern Syria, lest the area slides into a deeper humanitarian crisis
The path through Moscow: How Europe can help Syria
Syrian opposition figure calls on Europe to work closely with Washington to build on growing Russian frustration with the Assad regime and increase their demands of Moscow
Defeating covid-19 in Gaza: Is it enough?
Urgent intervention can mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic. But the EU should also help Gaza escape its man-made crisis.
Specials
Part of the problem: A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
Podcasts
System failure: The causes of humanitarian crises
Humanitarian crises in places like Afghanistan, Yemen or Ethiopia are not only a reflection of internal turmoil – but mirror a much grander development: system failure
Events
13 Dec
Part of the problem? A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
2 Feb
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: The West should engage not confront China
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
12 Dec
Kontrofensywa wartości europejskich: Prawa człowieka i rządy prawa
Zapraszamy na debatę „Kontrofensywa wartości europejskich: Prawa człowieka i rządy prawa w UE i poza…
12 Oct
World in Focus
“World in Focus” is an event specially designed to encompass meetings, dialogues and panel sessions which will tackle questions about Poland, Europe and the world.
9 Jul
Battle for Hudayda: A defining moment for the future of Yemen?
Discussion on the trajectory and consequences of the ongoing offensive in Hudayda, its potential effects on the humanitarian crisis, the challenges of stabilization, and its place within ongoing UN-led peace effort
3 Aug
Impulsvortrag von Cem Özdemir: Leitlinien einer wertegeleiteten deutschen Außenpolitik
Gemeinsame Verantwortung für Sicherheit, Klimaschutz, Entwicklung: Impulsvortrag von Cem Özdemir zu einer wertegeleiteten Außenpolitik mit anschließender Diskussion
14 Feb
The New European Counter-Terror Wars
What do counter-terror wars aim to achieve? Are the UK and other European countries setting dangerous legal precedents in their use of force, and what is the likely impact on EU counter-terrorism of any shift in US policy under President Trump?
6 Apr
Black Coffee Morning: “Sanctions on North Korea – Transformation in the South Asian security”
After North Korea recently launched a nuclear weapons test, the veto-holding powers in the UN agreed upon stronger sanctions in a new resolution. What does this initiative from North Korea mean – especially for the current relations between the USA and China. Furthermore, the EU demanded from China to uphold universal human rights in its conflicts with its neighbouring countries in the Southasian sea, though it is highly questionable if Beijing is going to consider this suggestion. Are sanctions even a useful instrument for trying to establish strategic instruments in Eastasia? Can China be included in this strategy?
7 Mar
ECFR Abenddiskussion anlässlich des Board-Treffens
Special ECFR dinner on March 7th focussed on European approaches to the refugee crisis with a kick-off statement by the head of the Federal Chancellery Peter Altmaier.
4 Dec
Lunch Talk “Libya & Migration – smuggling patterns in the Mediterranean region”
The fragile state of Libya has been a hub for migration and smuggling for a long time. Mattia Toaldo presented the results of his Policy Brief “Libya's migrant-smuggling highway”, while Angeliki Dimitriadi, ECFR Research Fellow on migration, reported from her personal experiences and field research in the region. This led to an intense discussion about legal migration.
In the media
The Austrian newspaper refers to a tweet by Jana Puglierin on FIF banning the human rights message the Danish team wanted to wear on their tricots
Lorena Martini says the Ukraine crisis should galvanize more European solidarity toward asylum-seekers from elsewhere
The geopolitical climate has become more conducive for Erdoğan to increase his demands. And outlining security concerns like this might result in concessions from the western counterparts,
The court was already gathering evidence of war crimes committed in Ukraine before the invasion and has now opened a formal investigation
Anthony Dworkin explains in his op-ed the opened investigation against Russia of the International Criminal Court
The situation is a huge risk for Turkey, there is no doubt. Iran will also stand to lose if the Taliban returns to its old ways and provides a safe haven for Islamist extremists.
Asli Aydıntaşbaş on the inflow of refugees in Iran and Turkey after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan