COP is taking place this year in the United Arab Emirates, whose subsistence depends heavily on fossil fuels. Despite the controversy surrounding the choice of venue for the summit, the EU and France must not turn their back on negotiations with the Arab state on the gradual phase out of these fuels
Many people outside the West want Europe and the US in their lives for all they have to offer – but that does not translate…
European leaders agree that Israel has the right to defend itself as long as it complies with international law. It is time that they recognise the limits those laws set
As the devastation mounts in Gaza, European leaders need to call for a ceasefire and a broader diplomatic track to secure urgent humanitarian objectives, before turning to a realistic post-conflict plan that can address security needs for Israelis and Palestinians
The impact of the Israel-Hamas war will reverberate around the world, with consequences for the Middle East, Europe, China, and the United States. While the specific challenges vary, none has an interest in drawing out or widening the conflict
Amidst the Israel-Hamas war, Beijing sees an opportunity to differentiate itself from the West’s unconditional support for Israel and gain favour in the global south. But the conflict has revealed China’s lack of political weight in the region – and an opportunity for European engagement
The unfolding war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is at the precipice of a broader regional conflict. Europeans must urgently join regional efforts to support preventive diplomacy and avoid escalation
The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is tearing apart an already polarised French society, resonating with some of the country’s deepest divisions
As COP28 approaches, the dispute over the phase-out of fossil fuels threatens to once again torpedo progress at the climate conference. Europeans have a chance to break this impasse and achieve meaningful progress by engaging with major fossil fuel producing countries like the Gulf monarchies
Mark Leonard welcomes Eran Etzion, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Hugh Lovatt to discuss Hamas’s offensive against Israel and its effects on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider Middle East
Middle powers are shaping a fragmented world for which Europe is ill prepared. To protect its interests and values, the EU needs a foreign policy strategy that emphasises its wide range of interdependencies
Europeans should leverage their relationships with the Palestinian Authority to revive Palestinian institutions and reverse the PA’s slide towards authoritarianism
The war in Ukraine has led to unprecedented levels of cooperation between Russia and Iran. This new relationship poses a significant threat to European countries, whose governments should seek to mitigate the potential damage
Europe and Algeria need each other. Their range of overlapping interests creates the opportunity to build a broad and mutually beneficial partnership
Europeans should view COP28 as a catalyst to upgrade their energy relations with the Gulf states to long-term cooperation on the green transition and decarbonisation
Post-invasion Iraq has proven resilient in the face of many challenges – but problems remain that Europeans could assist with resolving
Tunisia’s autocratic president is leading the country to the brink. The EU and member states should act now to support Tunisian democracy.
The EU should invest more Global Gateway funding in the southern neighbourhood, helping it achieve strategic nearshoring, clean energy, and regional connectivity goals
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
North African states hold great potential to partner in Europe’s longer-term energy transition – if the EU takes the right steps in the coming years
COP is taking place this year in the United Arab Emirates, whose subsistence depends heavily on fossil fuels. Despite the controversy surrounding the choice of venue for the summit, the EU and France must not turn their back on negotiations with the Arab state on the gradual phase out of these fuels
European leaders agree that Israel has the right to defend itself as long as it complies with international law. It is time that they recognise the limits those laws set
As the devastation mounts in Gaza, European leaders need to call for a ceasefire and a broader diplomatic track to secure urgent humanitarian objectives, before turning to a realistic post-conflict plan that can address security needs for Israelis and Palestinians
The impact of the Israel-Hamas war will reverberate around the world, with consequences for the Middle East, Europe, China, and the United States. While the specific challenges vary, none has an interest in drawing out or widening the conflict
Amidst the Israel-Hamas war, Beijing sees an opportunity to differentiate itself from the West’s unconditional support for Israel and gain favour in the global south. But the conflict has revealed China’s lack of political weight in the region – and an opportunity for European engagement
The unfolding war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is at the precipice of a broader regional conflict. Europeans must urgently join regional efforts to support preventive diplomacy and avoid escalation
The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is tearing apart an already polarised French society, resonating with some of the country’s deepest divisions
As COP28 approaches, the dispute over the phase-out of fossil fuels threatens to once again torpedo progress at the climate conference. Europeans have a chance to break this impasse and achieve meaningful progress by engaging with major fossil fuel producing countries like the Gulf monarchies
In the aftermath of the brutal assault by Hamas, Europeans need to focus on ensuring the war does not spiral out of control
Recent escalations in Iraq’s contested Kirkuk province reveal the structural tensions inherent in the coalition government, posing a risk of Turkish and Iranian intervention and wider instability in the region
The conversation around achieving peace and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa needs to become more inclusive and diverse, through an injection of fresh ideas and perspectives from regional voices
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.
European governments need a deeper engagement strategy to draw these powerful actors into inclusive political processes and power-sharing structures that can help stabilise the region
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
Turmoil in the Middle East and north Africa directly affects Europeans. Yet their influence in the region has never been weaker. This project maps Europe’s role across the Middle East and north Africa, making the case that Europeans can do more to leverage their influence in pursuit of core interests
ECFR’s Differentiation Tracker provides a snapshot of third state relations with Israel – and the extent to which these contain a clearly defined territorial definition that explicitly excludes Israeli settlements constructed on occupied territory in line with UNSCR 2334
Violence is tearing Mali and the Sahel apart. But who are the armed groups behind the bloodshed? Where are international actors stationed in the region? And what motivates them all?
An ECFR guide to the key disputes threatening to spark a wider Middle Eastern war
This interactive web project charts the constellation of political players as Palestinians approach a period of political change. Over 100 pen portraits reveal new insights into the personalities and power structures that will shape the future of Palestinian politics.
In Libya there are very few truly national actors, the vast majority are local players. This guide explains who the players are and what they control.
Mark Leonard welcomes Eran Etzion, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Hugh Lovatt to discuss Hamas’s offensive against Israel and its effects on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider Middle East
Mark Leonard welcomes Ellie Geranmayeh and Alistair Burt to understand the new multipolar order in the Middle East
Ellie Geranmayeh speaks to Tara Sepehri Far, Sussan Tahmasebi, and Sanam Vakil about the situation in Iran a year after the Mahsa Amini Protests
Ellie Geranmayeh speaks to Nadereh Chamlou and Sheikha Najla Al Qassimi about the geo-economic trends in the Middle East
Mark Leonard welcomes Merav Michaeli to talk about Israel
The first episode of ECFR’s WOMENP mini-series brings together leading experts to discuss what can be expected from Iran and Saudi Arabia’s de-escalation after the…
Mark Leonard is joined by Theodore Murphy, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Marie Dumoulin to talk about Sudan
Mark Leonard welcomes Julien Barnes-Dacey, Cinzia Bianco and Andrew Small, to talk about the new Saudi – Iran deal
Mark Leonard is joined by Vali Nasr to learn more about the Iranian perspective on global order
Mark Leonard, Ellie Geranmayeh, Hossein Mousavian, Vali Nasr, and Ali Vaez discuss the latest developments in the negotiations around the Iran nuclear deal and evaluate different possible outcomes and their consequences
Many people outside the West want Europe and the US in their lives for all they have to offer – but that does not translate…
On the occasion of the 30-year anniversary of the ‘Oslo peace process’, ECFR and MEI are hosting a hybrid conference, assessing the legacies of the Oslo process, ways to address today’s harsh realities on the ground, alternative strategies and outcomes for the future
Expert workshop on a new Mediterranean agenda for the EU, organized by the Rome office of ECFR and the Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung (KAS PolDiMed)
Tavola rotonda su sfide e opportunità per il Nord Africa organizzata dal Centro Studi Americani in collaborazione con l’Ufficio di Roma di ECFR, ENI e Atlantic Council
La conferenza è l’evento finale del progetto “Rome Foreign Policy Club: Gruppo di riflessione strategica su Italia, multilateralismo e interconnessioni”, con focus sugli scenari globali e per il Mediterraneo allargato dopo l’invasione dell’Ucraina
A panel discussion organized in collaboration with the Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in the framework of the 8th edition of the Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
This Twitter Space will discuss important lessons from the ongoing protests in Iran and their implications for the country’s future
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
The Youth Forum is part of the one-day conference “The future of popular mobilization in the Middle East and North Africa: Insights from 10 years of struggle” jointly organized by the Rome office of ECFR, Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI) and Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
This event will consider how women peace-builders in Yemen are providing essential gender-responsive humanitarian and peacemaking support
Putin has invested time and resources in preserving his relations with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE and, of course, the respective leaders
Israel is deliberately and methodically destroying the civil institutions and infrastructure that will be needed to govern and stabilize Gaza after the conflict
The European Union and France should not abandon negotiations with the Emirates on the progressive reduction of fossil fuels
Ukraine’s invasion and the subsequent energetic crisis have given a new impulse to the EU-Gulf cooperation, still incomplete: green technologies could be the key to transform this partnership
There is a growing likelihood that the final agreement ends up with a “compromise position” about working towards an energy system free of unabated fossil fuels
