Brahimi’s final acts
Lakhdar Brahimi has been the United Nations and Arab League envoy for Syria for less than five. But while his chances of orchestrating a peace deal are now vanishingly small, he should not quit quite yet.
Middle East and North Africa
War in the Sahel: a European cause
The Mali conflict has caught the EU asleep at the wheel. But with support from across the Union and credible, limited aims, a European intervention in Mali can be successful.
Lost Tribes
The Israeli election on Jan 22 is not about Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. It is best understood as a “Tribes of Israel” election that will take identity politics to a new level and may accelerate Israel's journey towards hegemonic nationalism.
Sanctions: a useful but flawed alternative to war
Sanctions are the EU's sole coercive instrument of power short of military action (Brussels, mercifully, does not engage in warfare). The EU needs to understand their impact so that it can use them more effectively.
In 2013, the great global unraveling
The main theme of 2013 is likely to be the unraveling of the global economy and supporting political integration.
Ten trends for 2013
2012 saw continuing crisis in the eurozone, growing Euroscepticism and populism in some corners of Europe, faltering transitions in Egypt and elsewhere, more violence in Syria, a new leadership in China, and both Putin II and Obama II. So what will 2013 hold?
Democracy and Political Islam after the Arab revolutions
Islamists are in charge in Egypt and Tunisia because they were chosen by the voters in free elections; not because they won the battle for the streets. What is happening in the Arab countries is not an ideological revolution – it is a fight over the distribution of political power.
Navigating Egypt’s political crisis
Understanding the contours of Egypt's most acute political crisis since President Hosni Mubarak was deposed two years ago.
Putin’s visit rekindles the Russia-Turkey affair
Are Turkey and Russia still friends? Critics of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan are often heard fretting about “Putinization” in Turkey, but is the Russian leader a welcome guest in a country that is now the principal supporter of the Syrian opposition?
The Palestine UN vote and Europe
European countries are split over recognising Palestine at the United Nations, but moving foward, Daniel Levy offers seven points to takeaway from a European perspective.