Facing the West’s Demons: The 2020 Munich Security Conference
The 2020 Munich Security Conference showed how the ties that bind global players together are being weaponised in a new great power competition.
Mark Leonard
Top ten foreign policy trends in 2020
Top ten trends that will occupy European foreign policymakers in 2020
The Green Deal will make or break Europe
The European Union's new leadership has decided to invest much of its political capital in a plan to position Europe as the global leader in the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. But if too many constituencies feel as though they are being sacrificed on a green alter, the plan will never even get off the ground.
The makings of a “geopolitical” European Commission
As if incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not already inheriting a full plate of major challenges, she has also promised to reshape the EU into a “geopolitical” force to be reckoned with. To succeed, she will need to pass seven tests, in areas ranging from climate change to cyber security and competition policy.
The Lost Promise of 1989
As is often the case, deep historical shifts tend to show up first in popular culture, and only then in formal politics. That is why we should look at the complex legacy of 1989 not only in the formal celebrations being held in Berlin, but also in the stands of a soccer stadium in Sofia.
Will the Iran conflict break the West?
After months of both the United States and Iran taking a harder line against each other, Europe finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place. If Iran pursues further brinkmanship in response to US provocation, European Union member states may decide they have no choice but to embrace the Trump administration’s containment strategy.
A fistful of dollars: Europe and US sanctions
The European Union needs an Office for Financial Asset Control to defend its home industry against sanctions
Can Europe become a global player?
As the nominee to serve as the EU's next high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell will have an opportunity to update Europe's approach to foreign policy. Chief among the challenges facing the bloc is the reassertion of its own sovereignty in an age of great-power politics.
The case for a sovereign Europe
The EU's lack of sovereignty is becoming a threat. Against the Trump administration and in the face of emerging economic and technological markets, the EU risks lagging behind.
The end of “Chimerica”
By threatening the survival of the Chinese tech giant Huawei, the Trump administration has put an end to speculation about a possible rupture between the United States and China. A full-scale decoupling between the world's two largest economies is now under way, and a new age of zero-sum competition is beginning.