Section: Europe’s World (Belgium)
Russia and China take the lead in hybrid warfare while West struggles to respond
The efforts of NATO and the European Union to address hybrid warfare are unlikely to succeed. While promising, their efforts are neither broad enough in scope nor sufficiently integrated. This is because both NATO and the EU see hybrid warfare as a new set of techniques for aggression rather than what it really is: a comprehensive offensive...
Can the EU and China act together?
The post-Second World War and post-Cold War international system is facing some strong headwinds. Europe has been under siege from massive immigration, terrorist attacks, rising populism, a war in Ukraine and, of course, Brexit. The Middle East remains stuck in violence and cold peace without any hopeful signs. Meanwhile, East Asia seems to be...
Defence reinforcements: how much is enough to defend Lithuania?
Due to their vulnerable geographic position and complicated history, the Lithuanian people have seldom felt secure. The exception is the period from 2004, when Lithuania became a member of the European Union and NATO, to 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine and occupied and annexed Crimea. A 2012 survey suggested that more than 60% of Lithuanians...
The one-dimensional Euro-Mediterranean dimension
The centre of Malta’s foreign policy has always been the Mediterranean. In his day, Malta’s longest-serving prime minister, Dom Mintoff, single-handedly forced a Mediterranean chapter into the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. More recently, Malta has been active on a range of Mediterranean initiatives, such as the ‘Five plus Five’...
Waiting for Boris
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has postponed his visit to Moscow, and declared that he will not be “cosying up” to the Kremlin. The news is a source of disappointment for Moscow, which is interested in getting to know the ‘great Brexiteer’ and perhaps experiencing the ‘Boris effect’ on Anglo-Russian relations. Links...
Why is Europe so silent on Syria?
Why did nearly six years have to pass? Why did hundreds of thousands of people in Syria have to die and many millions have to flee? Why did it take so long for Europe to feel even a little disgust at the tragedy of Aleppo, one of the biggest worldwide humanitarian catastrophes of recent years? Why, for months, did the European Union only keep...
Understand more, condemn less – the way ahead for Russia and the EU
While liberal politicians and media lamented the results of Britain’s referendum on membership of the European Union and the outcome of the American presidential election, Moscow reacted to these events with hope. The momentous developments of the past six months will not have any direct bearing on Russia’s interests, but they will...
Russia hopes to benefit from Britain’s departure
For several decades, the United Kingdom has been vital to the formation of the European energy market. It was one of the first European countries to privatise and deregulate its national electricity and gas markets, and has since benefited from the collective power of the EU to counter the threats of energy exporters such as Russia, thereby...
Why the EU must fashion a tough pre-Trump agenda
Lulled by the opinion polls and its own wishful thinking, Europe expected US foreign policy continuity following a Hillary Clinton victory. Now, Europeans must awaken to the unpredictable change and volatility a Donald Trump presidency will bring. The EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted her reaction only minutes after...
US exceptionalism or withdrawal from the world?
There is an old American saying, ‘politics should stop at the water’s edge’. It means foreign policy should be driven by a country’s national interests and values, not its domestic politics. But it’s a myth. Britain’s vote to leave the European Union is one example of exploding this myth. Overnight, British citizens...
