Briefs / Focus / Spot Ons

China, Russia, and Geopolitical Games in Pandemic-Stricken MENA Region
  • Spot On

China, Russia, and Geopolitical Games in Pandemic-Stricken MENA Region

As the coronavirus pandemic takes a tragic toll geopolitical games continue to be played by authoritarian regimes. Russia and China have been exploiting the situation to improve their status internationally.

23 April 2020
Covid-19, a Stress-Test for Euro Mediterranean Relations
  • Spot On

Covid-19, a Stress-Test for Euro Mediterranean Relations

There are countless articles on how the Covid-19 is stress-testing the foundations of EU solidarity. Less ink has been spilled over the impact of the crisis on its external relations with Neighbourhood South.

20 April 2020
Hostile Environments in the Mediterranean
  • Focus

Hostile Environments in the Mediterranean

In May 2012, Theresa May said that her aim “was to create a really hostile environment for illegal migration.” The “hostile environment” has since come to characterise a “culture of cruelty” in UK immigration policy.

10 February 2020
In from the Cold: Russia’s Agenda in the Middle East and Implications for the EU
  • Policy Brief

In from the Cold: Russia’s Agenda in the Middle East and Implications for the EU

ussian foreign policy in the MENA forms part of a comprehensive strategy, aimed at undercutting what it perceives as Western supremacy. However, in the perception of several regional leaders, Russia emerged as a consistent actor, proving reliable.

4 February 2020
Imposing Middle East Peace: Why EU Member States Should Recognise Palestine
  • Spot On

Imposing Middle East Peace: Why EU Member States Should Recognise Palestine

In late 2017, US President broke US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today’s Foreign Affairs Council is an opportunity to take stock of the situation and to contemplate the next moves to make.

22 January 2020
25 Years of Wadi Araba: the State of Jordanian-Israeli Relations and the Future of the Peace Treaty
  • Focus

25 Years of Wadi Araba: the State of Jordanian-Israeli Relations and the Future of the Peace Treaty

Next 26 October will mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Agreement between Jordan and Israel, known as the Wadi Araba Treaty. 25 years later, serious doubts arise with regards to the future of the treaty.

28 October 2019
New Old Thinking in Palestine
  • Focus

New Old Thinking in Palestine

There is a Jewish maxim that people tend to look for a lost key where there is light and not where they lost the key. The diplomatic efforts to end the Israel/Palestine conflict were a search for the key where there was light.

21 October 2019
Geopolítica de Turquía después de las elecciones generales y legislativas de 2018
  • Focus

Geopolítica de Turquía después de las elecciones generales y legislativas de 2018

El cambio constitucional en Turquía daría lugar a un nuevo sistema presidencialista, que concentra en la actualidad todo el poder ejecutivo. La capacidad del Parlamento de controlar al gobierno ha sido mermada bajo el nuevo sistema.

20 May 2019
The Long Retreat from Euro-Mediterranean Integration
  • Focus

The Long Retreat from Euro-Mediterranean Integration

Twenty-five years ago, the EU and Southern Mediterranean governments committed themselves to a programme of pan-regional integration. Since then they have gradually turned their backs on this ambitious aim.

18 March 2019
European Democracy Promotion in the Southern Mediterranean
  • Focus

European Democracy Promotion in the Southern Mediterranean

Half-hearted EU programs in countries such as Morocco run the risk of inadvertently strengthening the hybrid regime in place.

15 March 2019
The EU-Arab Summit: A Chance to Reset Relations With the Arab World?
  • Spot On

The EU-Arab Summit: A Chance to Reset Relations With the Arab World?

Leaders of the EU and the Arab League states are to meet in Sharm el Sheikh in an unprecedented encounter. With the stakes as they are, neither Europe nor the Arab world can afford a failure.

21 February 2019
Recovering EU – Egypt Relations, But Core Political Issues Remain
  • Spot On

Recovering EU – Egypt Relations, But Core Political Issues Remain

The eighth EU - Egypt Association Council is due to meet on 20 December 2018. The EU - Egypt relationship holds great potential for socio-economic cooperation, while political issues remain unresolved.

19 November 2018