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Thomas Speckmann: Despite plans for a common foreign and security policy, bilateral agreements still largely prevail in Europe when it comes to energy policy. More than ever before, Europe needs a common energy foreign policy. Without this kind of special-interest politics, Europe will remain a tiger without teeth.
Germany, France, Italy, and Austria entertain nationally determined, special relations to Russia and its state owned enterprise Gazprom. The company, which according to Moscow's plans, should soon be one of the largest in the world, has stakes in energy corporations both in old and new member states and in 15 of the pipelines on Europe's periphery.
In spite of the threat of "strategic encirclement" by Russia, Hungary and Bulgaria are contributing ...More
Zaborzka, Casini, Szymanski, Weber: EU member states should unite to offer immediate assistance in the Middle East and especially in the North of Iraq. The establishment of quotas would enable the EU to welcome the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees and prevent another human tragedy in the region.
Germany has taken the initiative to tackle the Iraqi refugee crisis. The German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble proposed to his EU colleagues a plan by which Europe would welcome more Iraqi refugees and the member states would step up aid efforts for the region. So far, the majority of the EU's national ministers and governments have remained silent. Europe cannot ignore and overlook the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East ...More
Wolfgang Ischinger: The transatlantic relationship will benefit from a kind of renaissance when the next US president is elected. Rather than sitting on the sidelines and waiting for US demands, Europe should actively develop strategic initiatives and explain European priorities to the US.
Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger spoke to the Atlantic Community's partner organization, the World Security Network:
The Atlantic Community editorial team summarized his main arguments from the video interview above:
Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger has a different view on the transatlantic relationship than most--he's optimistic and believes that "we the Europeans" do not wish to live in disharmony with our American ...More
Ari Hannu Rusila:: The years to come in the Balkan region cannot be as bleak as those of the recent past. Despite uncertainties regarding developments in Kosovo, the following scenarios offer likely alternatives and demonstrate the region has a future.
The comments I have had here as well in some discussion forums about today's Balkan events and
politics have been quite negative. The core problem from my point of view is Kosovo, because it influences the whole of the Balkan region. In one forum, I was asked the question whether I believe the Balkan region has any future. Yes I do.
The Western Balkans have a future and at least following scenarios can be considered:
“Laissez faire” / frozen ...More
Marco Overhaus: The second EU-Africa summit in 2007 in Lisbon endorsed a “Strategic Partnership.” This perspective challenges both actors: the EU to pursue a coherent policy and Africa to develop long-term self-interests and institutions to implement them.
Africa has never been the forgotten
continent from a European perspective. Colonial history and geographic
proximity ensured that Europe did not lose sight of its southern neighbourhood
even when the Cold War ended and the former superpowers lost their strategic
interest in African political affairs. Yet, the European Union was slow to
forge common policies towards the continent as a whole. The Lomé/Cotonou
process (towards ...More
Anne Applebaum: Obama’s visit to Europe signifies a change in America’s political culture – it shows American voters are aware of the damage the current administration has done to America’s image and are not indifferent to how their country is perceived abroad.
"Odd." That's what German Chancellor Angela Merkel said when told of Barack Obama's plan to deliver a major campaign speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, right where the Berlin Wall used to be, where Ronald Reagan once famously called upon Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," and not far from where John F. Kennedy declared, "Ich bin ein Berliner" -- "I am a Berliner" -- to show his solidarity with the inhabitants ...More
Nikolas Kirrill Gvosdev: Despite the proclaimed cooperative approach, Franco-American tensions could grow bigger than under Chirac. Sarkozy’s Euro-Atlantic, yet independent, foreign policy moves could well be at odds with the next US president’s understanding of multilateralism.
On its face, the question seems absurd. The French President has called for Paris' return into the integrated command structure of the Atlantic Alliance, and Sarkozy shares with his counterparts across the Atlantic a common assessment of the threats emerging from the so-called "arc of crisis", including the challenge posed by Islamist terrorism to Western security. Sarkozy seems determined to challenge the two most commonly-held stereotypes ...More
Anna Wojnilko: Changing economic and political realities are forcing the G8 to rethink its goals, mandate, and membership. The debate on the shape of a potential G8 reform divides the political world. Should the G8 be enlarged to include new major international players or contracted to ensure effectiveness? We invite you to vote.
The Hokkaido summit, which once again belied
expectations, and the recent dispute between American presidential candidates
as to whether Russia should be excluded from the Group of Eight revived the
debate on the possibility of a G8 reform. A recent survey by Colin Bradford
of the Brookings Institution reveals that only 15 percent of
experts and officials involved with the Group of Eight think that it is
providing the "global steering mechanism" ...More
Barack Obama Speech: “I will give our military a new mission on my first day in office: ending this war. (…) Let me be clear: We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. We can safely redeploy our combat brigades at a pace that would remove them in 16 months.”
You can read the full text of Senator Barack Obama’s speech "New Strategy for a New World" or watch the video below:
For some criticism of Senator Obama's Iraq plan, incl. comments from Senator McCain and Brookings fellow Michael O'Hanlon, watch this Reuters video:
The Atlantic Community editorial team has summarized the most
promising plans ...More
Abukar Arman: Lasting peace in Somalia requires a holistic approach and constructive engagement on behalf of the international community. The peace accord needs to be adapted to recognize that the precondition “cessation of violence” cannot be fulfilled before Ethiopian occupation troops have left.
What Role Should the International Community Play In Order to Rescue the Peace Accord? The international community (more specifically Europe and America) has vested interest in paving the way for sustained peace in Somalia for the following reasons:
Somalia still remains geopolitically vital as it commands access to the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea- a key global trade route. As the world increasingly turns to Africa for ...More
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