The European Council on Foreign Relations

Europe can keep the two-state solution on track

2013-05-10T08:11:52+00:00

As the prospects of a two-state outcome on Israel/Palestine fade, Europeans need to apply tougher love to both parties before it is too late.

Serious straits: why trouble looms in the Gulf

2013-04-10T10:48:57+00:00

An understanding of the importance of the Gulf States is vital for explaining how the wider Middle East functions, thanks to their wealth, their energy resources, their geostrategic position, and their straddling of many of the MENA region's major faultlines.

Lebanon: Locked into escalation?

2013-03-26T10:27:53+00:00

The collapse of Lebanon’s government has thrust the country into a deepening political crisis. The war in Syria and recent actions by Hezbollah also suggest that internal conflict may return to Lebanon.

Nice Speech, Mr. President

2013-03-22T14:50:26+00:00

Obama said all the right things in Jerusalem, but what next? The visit has offered nothing new on the programmatic side, no plan for going forward.

Obama’s visit to Israel: Embrace the victory of politics over substance

2013-03-20T08:08:34+00:00

If Obama begins to grasp the tribal, fluid and divided nature of Israeli politics and how to impact Israeli voters and their leaders, then this visit might be worth something after all.

EU troops can still help in Mali

2013-02-05T10:10:11+00:00

A ‘plug-and-play' approach to peacekeeping lacks the glamour of a full-scale military intervention but it could be a cheaper and a more strategic approach for the EU to deal with the situation in Mali.

Egypt: out of control?

2013-02-04T17:30:51+00:00

Egypt appears to be spinning out of control. The current crisis is a prolongation of the crisis that emerged late last year over a decree by President Morsi suspending some judicial decisions and giving himself additional powers, followed by the rush to approve a new constitution.

Does Jordan’s election change anything?

2013-01-30T11:18:44+00:00

Jordan's elections were widely considered a success, but the country continues to face two critical challenges: dealing with overspill from the Syrian conflict, and a badly stumbling economy.

Brahimi’s final acts

2013-01-18T13:34:14+00:00

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.

War in the Sahel: a European cause

2013-01-16T15:15:03+00:00

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

2013-01-16T11:00:50+00:00

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

2013-01-15T10:57:28+00:00

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

2013-01-03T09:47:05+00:00

The main theme of 2013 is likely to be the unraveling of the global economy and supporting political integration.

Ten trends for 2013

2012-12-31T22:01:40+00:00

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?

Bringing Turkey back to the EU debate

2012-12-21T10:41:04+00:00

Shunned by the EU with membership talks effectively blocked, Turkey feels empowered. It is no longer on the European periphery, but at the centre of its own world.

Democracy and Political Islam after the Arab revolutions

2012-12-14T11:15:49+00:00

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

2012-12-11T14:48:10+00:00

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

2012-12-05T12:06:02+00:00

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?

A European “maybe” for Palestine

2012-11-29T13:38:54+00:00

Although EU members have not reached a concensus on recognising Palestine at the United Nations, the arguments in favour of European recognition outweigh the arguments against.

Seven takeaways from the Gaza ceasefire

2012-11-23T11:44:08+00:00

Did Israel's "Operation Pillar of Defense" change the politics of the Middle East? Who are the winners and losers of the Gaza conflict - and what's next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

New world, same old Israel

2012-11-23T09:44:30+00:00

Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to show that nothing in Israel's security situation has changed. But in the wake of the Arab Uprising the Middle East is a different place and Israel needs to reconsider its whole strategy.

Israel: Living by the sword

2012-11-16T15:28:02+00:00

What was the assessment that prompted Israel's operation in Gaza and what might that tell us about its intended outcome and trajectory? Of course the timing can be explained with the approaching elections in Israel. But that is only part of the story.

Plenty of war clouds but no daylight in Governor Romney’s speech

2012-10-09T14:27:51+00:00

Mitt Romney's foreign policy speech focused almost exclusively on the broader Middle East region. But what he really advanced was a policy of weaponised Keynesianism.

Europe’s role in the Arab Spring

2012-09-26T10:00:25+00:00

The outcome of the uprisings in North Africa is still in the balance and although it will be mainly up to the North Africans themselves to decide their future, Europe has a key role to play on the side of reform - especially Paris, Rome and Madrid.

What Europe should tell Mohammed Morsi

2012-09-13T12:46:09+00:00

The Brussels visit of Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi is a striking reminder of the changes that have swept the Arab world in the last 18 months. Europe should not miss a historic opportunity to rebuild relations with the most important country in the region.

Morsi goes to Tehran, and Egypt gets its mojo back

2012-09-10T17:17:04+00:00

Cairo and Tehran are talking to each other: Iran because it is increasingly isolated, Egypt because it is attempting to reclaim the mantle of regional leadership. Is this an example of Egypt's new foreign policy under Mr Morsi?

Multilateralism: Moscow rules?

2012-08-08T08:06:28+00:00

With Russia due to play a central role in multilateral institutions over the next two years, its obstructionism over Syria does not bode well. However Europeans may find - to their benefit - that it is actually China that calls the shots on the international stage.

Don’t give up on politics in Syria

2012-08-02T08:56:05+00:00

As civil war engulfs Syria talk of politics and diplomacy has fallen silent. But the West should be redoubling its political and diplomatic efforts, even as it offers indirect support for the arming of the rebels in Syria.

What Netanyahu learned from Shamir (and others didn’t)

2012-07-09T11:09:36+00:00

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu eulogized the country's seventh prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir. At first glance the two strike very contrasting profiles yet in terms of ideology and policies, they are probably the two most kindred spirits to have held the office.

Obama’s Drone Attacks: How the EU Should Respond

2012-06-19T11:13:57+00:00

Despite President Obama extending its use of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the EU has been largely silent on the issue. But European leaders need to press the US to establish credible international standards to govern their use.