Our most-read publications in 2022

Strategic Compass, energy crisis, geopolitical competition in Africa and much more: explore the list of our most popular publications last year.

1 - Strategic Compass - New bearings for EU security and defence?

By Daniel Fiott and Gustav Lindstrom, December 2021

Part strategy, part action plan, the Strategic Compass aims to strengthen the EU’s security and defence policy by 2030. Published in the remaining months of negotiation on the Compass, this Chaillot Paper offers numerous recommendations and policy considerations, combining the insights of eleven expert contributors and the results of an EUISS questionnaire.

2 - Europe’s energy crisis conundrum - Origins, impacts and way forward

By Yana Popkostova, January 2022

The energy crisis that engulfed Europe in 2021 continues to be a major source of concern. Written before the invasion of Ukraine, this Brief looks at the causes of the crisis, analyses its impacts and proposes strategic responses to enhance the EU’s resilience to energy market volatility as it pursues its ambitious decarbonisation strategy.

3 - African spaces - The new geopolitical frontlines

Edited by Giovanni Faleg, March 2022

Global powers are increasingly scrambling to project influence in Africa. In this Chaillot Paper, Giovanni Faleg and 11 contributors identify the different spaces where this geopolitical competition is taking place on the continent.

4 - China and the battle of coalitions - The ‘circle of friends’ versus the Indo-Pacific strategy

By Alice Ekman, May 2022

Enlarging its ‘circle of friends’ has become a top priority for Beijing. In this Chaillot paper, Alice Ekman analyses China's coalition-building efforts and identifies the tactics and strategy it uses to convince a maximum number of countries to support its positions.

5 - What if ... not? - The cost of assumptions

Edited by Florence Gaub, January 2022

Untested and unverified assumptions about the future can lead to strategic mistakes. The whole EUISS team of analyst imagined 11 foresight scenarios using assumptions underpinning European policies. And showed their cost should they turn out to be untrue. Discover our scenarios such as 'What if the US cannot guarantee the EU’s security?' or 'What if the Western Balkans turn away from the EU?'.

6 - The EU’s civilian headquarters - Inside the control room of civilian crisis management

Edited by Giovanni Faleg, May 2022

As the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) celebrated 15 years, this collegial piece involving ten authors conducted in-depth research on the performance, achievements and weaknesses of the operational headquarters for EU’s civilian crisis management missions.

7 - Yearbook of European security 2021

By Daniel Fiott with Marco Zeiss, October 2021

An EUISS classic every year. The 2021 Yearbook of European Security provides an overview of events in 2020 that were significant for European security. The book charts major developments in the EU’s external action and security and defence policy. The 2022 edition is now available.

8 - Sanctions, conflict and democratic backsliding - A user’s manual

By Clara Portela, June 2022

This Brief presents an overview of EU sanctions policy, the rationales guiding their imposition and the expected impacts, focusing on the two types of situations in which the EU usually applies its measures: violent conflict and democratic backsliding.

9 - Rising hybrid threats in Africa - Challenges and implications for the EU

By Giovanni Faleg and Nad’a Kovalčíková, March 2022

In this Brief, Giovanni Faleg and Nad'a Kovalčíková seek to explain why the EU should be alerted about the increase in hybrid threats in Africa and how they are becoming a critical security concern in an already fragile environment.

10 - Becoming a military district - Deepening military cooperation between Russia and Belarus

By András Rácz, March 2022

With Belarus now playing an active enabling role in the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, this Brief analyses how military cooperation between Russia and Belarus has deepened since 2020.