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Briefs

Raising awareness of both existing and emerging foreign and security policy challenges facing the European Union, EUISS Briefs provide key information in a concise, focused format.

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    05June 2015
    BRICS bloc(k) rising?
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    With the five BRICS countries continuing to expand and institutionalise their cooperation on key international issues in an attempt to further increase their global clout, this Brief takes a look at the EU’s response to their rise. Should the BRICS be treated individually or as a group by the Union?

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    29May 2015
    EU and Japan: stepping up the game
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    With Japan boosting its international profile in an attempt to become a fully-fledged security actor, this Brief looks into its prospects for deepening cooperation with the EU in view of the upcoming 23rd EU-Japan Summit.

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    29May 2015
    Countering terrorism: an area for EU-China cooperation?
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    Despite their normative differences, how can the EU and China work together in order to make an effective contribution to the international fight against terrorism? And given that counter-terrorism is considered to be primarily a national competence, in which fields can the EU take the diplomatic initiative on behalf of its member states?

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    13May 2015
    Defence budgets in Europe: downturn or U-turn?
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    The year 2014 was dubbed a ‘game-changer’ for European security. Will 2015 be similar with regard to European defence spending? This Brief explores three possible scenarios.

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    13May 2015
    Sanctions against Russia: evasion, compensation and overcompliance
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    Putin’s inner circle have tried to evade the US and EU sanctions imposed on them and have been amply compensated for their losses by the state. But with intra-elite tensions on the rise and sanctions depressing Western lending across the board, their effect on Russia’s strategic calculations should not be underestimated.

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    24April 2015
    Sanctions and Russia: lessons from the Cold War
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    This Brief seeks to draw out the lessons learnt from the sanctions imposed on the Soviet Union during the Cold War. What parallels are there with Putin’s Russia? Are they effective foreign policy tools or simply blunt instruments which harm the West as much as the Kremlin?

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    24April 2015
    The EU and the NPT: drawing lines
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    45 years after its inception, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) faces old and new challenges. This Brief surveys recent developments ahead of the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty. As a microcosm of the regime, the European Union is uniquely positioned to bridge the NPT’s main divides.

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    17April 2015
    Whatever happened to Yemen’s army?
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    This Brief takes a look at the implosion of Yemen’s armed forces, and how this has exacerbated the already dire security situation in the country. It seeks to underline the complexity of the dynamics on the ground, proving that the causes of Yemen’s woes go beyond over-simplistic explanations based on sectarian antagonisms.

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    17April 2015
    EU-LAC: the other transatlantic partnership
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    This Brief provides an overview of the evolving nature of EU-LAC relations since the 1999 Rio summit. By evaluating the changing dynamics encountered internally and externally by both the EU and LAC countries, it maps out the main issues which will be addressed at the upcoming EU-CELAC summit in Brussels.

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    02April 2015
    The EU in a multiplex world
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    The EUISS is now helping with the preparation of the HR/VP’s report assessing the ‘changes in the global environment’ which is to be delivered in June. In this Brief, the EUISS Director gives a first overview of some of the themes this report may include.

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