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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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    22April 2013
    The American sequester - and us
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    Budget cuts in the US are causing concerns not only because of their effect on security and defence spending, but also because of the particular way in which much of them are set to be administered. This brief argues that as a result of sequestration, the EU would do well to identify and take seriously its strategic interests and to invest in its own operational capabilities.

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    15April 2013
    Nuclear multilateralisation - and Europe’s role
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    Although considerable progress has been made regarding the implementation of multilateral nuclear approaches (MNAs) over the past few years, the drive appears to have already lost much momentum since its reinvigoration a decade ago. There is much potential in this realm for the EU to play a constructive role and for its internal diversity to become a foreign policy asset.

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    08April 2013
    Global commons: between cooperation and competition
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    Shared rules regarding the usage of - and access to - the global commons encourages their peaceful and cooperative use. With the rise of non-Western powers, questions must now be asked regarding the durability of the existing processes for managing the global commons. Are new processes required to address new threats and challenges, in particular in the realm of cyber security?

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    19March 2013
    La révolution tunisienne deux ans après – est-elle réversible ?
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    Deux ans après les événements qui ont conduit à la chute du régime de Ben Ali, la crise sociale et gouvernementale actuelle amène à poser la question de l’irréversibilité de la révolution tunisienne. Quelles étaient ses demandes ? Quelles réformes substantielles le gouvernement doit-il encore mettre en œuvre pour garantir une rupture définitive avec le passé ?

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    08March 2013
    L’Instrument de Stabilité – au service de l’approche globale de l’UE
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    Au cours des dernières années, si l’IdS a indéniablement gagné en importance, il demeure encore méconnu comparativement à la PSDC. Leur histoire est pourtant parallèle et leurs activités complémentaires, de façon à renforcer l’approche globale prônée par l’UE dans la Stratégie européenne de sécurité.

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    04March 2013
    Good cop or bad cop? Sanctioning Belarus
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    Sanctions seem to have become one of the EU’s weapons of choice to effect change beyond its borders and the case of Belarus testifies in particular to the Union’s ambition to conduct coercive diplomacy. Yet, despite the various steps taken by the EU over the past years, little lasting success has been achieved so far in enforcing meaningful change in Europe’s ‘last dictatorship’.

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    20February 2013
    Strategic foresight - and the EU
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    With various political and institutional initiatives across the Union indicating a growing interest in the analysis of trends and factors that may affect Europe’s position in the years and decades to come, the EUISS Director digs deeper into the nature, practice and record of strategic foresight.

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    18February 2013
    The shale gas ‘revolution’: challenges and implications for the EU
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    The recent boom in ‘unconventional’ oil and gas in the United States has raised many questions regarding the impact it will have on global energy markets, the security of energy supplies, the fight against climate change and even the global balance of power. Is it now time for Europe to develop its own resources?

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    18February 2013
    Water as a stress factor in ­sub-Saharan Africa
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    Despite Africa’s rainy equatorial zone, long rivers, great lakes and vast shores, water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. Convincing policy responses are required in order to alleviate growing pressure on water resources that could eventually lead to domestic unrest, exacerbate existing inter-state tensions and even constitute a source of armed conflict.

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    18December 2012
    UNSCR 1540 and the EU: reinforcing national responsibilities
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    For nearly a decade now, the EU has provided decisive support to international efforts to combat WMD proliferation. This policy brief illustrates the added value of EU support to existing international instruments dealing with non-proliferation, while recommending concrete steps to improve EU efforts to foster greater international cooperation.

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