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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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    20March 2015
    Algeria’s army: on jihadist alert
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    Algerian decision-making circles have come to the conclusion that the country is once again facing a protracted war with Islamist terrorism. But unlike the dark decade of the 1990’s, Algiers is now combating jihadists which operate across borders and threaten its entire neighbourhood.

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    06March 2015
    China: setting the agenda(s)?
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    Since Xi Jinping came to power, China has been pursuing a more active foreign policy. With Beijing now expanding its ambitious infrastructure development plans to Europe and Central Asia, how could the EU shape a common approach based on its priorities in Asia?

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    06March 2015
    China’s People’s Liberation Army – The politico-military nexus
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    This Brief highlights the importance of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as a political actor in its own right. However, China also has an effective system of civilian control over the armed forces, which works because they are thoroughly politicised.

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    27February 2015
    Congolese lessons for the Great Lakes
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    As elections approach in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, the entire Great Lakes region is bracing itself for a potential of a spike in conflict. This Brief assesses the situation in the DRC, where President Kabila is seeking to control the army, stifle opposition and civil society, and break free of donor pressure. What lessons can be drawn from the situation there?

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    30January 2015
    Cyber jihadists and their web
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    This Brief explains how the internet has increasingly become a tool for extremists to recruit new members, raise funds, and conduct new types of attacks. What can be done to stop the rise of cyber jihadism?

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    16January 2015
    Can ISIL be copied?
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    The first EUISS Brief of 2015 explores the possibility of other jihadi groups evolving along the lines of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). What explains the organisation’s spectacular rise? And what elements are required for other groups to replicate ISIL’s achievements?

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    12December 2014
    Do sanctions against Russia work?
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    The Brief examines the debate surrounding the restrictive measures imposed by the West on Russia: What impact are they having, both politically and economically? And are they effective enough to change Moscow’s behaviour in Ukraine?

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    08December 2014
    Justice pénale internationale : (im)pressions africaines
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    Les tensions existantes entre la CPI et l’Union africaine ont récemment été exacerbées par la comparution du Président kenyan Uhuru Kenyatta devant la Cour pénale internationale. Malgré l’abandon des charges, de nombreuses interrogations subsistent sur l’avenir des relations entre les Etats africains et la CPI. Quelles sont les pistes envisageables afin de trouver un compromis, et l’UE peut-elle contribuer à trouver une solution ?

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    27November 2014
    Gender in conflict
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    This Brief explores the various dimensions of women in conflict. Beyond the prevailing narratives that tend to portray women primarily as victims – and men as perpetrators – they can also actively engage in civilian life, partake in combat, and help pave the road to peace.

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    14November 2014
    Climate change and EU security – When and how they intersect
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    This Brief explores potential security challenges linked to climate change. What mitigation and adaptation efforts are governments – and militaries – adopting in order to avoid the worst effects of this global problem?

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