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.
This Brief examines how reflecting on past predictions and assessing how accurate – or not – they proved to be helps to improve foresight capacities. It also shows that mistakes in foresight are not necessarily negative, as long as they are examined to evaluate the reasons why...
The third in the EUISS connectivity series, this Brief focuses on China’s Polar Silk Road project, which officially incorporates the Arctic Ocean into Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, and examines what it reveals about China’s broader geopolitical ambitions in the region.
Strategic autonomy. Two familiar words that are yet again in vogue in Europe but which cause confusion and, in some quarters, even alarm. This Brief compares the range of defence initiatives that have been developed by the EU since 2016 against three different conceptual visions...
Russia’s political system appears strong and durable at first glance. However, on closer inspection, several factors are gradually undercutting Putin's standing, a process which, in turn, is likely to have future knock-on effects for Russia’s entire political edifice. What...
This Brief seeks to advance the discussion about AI and security and defence within an EU context, and also to offer policymakers a few analytical pointers that may be useful when dealing with defence and AI.
The civilian dimension of the EU’s CSDP has traditionally played a Cinderella-like role in the EU crisis management system. And like the original fairy tale, it seems that civilian CSDP will need three essential elements to succeed: (1) a renewed and credible strategic framework...
Few international actors blur the lines between politics and business to the point of making them indistinguishable as some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states do. This Brief looks at their distinct political and economic models, which allow the GCC states to deploy economic...
Gwadar port is a flagship project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The construction of the port near the Gulf of Hormuz gives China access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. This Brief argues that the geostrategic dimension of the project far outweighs its...
This Brief looks at the EU’s Capability Development Plan (CDP) and argues that it might be seen as the glue that can enhance coherence between other defence initiatives. What defence capabilities could the EU collectively prioritise now and in the future in a context of finite...
During the seven years of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, known as the Brussels Dialogue, relations between the two sides have oscillated between normalisation and a state of strained peace and conflict prevention. What are the key obstacles to more...
