Occasional Papers

Over the last decade, researchers and policy-makers have paid increasing attention to diasporas. This Occasional Paper explores the untapped potential of African diaspora communities in promoting peace in their homelands and assesses how the European Union can engage with these non-state actors in the field of peace and security.

Considering its linkages with various areas such as energy security, economic growth and diplomacy, climate change is a major ‘game-changer’ in international relations. The development of the climate change regime presents the EU with both an opportunity and a threat, in as much as it may either accelerate Europe’s decline as a foreign policy actor or, on the contrary, reinvigorate its diplomatic ambitions.

The Lisbon Treaty opens up the possibility of giving fresh impetus to interparliamentary cooperation in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Staunch parliamentary support is essential if a strong Europe that speaks with one voice and pursues a common foreign policy is to emerge. All of the EU Member States are aware that this is the case and share this goal, as this paper demonstrates.

What scenarios lie ahead for Russia after the March 2012 presidential elections? The authors of this paper define potential ‘game changers’ and provide conclusions as to which post-election scenarios might be more favourable to Russia, and to the European Union.