‘...Russia is making regular incursions into the airspace and waters of northern member states. There is no denying that Russia’s behaviour towards the EU’s eastern flank is growing ever more belligerent.’
‘...policymakers must adopt a new, flexible and dynamic approach to security based on the model of a ‘pulsating organisation’ – a set of rules and procedures enabling rapid and effective crisis response.’
‘...Europe needs confidence in itself. Foreign policy cannot be the product of a technocratic process; it must be the expression of a human community.’
With the suspicion that two newly-registered refugees carried out the November Paris attacks, this Alert explores – and debunks – fears that refugee flows from the Middle East have become a backchannel for terrorists entering Europe.
One common assumption has been that refugees are leaving camps in Jordan and Lebanon due to difficult conditions and moving on through Turkey into the EU. But because of the northward shift of the Syrian conflict, the reality is somewhat different.
‘...the EU may be stuck in – or even be addicted to – a culture of ‘crisis management’. By constantly reacting to problems, the EU is unable to develop any real capacity for strategic thinking.’
‘...in the absence of an independent Palestinian state, the destabilisation of the Arab World will continue, as will the growth of terrorism inspired by Islamic extremists.’
