Publications

The year 2014 was dubbed a ‘game-changer’ for European security. Will 2015 be similar with regard to European defence spending? This Brief explores three possible scenarios.

Putin’s inner circle have tried to evade the US and EU sanctions imposed on them and have been amply compensated for their losses by the state. But with intra-elite tensions on the rise and sanctions depressing Western lending across the board, their effect on Russia’s strategic...

Despite economic growth returning to Europe, defence budgets continued to fall in 2014. Given the worsening security situation in Europe’s neighbourhood, a renewed commitment to defence would represent an important demonstration of solidarity – both within the Union and to...

In the light of the country’s recent signing of a Framework Participation Agreement with the EU, and the upcoming White Paper on defence that Canberra is due to release before the end of the year, this Alert examines Australia’s record of security and defence cooperation with the...

Produced for the occasion of the EUISS conference with HR/VP Mogherini in April 2015, the leaflet goes back to basics on the EU’s external action. Infographics and illustrations, as well as a glossary of terms and relevant actors, present facts and figures about the European...

45 years after its inception, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) faces old and new challenges. This Brief surveys recent developments ahead of the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty. As a microcosm of the regime, the European Union is uniquely positioned to bridge the...

This Alert analyses the ‘track record’ of sanctions as a foreign policy tool. It gives a brief historical overview of the practice of sanctions, showing how in recent years international sanctions have tended to shift from being comprehensive to targeted, and examines the...

This Brief seeks to draw out the lessons learnt from the sanctions imposed on the Soviet Union during the Cold War. What parallels are there with Putin’s Russia? Are they effective foreign policy tools or simply blunt instruments which harm the West as much as the Kremlin?

This Brief provides an overview of the evolving nature of EU-LAC relations since the 1999 Rio summit. By evaluating the changing dynamics encountered internally and externally by both the EU and LAC countries, it maps out the main issues which will be addressed at the upcoming EU...

This Brief takes a look at the implosion of Yemen’s armed forces, and how this has exacerbated the already dire security situation in the country. It seeks to underline the complexity of the dynamics on the ground, proving that the causes of Yemen’s woes go beyond over-simplistic...