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The EU’s chemical weapons sanctions regime

31 July 2020
Concerns about the ero­sion of the ‘taboo’ on chemical weapons use have deepened in recent years, in particular following the chemical weapons attacks that have taken place in the Syrian conflict. The sanctions regime against the proliferation and use of chemical weapons which the EU adopted in October 2018 constitutes the Union’s first coercive instrument against chemical weapons, and is an attempt by the EU to support the multilateral chemical disarmament regime after efforts to frame a response via the United Nations Security Council failed.

Revitalising the NPT

31 January 2020
In the run-up to the 2020 Review Conference of the NPT, this Brief assesses the EU’s record as a non-proliferation actor. In particular it seeks to identify how the EU can rebuild its credibility in this role given the difficulties encountered in obtaining a consensus at the 2015 RevCon. The Brief argues that in order to overcome divisions among a polarised membership, the EU could support the moderate faction promoting the middle ground and develop a modus vivendi with the ‘Ban Treaty’ – the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – with a view to fostering an agenda of gradual progress towards nuclear disarmament.

Less is more? The US at the UN

11 October 2017

This Brief explains how, in theory, the US spending less money on the UN could have yielded more desired outcomes by providing greater clarity of priorities and efficiency of operations. But in practice, having fewer resources and engaging less seems to have resulted in more festering crises and disorder.

UNSC Resolution 1325 fifteen years on

30 September 2015

October 2015 will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and conflicts. This Brief shows how UNSCR 1325 has contributed to an increased recognition of the importance of gender issues and of women’s role in the EU’s external policies, and examines the Union’s efforts to incorporate the values of the Resolution into its foreign policy toolkit.

EU sanctions in context: three types

17 July 2015

This Brief provides an overview of EU sanctions practices. Considering the combined and interactive effects of co-existing sanctions regimes, it also examines the implications of sanctions measures, often closely interlinked with UN practice, for the EU as a multilateral actor.

BRICS bloc(k) rising?

05 June 2015

With the five BRICS countries continuing to expand and institutionalise their cooperation on key international issues in an attempt to further increase their global clout, this Brief takes a look at the EU’s response to their rise. Should the BRICS be treated individually or as a group by the Union?

Sanctions against Russia: evasion, compensation and overcompliance

13 May 2015

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 calculations should not be underestimated.

Sanctions and Russia: lessons from the Cold War

24 April 2015

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?

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