Asylum flows to the EU: blip or norm?
Roderick Parkes
In May 2015, the EU-28, Switzerland and Norway received the highest number of asylum applications on record. What is the EU doing to address the matter? And will these refugee pressures remain a permanent feature of world affairs?
China: reshaping the global order?
Alice Ekman
Beijing's foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific is based on the firm belief that its economic weight will eventually convert into political and strategic clout. This Alert examines how the creation of regional and global institutions has become a key objective to support this strategy.
Sanctions: moving targets and goalposts
Francesco Giumelli
This Alert makes the point that sanctions regimes are not static: the relative importance of crises for a foreign policy actor can evolve over time, as domestic, regional or global politics change. As a responsive sanctioner, the EU, too, has displayed its ability to hit moving targets in this regard.
Adding fuel to the fire? Arming the Kurds
Jan Joel Andersson, Florence Gaub
The decision by EU member states – and others – to supply the Iraqi Kurds with weapons in the face of an onslaught by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seems logical. But what unintended future consequences could this have?
EU sanctions: exit strategies
José Luengo-Cabrera, Clara Portela
The EU stands out as a responsive sanctioning actor. This Alert argues that by signalling its commitment to reward compliance through a phased exit strategy, the Union lends credence to the reversibility of sanctions.
Defence: solidarity, trust and threat perception
Jan Joel Andersson
Is the mutual solidarity between EU and NATO member states strong enough to collectively defend Europe if worse comes to worst? And what could be done to assure European allies, especially in the east, about the transatlantic alliance's ironclad guarantee to defend them?
COP21 en route to Paris: the state of play
Balazs Ujvari
With the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) on climate fast approaching, hopes for finally clinching a robust global climate deal are running high. This Alert assesses the current state of play of the negotiations and looks at the remaining key challenges to be tackled in the run-up to summit.
Transit Niger: migrants, rebels and traffickers
Niger is increasingly becoming a major hub for drugs and arms smuggling in the Sahel region, as well as for clandestine migration across the desert, into Libya, and eventually Europe. Can Niger block these irregular migration and smuggling routes – and if so, will it?
The dark side of the web: ISIL's one-stop shop?
Beatrice Berton
With law enforcement agencies pooling resources to counter ISIL's online propaganda, this Alert seeks to raise awareness of the jihadists' use of the so-called 'Dark Web', the hidden underbelly of the little explored Deep Web.
Stranded at sea: the Rohingya
Eva Pejsova
Much like the European Union, several ASEAN countries are now facing a migrant boat crisis. But mindsets and attitudes towards the issue differ markedly. What are the root causes of the plight of the Rohingya? And what obstacles are there to addressing their suffering in a comprehensive manner at a regional level?