Germany’s Zeitenwende Is Still Incomplete
Four years after Olaf Scholz proclaimed a Zeitenwende (trans. Turning Point) in German security policy, Germany is building the largest army, but not the one it needs.
How Governments Are Using Tourism to Sanitise Their Image
From the pyramids of Giza to World Cup stadiums, international tourism has become one of the most effective, and subtle, forms of political image management.
The EU as a Global Strategic Actor (ESP Series 2)
It is hard to overstate the innovative capacity of the US and China. To compete on equal footing, the EU must leverage its strategic edge: the collaborative nature of its own flagship R&I programme, now the largest research coalition in the world.
Russia’s Shadow Fleet Finds a Safe Harbor
As Europe steps up boardings of Russia’s shadow fleet, Moscow is moving its tankers under the Russian flag, the one registration Europe cannot challenge at sea without confronting Russia itself.
The Race to the Moon Is Back On, And Europe Is Helping Us Get There
America is heading back to the Moon, but Europe is helping build the infrastructure that will sustain our presence there as Washington and Beijing compete over the lunar South Pole.
Horizon Europe’s Scientific Answer to a Bipolar World
It is hard to overstate the innovative capacity of the US and China. To compete on equal footing, the EU must leverage its strategic edge: the collaborative nature of its own flagship R&I programme, now the largest research coalition in the world.
Which way, Germany? Why German rearmament might end up dividing Europe
German rearmament is meant to unite Europe, but unless Berlin embeds it in European structures, it risks dividing it.
Securing Arctic Connectivity Amid Great Power Competition
The European Union needs to define an Arctic Strategy that takes into account both EU digital sovereignty and security issues in the region.
A Framework for Reparations-Backed Lending, Applied to Russia’s Frozen Assets
In December 2025, the EU considered using €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine but stepped back from the plan. Not because the legal case collapsed, but because nobody had priced what the instrument would actually cost and who would carry that cost if it went wrong.
That question has not gone away. It has been deferred to a debate several Member States are already working to reopen.
Enlargement Begins at Home
Current geopolitical circumstances are accelerating Europe’s push for enlargement. But how is the EU handling its challenges?
In This New Geopolitical Reality, Europe Needs a Coherent Digital Deterrence Strategy
Europe’s digital resilience is weakened by the Union’s inability to deter the very digital security threats it seeks to resist.
Defence Spending Alone Cannot Produce European Defence Integration
On the 9th and 10th of September 2025, roughly twenty Russian drones intruded upon Polish national airspace, calling for a NATO response involving air-defences from several allies – this scramble exposes how the EU relies on NATO and individual national capabilities for rapid and coordinated defences rather than a stable and unified infrastructure.
