The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement: The Implications for Europe’s Energy Security
The new agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey exposes Europe to hidden Gulf energy shocks, making true economic resilience a vital priority.
The EU Cannot Win Its Eastern Neighbourhood Through Normative Power Alone
The EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood is being contested by actors who move faster, ask less, and deliver sooner, yet its policy strategy remains calibrated to a less competitive environment.
Europe’s $750 Billion Promise to Buy US Energy That Nobody Needs
The EU has pledged $750 billion in US energy purchases at the exact moment its own gas demand is beginning to fall. Priced to satisfy trade negotiators rather than actual demand, the commitment risks locking Europe into fresh import dependency just as its own consumption starts to shrink.
Progressive Bulgaria and the Paradox of Power
Has stability finally come to Bulgaria? It appeared that it might have on 19 April 2026.
Europe’s Opening in Africa’s Finance Race with China Lies in Local Value Creation
As Europe and China converge on de-risking private capital in development finance, the real contest is shifting from mobilising finance to turning it into value-chain offers built around African priorities.
Addressing the Growing Threat of Crypto-Asset Circumvention to EU Sanctions
Sanction circumvention is an adaptation game, and crypto has dealt Russia a new hand. To prevent the erosion of sanctions effectiveness, the EU must adapt to new evasion practices and tools to better target entry points into the formal economy.
Icelanders Say “Nei” to EU Talks: Why the Push to Resume Accession Failed
Iceland voted 52.8% to 47.2% against resuming EU accession talks, as rural “no” strongholds outweighed pro-EU Reykjavik despite rising Arctic tensions. The verdict comes down to fisheries, the króna, and contentment with EEA membership, and it challenges the idea that EEA integration is just a waystation to joining the EU.
Inside NATO 3.0: Where Europe Leads, and Where It Still Can’t
NATO’s own leadership calls it a new era of partnership, a stronger Europe within a stronger alliance. Europe is taking on more of NATO’s responsibilities and is assuming more authority within the alliance, however, it still depends on America for nearly everything that leadership runs on.
The AfD Won Two State Elections. What’s Next?
Despite polling success and victories in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD will find it difficult to participate in future state – and federal – governments.
Beyond Cheap Talk? The EU’s Fragmented Turn to Indo-Pacific Security
In 2025 the EU committed to more in Indo-Pacific security than ever before. It is not clear it has the means to follow through.
Can UK-French Nuclear Cooperation Substitute for US Extended Deterrence?
Washington’s 2026 National Defence Strategy rests conspicuously silent on the future of its nuclear umbrella over Europe. Growing Anglo-French cooperation is being framed as the continent’s most plausible fallback, though its doctrinal limits mean it still falls short of a genuine substitute.
The Procurement Mentality Undermining European Defence
Europe’s defence spending surge has a clear winner: American suppliers. National procurement decisions are undermining strategic autonomy before Brussels has finished debating it.
