sovereignty
Reports on sovereignty See all →
The ever-ambiguous European Union project
The European Union’s ambiguity-ridden system is increasingly hard to sell to populations. Stranded in a no-man’s-land between a federal state and a confederation, today’s EU features neither sound democracy, nor prudent governance, nor a vibrant economy. A true federalist system could go a long way toward addressing these weaknesses, but it implies the idea of a nation at the federal level.Even though there is an undeniable feeling of Europeanness in our part of the world, it is still hard to see any “European nation.”
As sanctions take their toll, Russia turns to import substitution
As the Russian economy’s difficulties deepen, the Kremlin is putting a brave face on things. It maintains that Western sanctions have been beneficial and that its own anti-crisis program is working. Moreover, the government is talking up a new “Strategy 2030” to boost domestic self-sufficiency based on import substitution. The ...
Europe at a crossroads: toward a global strategy
The European Union plans to adopt a “Global Strategy” for its foreign and security policies (EGS) at its June 22 summit. The document is the result of years of reflection on the increasing complexity of Europe’s external relations and interconnections. A fundamental problem for the EU is that neither its ...
IMF puts itself in a fix as it bends rules to bail out Ukraine
On December 18, 2015, the government of Ukraine announced it had no intention of honoring a $3 billion Eurobond loan owed to Russia that would mature on December 20. Given the cross-default clause written into that bond, under British law, this was a momentous decision. It gave the Kremlin the ...
Beijing tries carrot and stick as Taiwan vote nears
Taiwan will hold presidential and legislative elections on January 16, 2016. Opinion polls show the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is set to win. If it does, writes GIS guest expert Dr. Nicola Casarini, it will be the culmination of a trend that began with local elections in November 2014 when ...
