Fighting Words: The Risks of Loose Talk About a “European Army”

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This article was originally published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on 20 November 2018.

‘European army’ is an empty phrase; what is actually needed is less talk and more action – more concrete projects to integrate defence efforts while avoiding careless talk.

Paranoia and Defense Planning: Why Language Matters When Talking About Nuclear Weapons

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This article was originally published by War on the Rocks on 10 October 2018.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO has, when one thinks about it, just one job. No matter who holds the job, the U.S. ambassador to NATO has many priorities, as one would expect for a role that involves dealing with dozens of countries and trying to get them to agree on a coherent defense policy. But one would think that not provoking a nuclear war with Russia would be at the very top of the ambassador’s list of priorities. This seems like a no-brainer, but it helps to focus on the simple things. The United States has a special obligation to be the “adult in the room” and to keep the alliance focused on constructive responses to collective threats.

In Search of Sustainable Approaches to Migration, EU Strives for Partnerships

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This article was originally published by the IPI Global Observatory on 12 October 2018.

Last month, president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker proposed a new program that would aim to bolster economic growth in Africa as part of the European Union’s (EU) efforts to reduce irregular migration. Such a measure stands in contrast to others taken in recent years where, for example, Italy worked to stem the flow of migrants—with EU backing—by engaging local intermediaries, who have allegedly paid armed groups to cease smuggling. Avoiding the extreme flows of migrants as experienced in 2015 remains a top concern irrespective of the measures employed, not least to contain the rising tide of populism rooted in anti-migrant sentiment in Europe.

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Regional Stability

A Europeanized NATO? The Alliance Contemplates the Turmp Era and Beyond

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This article was originally published by War on the Rocks on 25 September 2018.

When asked about President Donald Trump’s July 2018 visit to Europe, Henry Kissinger presciently noted, “I think Trump may be one of those figures in history who appears from time to time to mark the end of an era and to force it to give up its old pretenses.” In other words, for all the uproar surrounding the president’s personality, something bigger is going on, and Trump has come to personify it. Perhaps the biggest challenge is, therefore, to put words to this shifting ground and imagine its potential consequences.

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CSS Blog

Main Migration Routes to Europe in 2017

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This graphic maps the main routes of irregular migration into Europe during 2017 and the first half of 2018 as well as the top three nationalities of migrants using these routes. For more on changing migration trends and EU migration policy, see Lisa Watanabe’s latest addition to the CSS Analyses in Security Policy series here. For more CSS charts, maps and graphics, click here.