SOTEU 2022: Expectations on the Roadmap to 2023

On the 14th of September, Ursula Von der Leyen spoke in front of the European Parliament to deliver 2022’s State of the Union speech. The President of the Commission was accompanied by the guest of honour for the evening, Mrs. Olona Zelenska. It has been 8 months since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, which has prompted an energy crisis, stark inflation and interruptions in supply-chains across Europe as a spillover effect, among other consequences.

(Analysis) Iraqi Kurdistan: the EU’s Next Major Energy Supplier?

Iraqi Kurdistan’s Prime Minister is convinced that his region can become one of Europe’s main energy suppliers in the near future.
This article takes an in depth look at the opportunities and challenges facing Iraqi Kurdistan’s plans of becoming a global energy exporter, in order to determine their feasability.

(Analysis) Tensions across the Taiwan Strait: Is the 1992 Consensus Permanently Lost?

Relations between Beijing and Taipei have often experienced periods of friction ever since the victory of Mao Zedong’s Chinese communists in 1949. Now cross-strait ties have undergone crucial transformations under Tsai Ing-wen’s leadership, resulting in unprecedented diplomatic and military tensions along the Taiwan Strait.

Polar Power Plays: Is the EU’s Arctic Policy Still Relevant?

The Arctic has been termed “the pole of peace” by Mikhael Gorbachev in 1987. However, in recent times, there are a lot of developments in the region. As such, this article takes a closer look at the EU’s Arctic policy in light of recent challenges and analyzes the main challenges to and priorities of the EU’s Arctic strategy.

(Analysis) Resolution 1325: The Contribution and Limitation on Women, Peace & Security

The UN Security Council’s Resolution 1325 was the first to specifically address women in times of peace and war. In order to maintain and advance peace and security, including conflict prevention and resolution, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and post-conflict reconstruction, the resolution emphasises the necessity of women’s equal participation and involvement in all such efforts. Despite having several gaps that needed to be filled, the first resolution did contribute to the protection of women and girls under international law. The contribution of S/RES/1325 is discussed in this article in some detail.

(Analysis) EU Candidate Status for Ukraine and Moldova: Political Signal or Geostrategic Move?

The article seeks to outline the key factors that impacted the EU’s decision to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. It touches on the issues of EU-Russia competition in the shared neighborhood and relations between the EU and the Associated Trio countries.

Change or Continuity for the United Nations Security Council? An Analysis on the Institution’s Reformation Process

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is crucial to preserving global peace and security, yet attempts to reform it for more than 20 years have been unsuccessful. This article details the steps that would need to be taken in accordance with the United Nations charter in the event that the UNSC were to be reformed. It also gives an insight of the G4’s proposal for reformation.