Arab Spring
Europe and the New Middle East
Alliances in the Middle East are changing but the EU is been little engaged with the new diplomatic shifts and risks becoming irrelevant in the region, writes Jonathan Spyer.
After Berlin, the EU needs to translate commitments on Libya into actions
Following a positive Libya peace summit in Berlin, the EU needs to back up commitments with actions, although the path ahead remains fraught with difficulty, writes Tom Garofalo.
Moscow fumes at Ankara over meddling in Libyan crisis
Russia has condemned Turkey’s intention to send troops to Libya to support Fayez al-Sarraj, prime minister of the UN-backed Government of National Accord of Libya against the head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar.
Diplomacy heats up in the Mediterranean amid escalating Greece-Turkey row
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Turkey and Libya to demarcate maritime zones has shaken up politics in the Mediterranean, with Greece preparing a diplomatic counter-offensive.
EU foreign affairs chief ready to go to Libya
EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell stands ready to go to Libya and help solve the ongoing crisis between the different parties, EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on Wednesday (18 December).
Europe calls for ‘urgent restraint’ as US hits Iran with extra sanctions
The European Union called for an "immediate de-escalation" of tensions in the Middle East on Monday (24 June), as the US government announced new "hard-hitting" sanctions on Iran after launching a series of cyber attacks on the country last week.
Watad: The oil company that came from nowhere and became a key player in Syria
Life in rebel-held northwest Syria has, without a doubt, been made easier by Watad Petroleum’s presence. But with no information available publicly about who owns or runs it, there is a persistent suspicion about it, writes Haid Haid.
EXCLUSIVE: Germany blocking EU plans to stop spyware trade with dictators
EU proposals to establish export restrictions on spyware are being held back by Germany, which has adopted an ambiguous stance on the plans, EURACTIV has learnt.
A divided EU and a divided Arab League put on a fragile show of unity
Neither the EU nor the Arab League really knows where it is going. Yet, divided as they are, both sides also face harsher and more cohesive adversaries: China, Russia and the US, writes Fiasal Al Yafai.
How a gas pipeline to Europe is transforming the Turkish-Israeli relationship
The discovery of massive natural gas fields off Israel’s northern coast more than a decade ago and subsequent attempts to export this gas to Europe have highlighted the true fault lines in the Turkish-Israeli alliance, writes Joseph Dana.
Angela Merkel’s legacy in the Middle East
German Chancellor Merkel's momentous 2015 decision to accept asylum-seekers from the region fell flat: the Chancellor did not rise to the occasion and chart a new course for both Europe and the Middle East, writes Faisal Al Yafai
Nagorno-Karabakh: 30 years on, time for the EU to raise its game
Thirty years after the Karabakh conflict, it is time for the EU to turn its attention back to Nagorno-Karabakh and do better in acknowledging the territory, writes Diogo Pinto.
We need to talk about climate refugees
Climate change is not just about polar bears, it is about all life on our planet, and it poses a threat to humanity as great – or greater – than war or terrorism. Steve Trent warns that climate change is increasingly viewed as a threat to global peace.
EU socialists make ‘progressive’ push in Tunisia ahead of election
The European Parliament's Socialists and Democrats (S&D Group) is exploring ways to bring progressive centre-left forces in Tunisia into the fold in order to ensure a democratic transition ahead of the country's first post-revolution municipality election.
‘Golden visas’ candidates should be thoroughly screened
The EU is bribing Libya to prevent desperate young men and women reaching the safety of our shores, while member states open wide their doors to corrupt foreign politicians who can buy ‘golden visas’, writes Ana Gomes.
Sanctioning Poland over refugees would be wrong
The European Commission is threatening Poland with financial penalties for refusing to take in refugees. But that approach misses the bigger picture, writes Bartosz Brzeziński.
Time to consider refugee protection in partnerships with third countries
On World Refugee Day and just before the European Council, we call on the EU and its member states to assess the impact of the Partnership Framework approach on the right to seek and enjoy asylum, writes Denis Haveaux.
Trump tells Middle East to ‘drive out’ Islamist extremists
President Donald Trump urged Arab and Islamic leaders yesterday (21 May) to unite and do their share to defeat Islamist extremists, making an impassioned plea to "drive out" terrorists while toning down his own harsh rhetoric about Muslims.
Russia ‘plays games for fun’ in Libya
Taking advantage of the weakness and divisions of the EU, and the lack of interest of the US, Russia “plays games for fun” in Libya, expending little effort, but potentially obtaining important dividends, analysts said at an event in Brussels on Wednesday (26 April).
Refugee hotspots in Italy and Greece ‘not yet adequate’, say EU auditors
The EU’s emergency response to the 2015 refugee crisis, by creating arrival ‘hotspots’ in Greece and Italy, has left reception centres that are “not yet adequate”, according to a damning new report by the EU Court of Auditors.
Merkel’s ‘man in Africa’ downbeat on prospects for Africa-EU summit
Gunther Nooke, Angela Merkel’s representative to Africa, offered a gloomy prognosis of November's Africa-EU summit in Abidjan on Tuesday (11 April), saying trade between the continents was “almost irrelevant” and that the African Union required major “institutional reform".
Brussels Syria conference: Why this war is personal
Despite what Syria has become, most Syrian refugees speak longingly about returning to Syria and yearn for the types of job – doctors, engineers and teachers – that will be needed to rebuild their country, writes Christine Latif.
Auditors find ‘shortcomings’ in EU aid to Tunisia after Arab Spring
The EU gave Tunisia some €1.3bn in aid after the Arab Spring without properly checking how all of it was spent, according to a report published today (28 March) by the Court of Auditors.