Category: Security Policy & Defence
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Moscow Under Heavy Drone Fire
Explosions, burning refinery facilities and hundreds of disrupted flights: A major Ukrainian drone attack has once again brought the war deep into the heart of Russia. Particularly significant is the reported strike on Moscow’s most important oil refinery — the second attack on the facility within just a few days. Moscow faced one of the…
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Germany’s New Military Strategy
Germany’s new Military Strategy refocuses the Bundeswehr on Alliance defence and deterrence against Russia, aiming to be Europe’s strongest conventional army. This shift aligns Germany’s threat assessment with Poland’s, but triggers Polish anxiety about competition for the US’s ‘primary ally’ status. Instead of competing for US favour, Germany and Poland should capitalize on their newly…
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Cognitive Power Without Projection
Russia maintains significant influence in Eurasia mainly through informational and cognitive warfare rather than direct military power. It uses media networks, reflexive control, shared Soviet history, and anti-West narratives in post-Soviet states to shape perceptions and political decisions. Russia adjusts by giving media engagement and information influence top priority to maintain regional hegemony, despite challenges…
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EPC Summit in Yerevan: Armenia Repositioned
Is Armenia Repositioning with the West or is it having a balanced approach? We argue that the Armenian hosting of the EPC summit demonstrates willingness to approach the West amidst Russian decline. While it is not immediate, Armenia is calibrating itself carefully.
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Iceland’s Path to EU Membership
Main question: How can Iceland and the EU structure an enlargement framework that reconciles economic sovereignty concerns with shifting Arctic security realities? Argument: The EU and Iceland should implement a coordinated five-step accession package spanning fisheries, energy, agriculture, defense, and monetary transition. Conclusion: This tailor-made approach resolves Iceland’s rule-taker paradox while securing vital High North…
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Building a Resilient Europe
Main question: How can the EU evolve its enlargement framework from a slow political process into a security-driven integration model that actively incorporates wartime innovation? Argument: Integrating the defence, civil protection, and preparedness systems of member states and candidate countries like Ukraine enhances collective resilience without raising overall spending Conclusion: Merging Ukraine into the EU’s…
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The Left’s Failed North Korea Fantasy
Can economic engagement change a hostile authoritarian regime? This article is arguing that South Korea’s left-wing policies toward North Korea failed to reduce tensions but instead enabled Pyongyang’s military expansion. By prioritizing symbolic reconciliation over deterrence, progressive administrations underestimated North Korea’s intentions, eventually strengthening a nuclear adversary than promoting peace.
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Perpetual Conflict and European Security
Russia presents a challenge to European security with no clear answer. Baltic states viewed Russia as an immediate threat, whilst western states appeared more cautious and strategically uncertain. Concerns over weakening US commitment exposed growing divisions within the NATO alliance. The conference suggested that European security remains characterised by strategic drift and unresolved disagreement over…
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The Empathy Deficit
Stefan Noël Hageman asks whether military power can succeed without understanding how adversaries and civilians perceive violence. He argues that recent US and Israeli campaigns failed because they disregarded empathy as a strategic skill, strengthening resistance instead of weakening it. He concludes that long-term stability depends not only on force, but on perspective-taking and understanding…