Mark Hibbs writes that while the conflict between Hamas and Israel has complicated the situation, the rationale behind the US push for Israeli-Saudi normalisation and continued US-Saudi nuclear negotiations remain strong. The Hamas attack is a reminder of the potential for disruption that a nuclear-armed Iran could have on the region.
This report details the findings of a roundtable organised by the ELN’s Balkans parliamentary project, that discussed regional security challenges and cooperation in Southeast Europe. Held in Belgrade in May 2023, it constituted the first event held in the region by the project.
Energy trade is one of the few remaining areas of bilateral cooperation between the EU and Russia. As the EU plans to decarbonise and implement a European Green Deal, Marco Siddi looks at how EU-Russia energy relations can be preserved and reconciled with the pursuit of a climate-friendly agenda.
As the economic relations between the EU and China develop, the growing presence of China and Russia on the international stage presents concerns for the Union. Claudia Westwood argues that the EU must recognise that closer China-Russia cooperation would not signal a strong partnership, but rather the escalation of pre-existing economic cooperation only in areas of common interest.
Deploying NATO maritime assets, beyond a simple addition of firepower, would signal that Europe will not accept hostile actions in the Gulf, nor any hostage-taking of its energy markets.
ELN Policy Fellow Axel Hellman and co-author Edoardo Saravalle argue that the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran deal will hurt U.S. credibility and reduce the future effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.