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Assuming that the war with Hamas eventually will end one way or another, the dilemma of how to deal with the northern threat will remain: Should Israel continue to contain it, as it has since the Second Lebanon War in 2006? Or should Israel launch a preventive war to eliminate Hezbollah’s capability of harassing the Jewish state?

After Israel finishes with Hamas, should it go after Hezbollah in a pre-emptive strike?

By: EBR | Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Since Oct. 7, Israel has made a decision to avoid a two-front war, namely, deal with Hamas first and then shift the attention to the north

“The road from COP28 will, it seems, lead to Baku, possibly the world’s first ‘oil capital’ a thousand years ago, where Marco Polo documented oil being traded, and where tourists can still top up their health by getting into a bath of crude,” Richard Black of the energy think tank Ember wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Another oil state hosting climate summit? Azerbaijan clears hurdle

By: EBR | Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Petro-state Azerbaijan has cleared a key hurdle to host next year’s UN climate summit despite the controversy over COP28 taking place in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates

EU negotiators may think they have time on their hands; that Mercosur and Australia will come back to the negotiating table because they want access to the world’s biggest market.

EU’s Trade Ambitions Hit Reality

By: EBR | Friday, December 8, 2023

The collapse of EU trade talks with Australia and Mercosur is a big blow for Brussels

Ukraine was scheduled to hold presidential elections next year and these would inevitably pit Zelenskyy against Poroshenko again.

Dormant conflict between Poroshenko and Zelenskyy comes to light

By: EBR | Thursday, December 7, 2023

A long-standing conflict between the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the incumbent, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, came to light

As the next EU-China summit is due to take place in Beijing on 7-8 December, one is reminded of Stalin’s witty “how many divisions has the Pope”? In the case of the EU, the question is not only about the leverage Europe can muster to move China, but also about the internal divisions and cracks that show among Member States.

EU vs China: how many divisions?

By: EBR | Monday, December 4, 2023

The oncoming EU-China Summit will not lead to grand changes in both superpowers’ fraught relationship, and it is high time the EU starts thinking collectively on pushing back against China’s bullying ways

The Saudi story increasingly receives global attention, as the Al Arabiya news television channel serves as a potent tool of soft power for the country, projecting the kingdom’s perspectives on regional and global issues and influencing public opinion through its wide-reaching media presence.

Saudi’s New Era of Investment

By: EBR | Wednesday, November 29, 2023

The leitmotif of Saudi economics and business development has been for the better part of a few decades quite simple: crude oil

The EU is the biggest provider of such aid to Palestinians and has earmarked some €1.2 billion for its programmes between 2021 and 2024.

EU says no Palestinian aid going to Hamas, programmes to continue

By: EBR | Thursday, November 23, 2023

No European Union development funds earmarked for Palestine have found their way to Hamas, the European Commission said

What is being called a “global culture war” does not do justice to the multiple identities that shape the feelings of those affected by this war. Reducing them to binary polarization means misreading complexity.

The Blind Spots of Realism

By: EBR | Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Pundits and analysts are increasingly turning to a popularized version of realism to interpret the world

In other words: Hamas will be destroyed, or at least critically weakened, and Israel is here to stay. What a chapter this could make in a sequel to “The March of Folly.”

Hamas is kidding itself if it thinks Israel is going anywhere

By: EBR | Monday, November 20, 2023

In her seminal book “The March of Folly,” Barbara Tuchman listed the great paradoxes in history, where governments pursued policies against their own interests

“NATO is perfectly positioned to share information, to spread innovation, and to coordinate our collective defence in cyberspace,” NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the cyber defence forum on Thursday (9 November).

New NATO cyber forum to support collective response to cyberattacks

By: EBR | Monday, November 13, 2023

A new NATO cyber forum aims to increase cooperation between NATO members as well as with the private sector to ramp up the Western military alliance’s response to future cyber threats

Speaking from Taipei, Wu said, “It is hard for most to understand the decision making within China but the current threat is real.”

Taiwan readies for war but hopes for peace

By: EBR | Thursday, November 9, 2023

Taiwan’s foreign minister says the island is gearing up for what he calls a “real threat” from China

At the COP28 summit opening on 30 November, parties to the UNFCCC will now be responsible for operationalising the fund, including key provisions on grant-based support for countries particularly hit by climate change.

Deal on loss and damage fund clears way for COP28, EU climate chief says

By: EBR | Wednesday, November 8, 2023

A UN-level agreement on the Loss and Damage Fund to compensate vulnerable countries for natural disasters caused by climate change opens the way for higher climate mitigation goals at the upcoming COP28 summit

“The economic risks of climate change are currently modelled in a similar way to traditional financial risks. But unlike past financial losses, the losses from climate change will be disruptively large, unpredictable, and permanent,” the report said.

Finance Watch warns: Economic models underestimate climate risks

By: EBR | Friday, November 3, 2023

The economic models used to calculate the risks of climate change to economic growth and financial stability are “disconnected” from climate science and perpetuate an inaction bias in policymakers, a new report by the financial policy NGO Finance Watch warned

One of the comparisons the ERT paper makes is the development of GDP per capita measured in current USD. This figure grew only marginally over the past ten years in the EU while it skyrocketed in the US.

The difficulty of learning the right lessons from the US

By: EBR | Monday, October 30, 2023

The EU often compares itself to the US, with European industry players using the EU’s apparent economic underperformance as an argument for business-friendly regulations

After being a non-belligerent state during World War II, Turkey’s geopolitical choice was to anchor itself to the West by joining the international institutions that shaped the global order at the end of the hostilities.

Turkey at 100

By: EBR | Thursday, October 26, 2023

On Sunday, October 29, Turkey will celebrate its centennial with much pride

The Iranian official news agency IRNA quoted Tehran’s foreign ministry as saying the countries wanted to talk about regional issues “without the interference of non-regional and Western countries”.

EU diplomacy humiliated

By: EBR | Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Isn’t it humiliating? Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries in which the EU has invested considerable diplomatic efforts, have accepted Iranian mediation for peace talks

At the next Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) meetings on 6-10 November and 4-6 December, the 194 WHO member states will vote to accept or reject the proposal. If approved, the text will be the foundation for the tough negotiations ahead.

Global pandemic treaty proposal circulated, path to negotiations inches closer

By: EBR | Thursday, October 19, 2023

With a proposal for a negotiating text for a pandemic treaty finally on the table, the work towards a global accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is slowly progressing

Whether the EU has the political willpower to realign itself more closely with the world’s underprivileged is an open question.

Global Europe 2: The price to be paid if the EU falls behind

By: EBR | Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Europe’s dwindling international influence has been a leitmotif of the 21st century

That attack came on an unprecedented scale, exposing Israel’s vulnerability in the eyes of its strongest enemies, including Hezbollah and Iran.

Hamas’ Brutal Attack Could Have Been Avoided

By: EBR | Friday, October 13, 2023

The unprecedented and unimaginable attack by Hamas, from the land, air and sea must have taken months to plan, train and prepare for execution

“Iran may have provided the know-how, the training, some of the financing, some of the parts, but I do not think they took any direct part in the operations or conflict [due to the major difficulties in coordination between fighters of different backgrounds],” Sarraf, who served as defence minister between 2016 and 2019, said.

Lebanese ex-defence minister: Iran won’t be involved, but regional escalation possible

By: EBR | Thursday, October 12, 2023

Iran, the main sponsor of the militant Islamist group Hamas, is unlikely to get involved in the ongoing war in the Middle East, but significant instability could still spread across the region, former Lebanese defence minister