After denying Russian intervention in Crimea, President Putin ultimately recognized that it indeed happened and then used fallacious arguments to justify it. 

The process of European enlargement has been officially suspended for five years. Yet in the western Balkans it is rapprochement with Europe that publicly underpins the majority of political policy.

The European defense debate is stepping away from the classical opposition between zealots of “Europe of Defense” and supporters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

Differentiated integration, which brings some member states together on common means and strategies, appears to be the only route possible to circumvent obstructions to a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) for the 28 member states.

Relations between London and the European construct are founded on a misunderstanding: for mainland Europeans, it represents a global political project, whereas for the British, the European Union is just one international institution among others.

The United Kingdom’s relationship with the European project could be nothing but complex given its long historical legacy and the implications of political, social and value systems that are often divergent.

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are often presented as an effective instrument for managing hydrocarbon rents, reducing the impact of the volatility of oil or gas revenues on the economy, separating expenditure from income, and promoting a more transparent management of the rent.