Expectations placed on the German EU presidency in the first half of 2007 are especially high: Besides the current work that needs to be processed efficiently and cooperatively, each EU presidency has the opportunity to put items on the agenda that it considers to be especially important. Today,...

By shedding light on the reasons for their success as well as identifying 'best practice', a critical dissection of EU presidencies can improve the functioning of the Union's Council system. The contributions to this study grapple with two questions, namely: what demands were placed on the...

Europe is increasingly required to assume greater responsibility for its own wellbeing and security. The debate about strengthening Europe's ability to exert influence and act on its interests revolves around concepts such as strategic autonomy and - above all in France - European sovereignty....

Rivalry between the United States and China has become a paradigm of international relations over the past two years. It shapes both strategic debates and real political, military and economic dynamics. The dimensions of Sino-American competition over power and status include growing threat...

The bombings in Riyadh that shook Saudi Arabia in early November are unlikely to be the last such attacks, for extremist Islamist groups which are prepared to perpetrate acts of violence have more supporters in the kingdom than the government has been prepared to admit to itself or to others....