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Expert Comments
European Union–Eastern Partnership relations: Future opportunities
Dr Ian AnthonyIn 2019, when the European Union (EU) and six countries to the east of the EU (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) marked the 10th anniversary of their Eastern Partnership (EaP), foreign ministers underlined common work on trade, visa liberalization, economic development and human rights that had been encouraged by (or through) the partnership.
The US withdrawal from the Iran deal: One year on
Dan SmithOn 8 May last year, US President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which sets limits on Iran’s nuclear programme to ensure that it cannot produce nuclear weapons. Despite the US withdrawal, the JCPOA remains in force; it is a multilateral agreement to which seven of the original eight parties still adhere.
Shipping along the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route will be determined by Russia–China cooperation in the region
Ekaterina KlimenkoOn 26 January 2018 China’s State Council Information Office published a white paper clarifying China’s vision of the Arctic, its intentions, goals and objectives in the region.
The forgotten science of cooperative threat reduction
Dr Ian AnthonyThe announcement that Russia had completed the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile was rightly applauded as a milestone in multilateral arms control. However, it was also a reminder of the significant part that international non-proliferation and disarmament assistance played in facilitating the implementation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Celebrating a milestone: Russia completes the destruction of chemical weapons stockpile
Dr John HartOn Wednesday the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü of Turkey, congratulated Russia on completing the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile which originally totalled 39 967 agent tonnes (i.e. excluding munition weight).
The unfolding humanitarian crisis around Lake Chad: UN report falls short of naming environmental dimensions
Dr Florian KrampeDr Florian Krampe provides commentary on the newly launched Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Lake Chad Basin region, arguing that the report would have been stronger if it had highlighted the underlying environmental contributions of the region’s fragility.
North Korea's sixth nuclear test: What do we know so far?
Robert KelleyRobert Kelley provides analysis of North Korea's sixth nuclear test, taking a look at what we know so far.
The G20 Summit and chemical weapons in Syria
Dr John HartThe G20 Summit will be held in Hamburg on 7–8 July 2017. The UN Security Council and OPCW member states remain unable to agree Syrian Government responsibility for any of the continued instances of chemical warfare.
Hiroshima Declaration by G-7 Foreign Ministers falls short
Tariq RaufThe so-called ‘Hiroshima Declaration’ adopted today by the G-7 Foreign Ministers is a major disappointment and a wasted opportunity for nuclear disarmament.
Economics trumps geopolitics as China announces lowest defence budget increase in years
Dr Sam Perlo-FreemanOn 5 March, the opening day of the annual National People’s Congress, China announced a 7.6 per cent increase in its National Defense budget for 2016—or a total of 954 billion yuan ($146 billion).