EU-Iran Relations after the Nuclear Deal.

The signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and global powers in July 2015 was a major turning point in the emerging strategic landscape of the Middle East. The ‘nuclear deal’ led to the lifting by the EU and the US of nuclear-related sanctions, and is now operational. Other sanctions remain in place, however. Nevertheless, unhindered by US competition, European trade delegations have entered into a latter-day gold rush, led by the promise of the biggest untapped market in the world. As such, the EU has both an opportunity and a responsibility to help Iran reintegrate properly into the international system. But, in the face of an opaque clerical regime that relies on internal repression and military business conglomerates, Europe stands to lose if it continues to pursue its uncalculated and uncoordinated approach towards the Islamic Republic. This report offers recommendations to guide the EU towards a comprehensive EU strategy for relations with Iran. It maintains that there is no other option but to keep universal values and the rule of law at the core of the emerging bilateral relationship. In fact, the protection of the economic rights of European traders and investors allows the EU to push for wider reforms and the normalisation of relations

Revisiting Egyptian Foreign Policy towards Israel under Mubarak: From Cold Peace to Strategic Peace

This article is the first academic study of Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel under Hosni Mubarak (1981–2011). It challenges a deeply entrenched conventional wisdom that Egypt pursued a cold-peace foreign policy towards Israel throughout this period. We demonstrate that Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel was dynamic – comprising cold peace (1981–91), a hybrid foreign policy of cold peace and strategic peace (1991–2003), and a pure strategic peace posture (2003–11). We also use the case of Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel as a heuristic to develop a conception of a new type of peace, strategic peace, as an intermediary analytical category between cold and stable peace

Sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf - an assessment

Since the early 2000s the number and size of sovereign wealth funds (SWF) have grown substantially. A large proportion of these government-owned and government-run funds were created by oil producing countries in the Gulf region and elsewhere. These funds have made some high-profile investments in the United States and Europe. Despite their crucial role in helping to overcome global economic recession, some policy-makers are concerned about the surge of SWF's role in the international economic system. This study examines the rise of SWF from the Gulf region and the role they play in their home countries and in the recipient markets. The paper analyzes the argument for and against these funds. I argue that SWF investments have been largely driven by economic considerations and have served the interests of both holding and receiving economies. Furthermore, SWFs have contributed to a growing interdependence between the two sides. In short, facilitating foreign investments, including those from SWFs, is a win-win strategy

La energía como motor principal de la política exterior de Catar

Catar es uno de los países más pequeños del mundo, con cerca de un cuarto de millón de población autóctona. A pesar de estas limitaciones geográficas y demográficas, Doha se ha establecido como un jugador principal en las escenas regional e internacional. Una medida fundamental tras este ascenso es la acumulación de los enormes beneficios generados por el petróleo y el gas natural. Este artículo examina el papel que los activos relacionados con los hidrocarburos han jugado en las transformaciones interna y externa de la política de Catar y las estrategias propuestas para mitigar el impacto de la fuerte caída del precio del petróleo desde junio de 2014