Read more about the article EU-Japan Strategic Partnership: Asian Influence on European Defence
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EU-Japan Strategic Partnership: Asian Influence on European Defence

The EU-Japan Security and Defence Partnership marks a transformative chapter in transregional cooperation, reflecting shared values of democracy, multilateralism, and the rule of law. This paper explores the brief evolution, core components, and strategic implications of the partnership that highlight its significance in addressing contemporary security challenges. Japan’s departure from its pacifist stance and increased integration into global defence frameworks, such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and NATO interoperability, complement the EU’s aspirations for strategic autonomy and expanded influence in the Indo-Pacific. Key areas of the proposed cooperation include military collaboration, cybersecurity, and space defence. Both actors agree on the alignment of strategic interests to counter threats from authoritarian regimes, regional instabilities, and hybrid warfare. The partnership also emphasises capacity-building initiatives to promote peace and stability globally. The paper argues that this partnership serves as a model for navigating geopolitical tensions in the Pacific theatre, including the challenges posed by China, North Korea, and Russia. Amidst uncertainties, such as the impact of the invasion of Ukraine and foreign policy shifts in the American presidency, the EU-Japan alliance represents a pivotal step toward resilient strategic autonomy in the region.

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27 January 2025
Read more about the article The Economies of Scale of Joint Defence Procurement
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The Economies of Scale of Joint Defence Procurement

This paper examines the role of economies of scale in addressing inefficiencies within the fragmented European defence sector. Despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, Europe’s defence industry struggles with duplicated efforts, inflated costs, and a lack of standardisation due to its decentralised structure. The analysis explores the historical roots of fragmentation, evaluates current debates on defence spending efficiency, and outlines strategies such as aggregating demand, increasing joint procurement, promoting consolidation, fostering cross-border collaboration, and reinforcing European preference in procurement. Theoretical insights into economies of scale highlight the potential for reducing costs and enhancing production capabilities, particularly through unified procurement and joint industrial efforts. The study further investigates the constraints faced by both major defence contractors and SMEs, as well as recent European Commission initiatives, including coordinated R&D at the pan-European level. Concluding with actionable policy recommendations, the paper provides a roadmap for consolidating Europe’s defence industry, emphasising the necessity of strategic integration and collective investment to enhance the continent’s strategic autonomy and industrial resilience.

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23 January 2025
Read more about the article Assessing Reprisals as an Alternative to Judicial Proceedings for Enforcing Compliance with International Humanitarian Law
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Assessing Reprisals as an Alternative to Judicial Proceedings for Enforcing Compliance with International Humanitarian Law

Countermeasures are an established mechanism in International Law that allows a State to respond to the unlawful actions of another. This tool enables the injured State to act in a way that would otherwise be illegal, with the objective of compelling the breaching State to cease its violations. Similarly, the concept of belligerent reprisals refers to a similar mechanism in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which allows a State to violate IHL rules in response to the previous violations of another State in order to enforce compliance. It has been a part of armed conflicts throughout history, and its codification can be traced back to the earliest iterations of IHL. Over time, the scope and permissibility of reprisals have become significantly more constrained. Today, their regulation is primarily governed by customary International Humanitarian Law (CIHL), which draws upon the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Customary Rules and established case law. This article will examine the exact legal boundaries of belligerent reprisals and evaluate the practice.

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21 January 2025
Read more about the article European Troops for Ukraine? Evolving Perspectives and Strategic Debates on the Deployment of European Ground Troops to Ukraine
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European Troops for Ukraine? Evolving Perspectives and Strategic Debates on the Deployment of European Ground Troops to Ukraine

In February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked an intense debate by suggesting the deployment of European ground troops to Ukraine. However, other NATO and EU leaders quickly dismissed such an idea. French authorities rushed to frame it as part of a strategic ambiguity policy, emphasising non-combat roles to avoid a public outburst. Although the idea faded, reports in December 2024 revealed renewed Franco-British discussions on deploying Western troops to prevent another Russian aggression in the context of a potential US shift in European priorities under the new Trump administration and announced peace talks. Analysing European leaders’ reactions and future scenarios for possible deployment, this article finds that the suggestion mainly served to signal to other actors that European states are preparing to assume responsibility for guaranteeing Ukraine’s security when a peace agreement is reached. Although such a project is likely to remain in the discussion stage, the existence of the debate itself may help shape European geopolitical actorness at a time of increasing instability throughout the continent.

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17 January 2025
Read more about the article Towards Super Soldiers? The Implications of Tech-Infusion of Soldiers and the Concept of Connected Soldiers on the Military Landscape
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Towards Super Soldiers? The Implications of Tech-Infusion of Soldiers and the Concept of Connected Soldiers on the Military Landscape

This Info Flash discusses the implications of Tech-Infusion of Soldiers on the Military Landscape and inferentially on the political world. In doing so, the IF first covers how tech-infusion has taken hold of the soldier and what the developments have specifically entailed before applying these findings in a wider, political scope in the second section. It finds that a lot of the developments in the area of tech-infusion are based on surpassing the boundaries of the human body and, therefore, attempting to make reality easier, and even rearrange the boundaries of reality itself. Yet one must conclude that the growing investment into tech-infusion must equally be understood in the context of the changing military and political landscape of increasing uncertainty and conflict.

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15 January 2025