Read more about the article Belt and Road Initiative in Europe: Between Shapes of Cooperation and Shades of Pressure
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Belt and Road Initiative in Europe: Between Shapes of Cooperation and Shades of Pressure

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development strategy launched by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in 70 countries (World Bank, 2018) to promote economic development and enhance connectivity between China and Central-East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Around 150 countries have joined BRI so far, including 18 EU members (BRI Center, 2021). What recently happened in Montenegro raised several concerns within the EU about Beijing’s approach, labelled by some observers as a sinocentric international trade network potentially harmful to the independence of some countries at the EU’s doorsteps. What then is the standpoint of both BRI and EU members? Can different attitudes towards the Chinese projects cause a fracture within an already diverse EU in terms of policies, paces to reach goals, and economic indicators? To what extent is BRI a tool in the hands of Beijing to leverage European countries by proposing offers of development that, at first glance, cannot be declined?

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20 July 2021
Read more about the article EU Defence in the Covid World
Medical Staff and Military Staff, 2020 Slovakia [https://pixabay.com/it/photos/paramedico-soldato-coronavirus-5716757/]
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EU Defence in the Covid World

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on most of the world, and Europe is no exception. The European economy was deeply affected in several sectors. Business-related to defence, security, and European defence cooperation was one of the hardest-hit sectors.

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15 July 2021
Read more about the article Towards a New EU Quantum Communication Infrastructure
https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/05/a-consortium-of-european-digital-players-to-design-the-future-eu-quantum-internet.html#media-list-image-image-all_ml_0)
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Towards a New EU Quantum Communication Infrastructure

In the era of the information revolution and the dominance of big data, ensuring full communication security is not an easy task. The major world powers have therefore begun to invest more resources in the field of quantum physics, exploiting its enormous potential to make unprecedented progress in several strategic areas, including cybersecurity, logistics, communication, healthcare, and others. The European Union also decided to row in the same direction. Indeed, on 31 May 2021, the European Commission finally selected a consortium led by Airbus and composed of several companies and research institutes, including Leonardo, PwC France and Maghreb, Orange, Telespazio, the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (Inrim) and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) to study and design the future EU quantum communication network (Airbus, 2021). Through the new European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI), the EU aims to ensure ultra-secure communication between government institutions and critical infrastructures across the Union.

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13 July 2021
Read more about the article Cyberwarfare and International Humanitarian Law: ICRC Launches Global Advisory Board on Digital Threats during Armed Conflict
Cyber, Kai Stachowiak, 2014 (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyber.jpg)
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Cyberwarfare and International Humanitarian Law: ICRC Launches Global Advisory Board on Digital Threats during Armed Conflict

Due to rapid technological developments, warfare has been and is changing. From a humanitarian perspective, new technologies bring both opportunities and challenges. Indeed, new technologies might offer better protection of civilians during armed conflict, but they can also pose new threats to both civilians and armed forces (ICRC Position Paper, 2019, 3-4). At the same time, new technologies often challenge the application and implementation of state-centred international humanitarian law (IHL) (ICRC, 2021).

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8 July 2021
Read more about the article Interoperability is Vital to Combat Violent Non-State Actors
ISAF’s military terminal at Kabul International Airport in September 2010 © DOD [Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Military_terminal_at_Kabul_International_Airport.jpg]
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Interoperability is Vital to Combat Violent Non-State Actors

The 21st century has seen the rise of “new wars” in which violent non-state actors (VNSAs) employ tactical means of asymmetric warfare and facilitate digital technologies for their purposes. To secure their population and stabilise the liberal international order, nation-states must deepen their cooperation and increase interoperability in strategy, operational approach, and information-sharing.

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6 July 2021