COMMENTARY
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The Falkland Islands: A Dispute Settled in Battle, Confirmed in Law, Revived in Politics
Argentina’s periodic reawakening of its claim over the Falkland Islands is as predictable as it is politically useful. Each resurgence tends to coincide less with any meaningful shift in international law than with domestic pressures in Buenos Aires. The latest…
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov Flies Into North Korea
The arrival of Russia’s defence minister Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang this weekend might, at first glance, appear a routine diplomatic engagement. It is anything but. Beneath the ceremonial language and carefully staged commemorations lies a relationship that has evolved with remarkable…
France and Greece put EU mutual defence back into operational focus
Emmanuel Macron and Kyriakos Mitsotakis have renewed the Franco-Greek defence partnership in Athens, using the visit to argue that Europe’s mutual assistance clause should be treated as an operational commitment rather than a treaty provision rarely tested in practice. France…
Integration Without Illusion: Women in Europe’s Combat Roles
The integration of women into combat roles across Europe has proceeded not with a trumpet blast of revolution, but with the steady, sometimes grudging, rhythm of institutional change. What was once unthinkable—women in infantry units, armoured corps, even special forces—has…
EU Leaders Seek Practical Blueprint for Mutual Defence Clause
EU leaders used an informal summit in Cyprus to examine how the bloc’s mutual defence clause could operate in practice, amid a security environment shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine, instability in the Middle East and renewed scrutiny of Europe’s…
French-Polish Nuclear Exercises Would Mark Significant Shift in Europe’s Deterrence Debate
France and Poland are moving towards a more explicit form of strategic defence cooperation, with nuclear deterrence now entering discussions that until recently would have remained largely confined to national doctrine and NATO’s established nuclear framework. France and Poland are…
Russia warns European states against hosting French nuclear-capable aircraft
Moscow has warned European countries against hosting French nuclear-capable aircraft, as debate grows over the possible European dimension of France’s nuclear deterrent. Russia has warned European states that they could become military targets if they host French nuclear-capable aircraft, in…
NATO and EU call for sustained, coordinated support to Ukraine at Brussels meeting
NATO and EU representatives have held their first joint meeting of the year on Ukraine, with both sides stressing the need for predictable long-term support as Kyiv continues to face Russian military pressure. NATO and European Union representatives have called…
Spain at centre of NATO row as US weighs symbolic Sanctions
Washington’s confidence in the cohesion of the Atlantic alliance appears to have been tested anew, according to a report that lays bare the frustrations simmering beneath the surface of NATO diplomacy. An internal Pentagon email, circulated among senior officials, has…
Germany publishes first military strategy as Berlin sets out force-growth and reserve plans
Germany has published a new strategic framework for the Bundeswehr, combining its first military strategy with a force-growth plan, a revised reserve model and an administrative reform agenda, in what Berlin presents as a response to the deteriorating European security…