FRIDE Europe and the reshaped global order

The European Endowment for Democracy: will it fly?

Kinga Brudzinska, Richard Youngs — 2013-05-20T03:02:06+01:00

Delays in setting up the European Endowment for Democracy cast further question-marks over Europe’s scale of ambition in democracy support. To add value, the EED must fill a clear niche by providing quick and political support at crucial tipping-points for democratic reform. The EED must be endowed with a significant amount of new funding to send a signal of serious intent.

Democracy in Central Asia: Sowing in unfertile fields?

Jos Boonstra — 2013-05-20T03:02:07+01:00

International support for democracy in Central Asia despite many attempts has had little impact, and has become a secondary objective after human rights monitoring and promoting rule of law reform. Central Asian regimes see democracy as a threat to their existence but try to maintain a façade of democracy for the sake of appearances. Is Central Asia a no-go area for democracy promoters - primarily the EU, but also the U.S., OSCE, UNDP and others - or are there any entry points?

Security and development in Central Asia

Jos Boonstra, Marlène Laruelle, Sébastien Peyrouse — 2013-05-20T03:02:07+01:00

China and Russia are the most influential external actors in Central Asia, while the EU has substantially increased its activity and presence in the region since 2007. How do the security interests and development activities of these three actors compare? Is there any scope for cooperation and coordination or can their policies be boiled down to zero-sum geo-political competition?

After the China-EU summit: reaffirming the partnership

Zhongqi Pan — 2013-05-20T03:02:07+01:00

China and the EU must come to a better understanding of respective priorities. This should be the basis for their strategic partnership to deliver at the bilateral and multilateral level.

The EU Strategic Partnerships Review: Ten Guiding Principles

Thomas Renard — 2013-05-20T03:02:07+01:00

The EU must strengthen its relationship with its strategic partners to cope with a changing and challenging international environment. This brief offers ten basic principles that should guide the EU's approach to strategic partnerships.