March/April 2010
After Lisbon
After nine long years of drafting and redrafting, campaigns and referenda, the passage of the Treaty of Lisbon should lay the groundwork for a new era of European foreign policy. Finally, the 27 member states can speak with one voice and Brussels will punch at its proper weight on the world stage. Henry Kissinger’s legendary gripe that there was no “one telephone number” for Europe would be addressed, once and for all. Even in a multipolar world in which Europe implicitly matters less than it did during the Cold War, the new structures and streamlined decision-making might compensate for shifting geopolitics.
The incongruent foreign policy of British Conservative David Cameron
Incompetent Design 
Essay by Henning Hoff
The EU still has a long way to go to become a top global power
Europe’s New Faces
Essay by Henning Riecke
The post-Lisbon European Union can finally establish itself as a serious player in a multipolar world order. It has the potential to develop a foreign policy combining political, economic, and military elements. But will Brussels make the most of Lisbon? In the end, it is still the member states that call the shots on foreign policy.
European civilian crisis management in the 21st century
Old Myths to New Missions
Essay by Daniel Korski und Richard Gowan
The European Union is said to specialize in civilian crisis management. It has sent missions of police, judges, and governance experts to trouble spots around the world. But, upon closer inspection, its record is mixed. Brussels’ new foreign policy team would be well advised to initiate sweeping changes in Europe’s civilian capabilities.
The EU’s disjointed policies compound Bosnia’s paralysis
Balkan Tango
Essay by Bodo Weber und Kurt Bassuener
Bosnia is backsliding into political chaos and possibly even renewed ethnic violence. Failure for the European Union in Bosnia will rightly be seen as a resounding blow to the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. First, Europeans need to allign their Bosnia policies. For this they need U.S. help, whether they like it or not.
Global climate governance is a test case for Europe
Europe’s Green Diplomacy
Essay by Martin Kremer und Sascha Müller-Kraenner
The Lisbon Treaty provides new tools for Europe to combat climate change. Europe will have to figure out how to put the European External Action Service to use in order to avoid another failure of global environmental leadership like that in Copenhagen. Obviously, leading by example is not enough.
Handling Iranian NPT non-compliance
Rethinking Iran
Essay by Peter Jenkins
The May review of the NPT will inevitably address the case of Iran. The key to handling the issue wisely and keeping Iran at the table is to distinguish NPT non-compliance from the flouting of UN resolutions. Iran must show, through regional diplomacy, that it does not seek nuclear weapons. Greater realism can yield political and economic advantages.
A do-it-yourself guide to going nuke in a few easy Stepps
The Bomb for Beginners
Essay by Michael Rühle
Building a nuclear weapon has never been easier. NATO’s Michael Rühle provides step-by-step instructions for going nuclear, from discretely collecting material to minimizing the fallout when caught. These simple steps have worked for the likes of Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea, among others. The nuclear club is open to your country, too.
Interview with Russia’s NATO Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin
“I call that hypocrisy.”
Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian Federation’s ambassador to NATO since 2008, claims that Russia and the West have come a long way since the divisive Georgia war. In fact, he argues, Moscow and Washington have more in common than most think. In Afghanistan, it was foolish in the first place to hold elections, he says. This was one mistake the Soviets avoided.
Religion and the Papacy in the age of globalization
Global Pulpit
Essay by Otto Kallscheuer
Are there rational reasons for a political presence of the Vatican on the world stage? The German philosopher and self-described “Rhineland Catholic,” Otto Kallscheuer, thinks there is. But Pope Benedict XVI is not off to a flying start.
Germany’s gay foreign minister is welcomed abroad
Glad to be Guido 
Essay by Joe O'Donnell
Or perhaps the EU can engage effectively in the Middle East
Bound to Muddle?
Book Review by Cameron Abadi
The Treaty of Lisbon was written, at least in part, under the assumption that incoherent institutions were the great scourge blocking the European Union on the international stage. A bit of tinkering—a Council president here, a foreign minister there—and Brussels’ influence would flow freely to all corners of the globe.
If so, democratic oversight has to be a priority
Is There a Future for European Defense?
Book Review by Ian Davis
While early blueprints for European integration were largely stimulated by strategic issues, development of a European defense policy became squeezed by the conditions of the Cold War. Community integration in the foreign policy and security fields can no longer play second fiddle to economic integration.
