Strategic Updates

The Greek Euro Tragedy

This Strategic Update discusses the most recent problems for the Eurozone, namely the Greek crisis and how the European Central Bank’s (ECB) lack of democratic accountability has contributed to the instability of the Eurozone. Read online / Download pdf

ASEAN: In or Out? No Way…Not yet?

The UK voted to leave the EU on a wave of populist anger. Does the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) face a similar threat to regional integration? In this Strategic Update, Tan Sri Munir Majid assesses the prospect of a member state leaving ASEAN and the future of UK-ASEAN relations after Brexit. Read online / Download pdf

Brexit: What Happens Next?

A British withdrawal from the EU would be a process not an event. This Strategic Update sets out the nine overlapping series of negotiations that would be triggered and the positions the 27 remaining EU countries and the EU’s institutions would take, gathered from a network of researchers across the continent. Read online  / Download pdf

A EU without the UK: The Geopolitics of a British Exit from the EU

The EU, the rest of Europe, allies around the world, and the UK itself need to prepare for the wider international implications of potential exit from the EU. This Strategic Update examines how likely a Brexit is and explores what it could mean for the EU, European integration, and Europe’s economics and security. Read online / Download pdf

The Long Road to Tehran : The Iran Nuclear Deal in Perspective

In 2015 Iran and the P5+1 reached a deal designed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. How was this momentous agreement reached? This Strategic Update traces the story of this major diplomatic breakthrough, through the historical context of long term US-Iran relations.

Paving the Road to Paris? How the EU Can Facilitate a Climate Deal

On the road to the Paris climate change conference in December 2015, what are the prospects for a deal among the key international players - the United States, China, and India? This Strategic Update asks what the EU can do to influence a higher level of ambition and continue to have a leadership role in the global climate community.

China-EU Relations and the Future of European Soft Power

Despite the obvious differences in political structures, the EU’s most comprehensive partnership with newly emerging powers over the past few years has been with China. This Strategic Update argues that in part this is due to a shared cultural heritage and China's identification with Europe's ancient culture.

Banking on Beijing

The crisis in Ukraine has led to new bilateral economic, financial and energy projects between China and Russia. But in the face of Western sanctions is Moscow taking a strategic risk by Banking on Beijing? This Strategic Update analyses the conflict's impact on Russia-China relations.

Common EU Policies on Authorised Immigration

The idea of 'Fortress Europe' has dominated debates on EU immigration policies from the 90s to the current crisis in the Mediterranean. This Strategic Update focuses on emerging routes for legal migration. 

Perspectives on Open Government in Latin America

Open Government, the idea of transparent, accountable and participatory governments, is blossoming in Latin America. This Strategic Update summarises a workshop at LSE ahead of the Open Government Partnership Summit in London. 

Greece and the Energy Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean

Energy cooperation that would alleviate EU gas dependence on Russian imports and Turkish transit could constitute such a core interest not only for Israel, Cyprus and Greece but for several leading EU member states. 

The Laws of War and Cyberspace

This Strategic Update examines the militarization of cyberspace and considers ways to prevent the Internet from turning into a battlefield, including the need for a treaty concerning cyber conflict. 

Putinism: The Ideology

For too long, Vladimir Putin was dismissed as a thuggish or thoughtless authoritarian leader. But the institutional and ideological underpinnings of Putinism are quite sophisticated. This Strategic Update from Philippe Roman Chair Anne Applebaum analyses them. 

Japan and the US Pivot to the Asia Pacific

This Strategic Update analyses the consequences of the US pivot to Asia on the US-Japan alliance and on Japanese foreign and security policies. 

The Anglo-French Defence Treaty

In the context of defence cuts on both sides of the Atlantic and the Channel, this Strategic Update assesses the consequences of the Treaty for Anglo- French defence cooperation.  

Why Gandhi Matters 

An edited version of an address to the UN General Assembly to mark the International Day of Non-Violence, held on Gandhi's birthday, by Philippe Roman Chair Ramachandra Guha. 

The Euro Crisis: A Historical Perspective

This Strategic Update sheds light on the current euro crisis by looking at the debates preceding the conception of the euro. How can the early days of EU monetary cooperation help us understand today’s predicament? And what lessons can we draw from them for the euro?

Zimbabwe and Political Transition

This Strategic Update looks at the factors which helped ZANU-PF as a former liberation movement retain power and lead to a one-party dominant state in Zimbabwe. It also explores the extent to which ZANU-PF is adapting to democratic politics and multiparty elections. 

Powering Up: Latin America's Energy Challenges

With growing domestic demand and insufficient energy supplies, the role of energy transcends the national, regional and international levels of Latin American politics. This Strategic Update brings together leading experts to discuss the challenges facing the region's producers. 

Resurgent Continent? Africa and the World

This Strategic Update considers the opportunities and the challenges facing the continent including Africa's relationship with emerging powers and the continent's security.

The Middle East: Intractable Conflict? 

This Strategic Update considers the prospects for peace in the Middle East by assessing the region and the actors involved in their international context, including Jordan, Hamas, and Israel.

Prospects for Reform? The Iranian Elections

In the run-up to the 2009 Iranian Presidential Election this Strategic Update discusses the candidates and the prospects for reform of both Iran's domestic politics and its international strategy. 

Afghanistan: Now You See Me?

With a sustained drawdown of troops from Iraq Afghanistan has become the focus of the West’s military engagements in the region. This Strategic Update assess the challenges that the Obama administration and its allies face in reconstituting the statebuilding mission in Afghanistan.