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04 July 2024
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Soccer Meets Geopolitics

Two competitions are currently predominating Europe’s agenda – the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany and the brute reality of geopolitics. While the former will decide over Europe’s next soccer champion, outcomes of the latter will arguably shape whether Europe will champion the new geopolitics of the 21st century. To win this competition, we argue that the European Union (EU) does not need a unified military force, but rather a new defense commissioner who would act as a dual security manager, bringing together the EU’s global entanglements with its economic clout to enhance the military power of its Member States. Continue reading >>
16 May 2022

A Swedish NATO Membership and Its Constitutional Barriers

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the debate about a possible NATO membership in Sweden has been intense. The ruling Social Democratic Party was against a membership for a long time, but on Sunday 15 May it changed its position. Now everything points to a Swedish NATO accession and it seems likely that the constitutional barriers for that are surprisingly low: parliamentary approval with a simple majority vote. Continue reading >>
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31 March 2022

Russia’s Eurasian Großraum and its Consequences

The available options for the German and Western policy towards Russia have to be based on  the correct diagnosis of the causes of the conflict. The purpose of this analysis is to shed some light on the structural reasons for the Russian expansionism and make some projections on the possible long-tern consequences. The rivalry between the Russian-dominated space (Großraum – greater space) and the EU/NATO systems fuels an intense geopolitical antagonism in Europe, which can be transformed into actual conflict. I understand the Großraum in the sense of Carl Schmitt as a tightly managed sphere of interests, under the direct or indirect control of an authoritarian Great Power (infra II).

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22 March 2022

On Finland with Love

This contribution briefly unpacks the relevancy of the East/West intersectionality Finland represents for us today. The pragmatic manner in which the Finns have dealt with Russia – in all its previous versions, white, red or “federal” – is instructive in understanding the limits of moral, economic and physical power when facing a neighboring country that will most probably never be trusted, loved or changed, by outsiders. Continue reading >>
16 March 2022

The EU as Quasi-NATO

Putin has reportedly threatened both Sweden and Finland against joining NATO, attempting to preempt a shift away from the commitment to neutrality that is deeply embedded in the Swedish political soul. It is therefore all the more interesting that Sweden and Finland have recently concluded a new strategy of enhanced security cooperation between the states. In addition, the Swedish government, together with Finland, has sent a letter to other EU Member States reminding them of their obligation to assist any EU country in case of belligerent attack. Should we interpret this as an expectation for the EU to function effectively as a quasi-NATO? Continue reading >>
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14 March 2022

Die Made im NATO-Speck

Der Krieg in der Ukraine hat innerhalb kürzester Zeit Grundprämissen des etablierten österreichischen Neutralitätskonzepts in Frage gestellt – selbst ein NATO-Beitritt wurde diskutiert. Der Gang dieser Diskussion vermochte innerhalb kürzester Zeit die gesamten rechtlichen Schwachstellen des österreichischen Neutralitätskonzepts offen zu legen. Gleichzeitig zeigt sich, wie opportun es für Österreich ist und weshalb wohl auch weiter daran festgehalten wird. Continue reading >>
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18 February 2021

Tailoring the Jurisdiction of the ECHR

On 16 February 2021, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in the case Hanan v. Germany concerning a 2009 NATO-Kunduz airstrike resulting in deaths of civilians in Afghanistan in favor of Germany. The primary allegation before the Court was that Germany violated its procedural obligation under Article 2 by failing to conduct a prompt, effective and impartial investigation into a lethal use of force. Although the Court unconvincingly decided that there was no violation of the procedural duty to investigate, the majority opinion held that there was a clear jurisdictional link obliging Germany to conduct the investigation of airstrikes in Afghanistan. Continue reading >>
21 December 2017
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What’s in a Name? The Republic of Macedonia at the Crossroads

Forming of the new Government on 31st of May 2017 marked the beginning of the end of one of the most serious political crisis that Republic of Macedonia has lived through from its independence. The country was faced with challenges both on the domestic front – the dissolution of the democratic institutions and backsliding to authoritarianism, and on the international front as well – worsening of the relations with its neighbors. One of the first steps taken by the new government was to renew the ties with its Southern neighbor – Greece and to continue the talks over the name issue. After a period of three years, the representatives from both countries started negotiating again in order to resolve the name dispute and the security implications of this prolonged dispute on the Balkan region. But by all means the renewal of the negotiations is only just a beginning of the lengthy path of rebuilding the trust and solving the issue that has been a huge burden especially to the R. Macedonia’s integration in EU and NATO. Continue reading >>
18 November 2015

The Teething of EU’s Mutual Defence Clause

France was the first member state to call for mutual assistance under Article 42(7) of the Lisbon treaty. The move came as a surprise. Most of the discussions in previous days were focused on the possibility to use the much heftier Article 5 defence clause of NATO. Compared to the tangible military assistance that NATO partners can offer, Europe’s obligation to assist has so far been seen as toothless and symbolic. While the EU’s mutual defence clause is still limited in its effect, its use is a timely reminder that there is strong interest within the EU to work closer together on defence. Continue reading >>
24 October 2013

Transnationales Staatshaftungsrecht? Kundus vor Gericht

Nächste Woche beginnt vor dem Landgericht Bonn die Beweisaufnahme in der Verhandlung über die Schadensersatzklagen der Opfer des Kundus-Angriffs. Nur wenige Wochen zuvor hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht seine Kammerentscheidung zu den Verfassungsbeschwerden der Opfer der Bombardierung der Brücke von Varvarin im Kosovo-Krieg veröffentlicht. Zwar hat die Erste Kammer des Zweiten Senats die Verfassungsbeschwerden nicht zur Entscheidung angenommen, aber sie hat doch einige entscheidende Hinweise zur Kontur eines transnationalen Staatshaftungsrechts gegeben. Vor dem Landgericht Bonn wird sich zeigen, wie die Zivilgerichte dies aufnehmen werden. Continue reading >>
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