Think-Tanks'Press

Some Brussels officials and member states are opposed to any talks, fearing they would legitimise Russia’s policies toward its neighbours and cut across bilateral relations between the EU and Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus – all of which have experienced new momentum in the past year and a half.

Others argue that EU engagement with the EEU is a possible channel for a breakthrough in relations with Russia, or at least that it could help build bridges, or even take pressure off countries in the Eastern neighbourhood and Central Asia, some of whom have complained about being trapped between Moscow and Brussels.

The AU’s continental early warning system needs greater coordination with the mechanisms of sub-regional bodies.

There is an urgent need to create institutionalised mechanisms for effective coordination between the AU’s Peace and Security Council and the organs of the RECs.

The AU should develop a Diaspora strategy that looks beyond remittances to harness the expertise of the Diaspora to address the skills gap in Africa, especially in the area of science and technology.

Beijing has finished building a second ship (CCG-3901) – the world’s largest – for the China Coast Guard (CCG).

These “monster ships” manifest China’s maritime territorial claims through their size alone: they are bigger even than US guided missile destroyers of the Arleigh-Burke class (such as the USS Lassen).

The new ship is intended to assert China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.

China’s naval modernization means that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) can potentially enforce the territorial claims and deter other countries from resisting.