Challenges for European Foreign Policy in 2015. How others deal with disorder

At the start of each year, FRIDE looks at the challenges for European foreign policy in the following twelve months. In 2015, at a time of growing geopolitical stress across the world, our central theme was how others deal with disorder.

The book analyses the strategies of nine different countries for coping with instability – ranging from major powers with the ability or aspiration for global influence (i.e. China, the United States) to others with a regional focus (i.e. Iran, Turkey) – and the implications of those strategies for Europe. It shows that most of these governments are increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions and trans-national threats. Europeans will need to take a firm stand when their values and interests are at stake, while adopting new approaches to working with other powers to prevent further destabilisation. Protecting European security will often require helping others improve theirs.