EPIS Magazine · Issue II

European Defence

/Read the full issue
83 articles
Linguistic Human Rights – A Form of Decolonial Resistance? 
Resistance, Rights, and Decolonial Futures

Linguistic Human Rights – A Form of Decolonial Resistance? 

This article argues that linguistic human rights (LHR) should be recognised as a central component of the contemporary human rights regime and as a tool to challenge prevailing colonial hierarchies in language and human rights politics. Drawing on Spolsky’s language policy model, the article exam…

Angelina Schuelke · 18 Oct 2026 · 15 min read
Iran Protests: Human Rights Violations, Repression and Global Response
Insight

Iran Protests: Human Rights Violations, Repression and Global Response

Iran’s latest protests (Dec 2025–Jan 2026), sparked by economic hardship, grew into historic anti-government demonstrations across all 31 provinces. Authorities imposed near-total internet blackouts and used severe force, killing an estimated 6,000 to 20,000 people and making over 42,000 arrests.…

Burak Baran · 18 Oct 2026 · 14 min read
Heritage Restitution and the Future of Ibero-American Relations
EU Relations with North and Latin America

Heritage Restitution and the Future of Ibero-American Relations

The cases of Portugal and Spain expose the ambivalence of ‘shared heritage’. Although cultural heritage can support cooperation and diplomatic rapprochement, this notion may obscure the unequal historical circumstances through which objects entered European collections. Restitution can therefore …

Ana Madureira · 12 Oct 2026 · 14 min read
Beyond Borders, Beyond Treaties: The EU–Mexico Struggle Against Transnational Drug Trafficking
EU–Mexico Cooperation on Organized Crime

Beyond Borders, Beyond Treaties: The EU–Mexico Struggle Against Transnational Drug Trafficking

EU–Mexico cooperation has strengthened cross-border efforts against drug trafficking, but legal fragmentation, institutional differences, and human-rights concerns continue to limit its effectiveness.

Fernanda Marin · 5 Oct 2026 · 14 min read
UN Peacekeeping as a Site of Contestation: China and the Reshaping of the Global Order
Peacekeeping

UN Peacekeeping as a Site of Contestation: China and the Reshaping of the Global Order

This brief examines China’s evolving role within UN peacekeeping as a window into the emerging multipolar order. Rather than outright rejection, China engages in contested multilateralism—selectively challenging liberal priorities, conditionality, and interventionism from within. By championing s…

Irene Olivo Garcia · 28 Aug 2026 · 14 min read
China’s Reactions to US Belligerence under Trump
Conflict Resolution

China’s Reactions to US Belligerence under Trump

How has China responded to recent U.S. actions in Greenland, Venezuela, and Iran? This article argues that rather than expanding through coercion, China has sought to project itself as a defender of diplomacy and peace, despite the opportunities created by global instability.

Diogo Albuquerque Nascimento · 19 Aug 2026 · 17 min read
Child Recruitment in the DRC: MONUSCO and the Structural Legal Limitations of UN Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping

Child Recruitment in the DRC: MONUSCO and the Structural Legal Limitations of UN Peacekeeping

MONUSCO’s structural limitations lie less in gaps of internal doctrine but more in a fundamental mismatch between the tools available to a peacekeeping mission and a conflict environment increasingly driven by non-state actors operating beyond the practical reach of those tools.

Mareike Warmboldt · 18 Aug 2026 · 14 min read
Beyond Traditional Peacekeeping: NATO’s Inclusive Security Agendas in Iraq
Patterns and Changes in Peacekeeping Approaches

Beyond Traditional Peacekeeping: NATO’s Inclusive Security Agendas in Iraq

How are military alliances adapting to today’s complex conflicts? Using NATO Mission Iraq as a case study, this article explores how Women, Peace and Security and Human Security are reshaping peacekeeping through more inclusive and resilient approaches.

Valerio Borgo · 18 Aug 2026 · 21 min read
Cyberattacks on EU Critical Infrastructure
Cyber Defence & Hybrid Warfare

Cyberattacks on EU Critical Infrastructure

Which EU critical infrastructure sectors face the greatest cyber risk, and which threat modalities are most active? The EU threat environment is bifurcated: high-volume DDoS/hacktivism pressures availability, while lower-volume intrusions cause high-consequence outcomes like ransomware and data t…

Sean Thiltgen · 17 Aug 2026 · 10 min read
Hybrid Security Regimes in Practice
Alliance Building

Hybrid Security Regimes in Practice

Hybrid security regimes are deliberate political strategies that expand state influence through flexible, state-aligned networks rather than relying solely on formal institutions.

Oezlem Has · 22 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
The IDSF on security challenges in the Middle East
Conflict Resolution

The IDSF on security challenges in the Middle East

According to IDSF, Israel’s security relies on national resilience, technological innovation, and regional partnerships, while deradicalization remains essential for long-term Middle East stability.

Kephi Alkalay · 16 Jul 2026 · 11 min read
F
International Cooperation

From Medicine to Military Tech

From Medicine to Military Tech A Founder’s Journey Himmel: Dr. Andres, you are a doctor, and now you sell optics and advocate for the idea that “defence is a human right.” How did that come about? Dr. Andres: Well, I didn’t start directly in the defence sector. During my studies, I had a PDA, som…

Theodor Himmel · 1 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
The Digital Geoeconomics of Great Power Competition.
European Integration

The Digital Geoeconomics of Great Power Competition.

How do central banks and digital currencies, particularly the Digital Euro, shape geoeconomic competition and European integration? CBDCs have become tools of geoeconomic power, intensifying US–China rivalry and enabling states to reduce dependency and gain control over financial infrastructures.…

Andrea Guidotti · 1 Jul 2026 · 18 min read
Bridging the Gap
International Cooperation

Bridging the Gap

1. The interview explores why transatlantic security often overlooks local and state leaders. 2. Joshua Burgin argues that strong personal networks between local leaders are essential for effective security cooperation. 3. The article concludes that stronger local-level transatlantic ties improve…

Joshua Burgin · 28 May 2026 · 6 min read
E
Bilateralism & Multilateralism

EU Enlargement and EP Seat Allocation Reform

Main question: How can the EU reform seat allocation in the European Parliament to integrate new candidate states without breaking the 750-mandate cap or causing political imbalance? Argument: The EU should implement a transparent formula combining a base quota, demographic sizing, and GDP per ca…

Anna Yemchuk · 28 May 2026 · 3 min read
I
International Agreements

Iceland’s Path to EU Membership

Main question: How can Iceland and the EU structure an enlargement framework that reconciles economic sovereignty concerns with shifting Arctic security realities? Argument: The EU and Iceland should implement a coordinated five-step accession package spanning fisheries, energy, agriculture, defe…

Max Craypo · 27 May 2026 · 9 min read
Rethinking Enlargement for a New Age of the EU
International Cooperation

Rethinking Enlargement for a New Age of the EU

The article argues that the EU should adopt a dual-track enlargement model, enabling candidate states to join sector-specific policies before full membership while preserving constitutional safeguards.

Gidi Brandes · 27 May 2026 · 11 min read
C
International Agreements

Constitutional Identity in EU Membership

Main question: How can the EU ensure candidate states align with its core values when accession mainly measures legislative compliance rather than constitutional culture? Argument: The EU should introduce a Constitutional Identity Convergence Assessment (CICA) to evaluate candidates’ highest cour…

Gift Onwuelo · 27 May 2026 · 4 min read
What is Anarchy and can we overcome it?
International Cooperation

What is Anarchy and can we overcome it?

[EPIS Basic Contribution]

Leah Lepre · 27 May 2026 · 3 min read
T
Alliance Building

The Mutual Industrial Resilience Program

How can the EU overcome structural vulnerabilities while reforming its slow, politically driven enlargement? The EU must deploy the €30B Industrial Resilience Facility and an EIB-backed 70% political risk insurance mechanism to embed candidates into European energy, technology, and manufacturing …

Yana Yarmolynska · 18 May 2026 · 5 min read
…
← All Issues
© 2026 EPIS · Independent · Non-partisan · Funded by the EPIS FellowsImprint · Privacy · · RSS

Privacy preference centre

When you visit a website, it may store or read information in your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Choose below which categories we may use. Your choice is kept for 12 months, and you can change it here at any time. Privacy Policy

Manage consent preferences

Always active