President-elect Joe Biden has plenty of diplomatic issues to tackle in his approaching tenure as the 46th President of the United States. While some tout the importance of immediate steps to signify America’s renewed embrace of “values and democracy”, Nicholas Noe suggests starting with a more pragmatic and inclusive approach: “vaccine diplomacy”.

The production and use of data for evidence-informed policy-making is ever more an expert’s game. Political scientist Prof Dr Gaby Umbach takes a nuanced look at ‘governing by knowing’.

COVID-19 has forced derogations from and limitations to rights at every level. However, there are some populations for which the pandemic has generated rights victories previously considered out of reach. EUI Professor of Public International Law Neha Jain puts the spotlight on one such vulnerable population––prisoners––to explore how COVID-19 has helped change the discourse on the rights of detainees to ignite prospects for prison reform.

On 4 November 2014, the European Central Bank assumed responsibility for the supervision of euro area banks. Christy Ann Petit takes a look at how banking supervision, a pillar of banking union, is leading to greater European integration, six years on.

Disinformation campaigns, now a powerful tool in political meddling, are only reluctantly countered in public policy. STG Policy Leader Fellow Asha Jomis illustrates how new governance strategies can provide a solution.

Climate change and human error are driving increases in catastrophic wildfires around the world. Nevertheless, SPS researcher Risto Keivabu finds optimism in the potential for smart policies to diminish the threat.

France’s reactions to the terrible terrorist attack of 16 October seem to imply that the fight against terrorism might justify sacrificing human rights and the rule of law. EUI Ph.D. researcher in Law Sophie Duroy looks at the issue.

Leading up to the 2020 elections in the United States, Professor of Law Martin Scheinin illustrates how weaknesses in the United States constitutional framework, especially with regard to the judiciary, threaten democracy and the rule of law.

Although the Intra-Afghan peace talks are a significant step towards a resolution of a forty-year-long war, challenges remain as violence continues and both sides not only have drastically opposing views but also face internal divisions.

The European Council is favourable to introducing new own resources to finance the EU budget, but finding a feasible and palatable approach is not easy. In this article, economists Clemens Fuest and Jean Pisani-Ferry recommend putting the revenue from ETS allowances at the centre of the reform of the EU own resources system.