This response to John Mearsheimer’s recent lecture at the EUI delves into the validity of his central thesis, the quality of the evidence, the broader implications and the concept of academic social responsibility. It finds that Mearsheimer’s explanation of the war in Ukraine is unsatisfactory and rests on shaky empirical foundations.

There is no justification for the atrocities committed by Russia against the people of Ukraine. This does not stop scholars from trying to explain Putin’s decision to invade. John Mearsheimer’s recent lecture at the EUI was one such attempt – which fails on multiple counts, the authors argue.

Analysing a survey in five EU countries, Research Fellows Ioana-Elena Oana and Alexandru Moise find Hungarians and Poles to have the widest disagreement about EU membership for Ukraine and about ending energy dependence on Russia.

Sovereignty is one of the most important concepts in international relations, but its meaning is contested and not immutable. Against the backdrop of today’s military conflict in Ukraine, Robert Schuman Fellow Michael Sanfey explores the tensions between globalisation and sovereignty, and the UN’s ambiguous championing of the latter.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, there is much talk of ‘smart sanctions’ – those with a strong impact on Russia but a low cost for the EU. Visiting Schuman Fellow Daniel Gros argues that a tariff on imports of gas might be smartest sanction of all.

In this post, law researcher Miguel Mota Delgado unravels the complex relationship between EU and Member State law when it comes to imposing sanctions on citizens.

Five years after the historic peace treaty in Colombia, in some places conflicts continue to simmer and a longing for change persists. PhD Researchers Wolfgang Minatti and Laura Ramírez report from their fieldwork in one region.

A conflict between Ethiopia and the TPLF is destabilising the country and the region, and some parties are calling to let the war run its course. STG Policy Leader Fellow Ibrahim Magara demurs in an analysis for EUIDeas.