Despite the two rivals’ public commitment to cooperate on reducing carbon emissions, neither is in the position to act decisively or stay the course. In this post, Professor of Law and Governance Peter Drahos reviews the main political, economic and environmental constraints.

The recent meeting of US President Joe Biden with the Pope is likely to revive controversy over whether Biden, a devout Catholic, should be excluded from receiving Holy Communion due to his political stand on abortion. In this post, EUI alumnus Radosław Michalski explains the options for defusing the issue, from a doctrinal perspective.

The Taliban’s grab of power in Afghanistan also has repercussions for international justice. Law scholar and EUI alumna Sophie Duroy draws attention to a recent statement by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor that essentially lets the US off the hook for crimes committed in the war against terror.

The Taliban’s ascent to power in Afghanistan marks the end of US state building efforts and perhaps of liberal interventionism. The US and its European allies failed to establish legitimate governance, and thousands of Afghans suffer the consequences. SPS researcher Wolfgang Minatti points out why the Taliban now face a similar challenge.

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”.

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.

With COP25 just around the corner, Dr Isabella Alloisio, Research Associate at the Florence School of Regulation-Climate, evaluates the US’ waning commitment to combat climate change.