At a Glance:

Currently, the Iraqi security sector has relied on international assistance over the past years to combat terrorism within the country through capacity building, military trainings and financial assistance. With current tensions in the region, Iraq has called for a withdrawal of all foreign military troops, which could have widespread consequences that impact the future stability of the country.  

As Libya’s war enters 2020, dynamics within the war-ravaged country took a dramatic turn when the Turkish parliament, a regional ally of the GNA[1] in Tripoli, approved on 3 January 2020 the deployment of Turkish ground-forces in support of the GNA’s position. Since then Turkey has sent military advisors, and Syrian rebel forces allied with Turkey, in support of Fayez al-Serraj’s[2] administration.

BIC President, Ambassador Marc Otte, welcomes new EU leaders with words of advice on three key issues that will shape an audacious agenda for a stronger and smarter Global Europe, and ensure that the EU demonstrates true leadership in an unpredictable geopolitical arena with emerging actors and new challenges (

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In the last few years the topic of migrants and migration patterns has, once again, found itself as a centrepiece of many political debates around the world. Politicians and advocates alike have been calling for an evolution in migration policies and conventions. As Swedish MEP and rappoteur for the Dublin Regulation reform, Cecilia Wikström said in June of 2018, the current iteration of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is a “failed asylum system” that requires concrete amendment by the European Council and Parliament[1].

China and other emerging actors are shifting global power structures, but understanding the challenges and opportunities at hand for the European Union requires a more critical analysis of broad narratives, which all too often present Africa as a homogeneous entity.

Since the 23 February Summit, the G5 Joint Force (FC-G5S) has developed significantly, establishing its headquarters in Sevare, Mali, and carrying out its first two missions.

Chancellor Merkel has received widespread recommendation for making Africa the centerpiece of her G20 Presidency and for recently supporting a G5 Sahel Joint Initiative- but despite these efforts, Germany has yet to deliver the ambitious, concrete financial commitments that are needed to concretely improve the security situation on the ground.