The relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Asian states, including China, India, Japan and South Korea, has long been complementary. While the focus of the GCC-Asia relationship has concentrated predominantly on the energy dimension, this represents only one part of what is becoming a more complex set of exchanges. Increasingly, a more […]

Tackling the multiple challenges of climate change is a matter of the highest priority for both the Gulf states and the European Union.  Incoming EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that a “Green Deal for Europe” will be her top priority, while all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) […]

This Bussola workshop explored the dynamics of the international debate around sales of armaments and military equipment, with particular reference to the Gulf states.  While US and European manufacturers remain the principal sources of military supply for Gulf customers, the Workshop examined the extent to which these long-standing relationships are likely to endure, and whether […]

April 2018 – March 2019 The Bussola Review 2018-2019 covers the first year of the Bussola Institute’s work from its headquarters in Brussels and internationally. As the President of Bussola’s Honorary Advisory Board, HE President José María Aznar, declares in his opening message: ‘I am delighted that the Bussola Institute has been established as a […]

On 16th May, the Bussola Institute held a Workshop on Iraq and its current geopolitical situation, entitled “Rebuilding Challenges in Iraq: Outline for a GCC-EU Agenda”. This seminar was organized around the main challenges and opportunities facing Iraq under its new government, and assessed the main risks to its stability in the medium and long term.

Relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iraq have been strained for the past 30 years, ever since Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to invade Kuwait in 1990. However, the election of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in 2018 and the eventual establishment of a new Iraqi government in October, has led to a distinct shift […]

The next European Parliament election will take place from May 23-26, 2019 where citizens from all EU member states will vote in what has been described a critical election in terms of the impact on the future composition of the Parliament as well as the future direction of the European Union.  In a Europe that […]

The Bussola Institute together with the Bertelsmann Foundation and its project “Strategies for the EU Neighbourhood” held a majlis discussion on the role of the key states of Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the so-called “neighbours of the neighbours” of the EU, in the stabilisation process for the EU’s eastern and southern neighbourhood. There […]

Report on Bussola Institute ‘Majlis’February 12, 2019Reported prepared by: Angus Taverner This Bussola Institute Majlis dealt with important questions concerning shared values, the importance of inter-faith understanding and dialogue and considered what future steps might be taken to encourage peaceful co-existence, inculcate mutual respect and build more tolerant societies, particularly from a religious dimension.This inter-faith […]