Europe
France, an enemy of Catalonia?
By Ignasi Fortuny · 17/03/2022
Principles of international politics Over the last few decades in Catalonia, there has existed a broad tendency to think that nation-states define their international policies according to ideologies and values rather than interests. Empiric evidence tells us that states act according to interests, particularly economic and political interests. From this point of view, the geopolitical […]
When there is a horizon, there is need for strategy
By Rosa Cabús · 04/02/2022
It is commonplace to argue, as I have previously myself, that every country – in this case, Catalonia – requires a strategy. Strategy is a big-sounding word. In many cases, the word is useful as a counterargument when criticizing what political leaders either do or do not do. Although the term has become diluted due […]
The Energy Crisis and the Renewables Vanity
By Oriol Parera · 18/01/2022
It is too early to say whether the emerging energy crisis will be similar in magnitude to the 1973 oil crisis, or whether it will lead to changes in global energy strategies. That crisis highlighted the problems affecting many states in terms of energy dependence and drove radical changes in energy supply and production. If […]
Russia and Ukraine: the threat of war is real
By Abel Riu · 24/12/2021
In October 2021, the CIA began to issue alarm signals regarding a build-up of Russian troops, weapons, and military equipment in the border area with Ukraine. The situation is reminiscent of spring 2021, with the difference that this time the size of the troop mobilization is much larger, with 122,000 troops some 200km from the […]
The geoeconomics of the supply shock beyond the pandemic
By Miquel Vila · 07/12/2021
Geopolitics often analyses how polities design, compete and secure access and transport of resources, armies, and people across territories. That is to say, logistics. Therefore, the current global supply chain crisis will indisputably impact the geopolitical realm, going way beyond the challenge of dealing with empty shelves during Christmas. Mainstream analysts still insist that we […]
Germany after Merkel
By Àngel Ferrero · 21/09/2021
The leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had no doubt imagined these elections as a mere formality. The victory in the primaries of the continuity candidate, the president of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, who defeated all of his rivals – including one undeclared, the president of Bavaria, Markus Söder, of the […]
Introduction to Astropolitics: an opportunity for Catalonia?
By Marçal Sanmartí · 13/09/2021
During the last decade, we have witnessed an increasing number of rocket launches and a renewed competition between countries to send probes and even humans into Space. But what’s behind this new Space Race that makes private companies such as SpaceX flourish? Let’s have an introductory look at the intertwined economic and geopolitical reasons behind […]
Catalonia in a post-liberal world
By Miquel Vila · 29/06/2021
The promise of post-Cold War liberal internationalism has been one of the most compelling narratives in our recent history. As we all know, after the fall of Communism, the world promised to be ruled by international law, open and fair markets, multilateral institutions, and universally granted human rights. Ideological and great power competition belonged to […]
Should Catalonia design energy policies looking more at France and less at Germany?
By Daniel Moseguí Gonzalez · 14/05/2021
The EU’s “European Green Deal” did set the very ambitious goal of having Europe become the worlds’ first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The roadmap includes a reduction by 40% of all greenhouse emissions by 2030 as compared to 2019 levels. Hereby, different batteries of policies with strong implications in all sectors of the economy […]
Energy sovereignty and the role of nuclear energy
By Oriol Parera · 04/03/2021
We usually hear vague proposals that would quickly improve the current energy model, lower CO2 emissions, and lead us to a sustainable society in the short term. These proposals then do not materialize for two reasons: the energy dependence on fossil fuels as a determining factor and the lack of pragmatism in the technical and […]