News – Ueli Staeger

The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs in Financing the African Union

Contribution to a special issue “AU@20: Looking Back and Thinking Forward on the Impact of the African Union on Deepening Continental Integration in Africa”, Southern African Public Law, edited by Nciko wa Nciko & Babatunde Fagbayibo Money makes the world go round. The African Union (AU) is no exception to this rule, and in its […]

30 August 2022
The War in Ukraine and Institutional Complexity in European Security: Situating the EU’s New Strategic Compass

The EU’s new security strategy, the Strategic Compass, aims to expedite security and defence cooperation in Europe. To do so, it embraces a variable geometry of cooperation and a pragmatic approach to institutional overlap. But can the EU deliver on these ambitious goals? Connected to broader debates on multilateral decision-making, modalities of international cooperation, and […]

5 May 2022
Analysis of African Union decisions from February 2022: Wicked challenges in AU funding and reform, but an increasing commitment to paying up on time

The African Union (AU) continued to grapple with implementing its important and difficult reforms also during the past year. While there is very welcome progress in particular in terms of decreasing arrears with assessed contributions, many reform projects face significant obstacles. Below, I summarize the Assembly and Executive Council decisions from January/February 2022 on AU […]

28 March 2022
Policy brief: Overcoming APSA’s challenges through new approaches to collective security

Policy brief written for the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s rollout of the APSA 2040 scenario report on the future of the African Peace and Security Architecture. For two decades already, the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) has guided African and external stakeholders engagement for peace and security in Africa. Over time, a double crisis of […]

16 February 2022
ECDPM Discussion Paper: Merging peace and politics: How will the African Union address the governance agenda?

Discussion paper for the European Centre for Development Cooperation Management (ECDPM), co-authored with Martin Ronceray and Lidet Tadesse Shiferaw. The merger of the African Union Commission’s Department of Peace and Security and its Department of Political Affairs is one of the most prominent changes that African Union (AU) reform has delivered. Subscribing to a global […]

1 July 2021
AUDA-NEPAD: Does money and focus equal ownership and trade?

Read my blog post at ECDPM’s Talking Points blog with Bruce Byers, Head of the African Institutions and Regional Dynamics Programme at ECDPM. We discuss how infrastructure support of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a litmus for a new, focused AUDA-NEPAD.

23 March 2021
How member states and partners impede the African Union’s quest for financial autonomy

This article with Frank Mattheis (ULB) outlines the challenges the AU has faced in working towards financial autonomy. Read it on The Conversation.

23 December 2020
“Should I do a PhD?” Questions for prospective doctoral students in IR/political science

“Should I do a PhD?” Questions for prospective doctoral students in IR/political science After several conversations with future, current and past PhD students in my field, here is the list of honest questions prospective doctoral students can think about. Don’t let the critical nature of these questions distract you. With the right motivation, context and […]

21 September 2020
ISA International Organization Section – Lawrence S. Finkelstein Prize

The International Studies Association’s International Organization Section has kindly awarded me the Lawrence S. Finkelstein Prize for Best Paper at the (cancelled) ISA Annual Conference 2020. The prize recognizes the best graduate student paper on international organizations. I submitted a paper drawing from my on-going doctoral dissertation on the financing and reforms of the African […]

1 April 2020
Launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area

Africa’s new continental free trade area, the AfCFTA, is a remarkable achievement. However, decisive diplomatic, technical and social action is needed for it to succeed. Find my co-written article with Frank Mattheis on the challenges and achievements of the African Union’s new Continental Free Trade Area here: https://theconversation.com/more-work-lies-ahead-to-make-africas-new-free-trade-area-succeed-118135 A radio interview with SA FM’s Bongi […]

6 June 2019