Since 1932, Thailand has been the stage of regular coups d’états and constitutional changes, with the most recent in May 2014.

The strategic position and economic value of hundreds of small islands in the South China Sea have provoked claims of sovereignty from most of the neighboring states.

Recent events have provided the opportunity for the rekindling of relations between Ukraine and the European Union.

Turkish leaders would like to turn their country into the leader of the Middle East. However, they are in competition with another of the region’s key players: Iran.

Russia, as the fourth largest greenhouse-gas emitter in the world, and a major supplier of fossil fuels causing these emissions, played a decisive role in the enforcement of the Kyoto Protocol, the main instrument of global climate policy so far. 

China’s economic development has brought it to the center of natural resource markets.

Lead Authors: Marie-Claire Aoun and Quentin Boulanger (IFRI); Authoring Team: Damir Pešut, Marko Matosović and Robert Bošnjak (EIHP); Paul Deane, James Glynn and Brian Ó Gallachóir (UCC); Reviewer: Nathalie Desbrosses (Enerdata)

Social media enable new means of natural disasters management. It is now easier to locate victims, to find shelters, or to coordinate humanitarian aid. Prevention has also become more efficient. From now on, this tool will be more and more present in the field of natural disasters management; however, it also poses some risks because of its open nature, which makes control more difficult.