OUR PURPOSE
A Europe united by its ethical
OUR IDENTITY
Sine Qua Non aspires to analyse the contemporary political reality in areas of concern for European foreign policy and to scrutinize its actions with regards to the EU’s proclaimed principles. In doing so, it aims to identify its shortcomings and discrepancies, and present alternative modes of action
Sine Qua Non’s research targets policy makers, decision makers in the public and in the private sector, opinion leaders in media and civil society, as well as academic circles.
Sine Qua Non believes that a coherent European foreign policy, i.e. one that holds a test against the EU’s ethical foundations both in form and effect, is a sine qua non condition for a viable European Union
Sine Qua Non aims to foster the notion of Europe as a highly developed rights culture. This culture emerges from the Union’s development around the core principle of a universal humanism respectful of diversity, which was translated into the gradual construction of its legal order. Thus, the process of European integration saw the Union’s recognition of universal human rights as essential in providing moral guidance for its structural deepening.
The European Union is currently facing a political crisis that is threatening its internal stability. This crisis is inter alia a result of the lack of identification of European citizens with EU institutions, and thus an issue pertaining to the construction of the EU’s identity at large. A unified foreign policy based on the foundational principles of the Union represents an approach to solve its ‘identity-problem’. As a consequence, such foreign policy serves as a positive factor for the internal stability of the Union.
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The notion of “human rights culture” the Union is said to foster is to be explored through the analysis of the emergence, definition and enforcement of those Human Rights that are fundamental for the Union’s legal order. A special focus should be given to the question of effectiveness as applied to the protection and promotion of human rights objectives in foreign policy,particularly through the notions of justiciability and review.
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Recent political discourse in the majority of the EU member states has increasingly developed into a direction supposing a radical discontinuity between the European continent, and the MENA region. The development relies on an interplay of cultural, political, and historical assumptions that are in many ways essentialist in nature. But Europe and the MENA region support a multi-layered connection that should not be overlooked.
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OUR VISION
OUR METHODOLOGY
01
of the facts on the ground
Analysis
02
Evaluation
of European external action by:
Identifying incoherencies vis-à-vis
European principles
Assessing the effectiveness of European
policies on the ground
03
Recommendations
for reorientation of European external action
OUR VALUES
Respect for human dignity
Sine Qua Non rejects any form of discrimination and uphold the fundamental freedoms of the individual. SQN
champions tolerance without concession, condescension, or complacency.
Independence
Sine Qua Non is a completely independent think
tank which defends transparency at all costs.
tank which defends transparency at all costs.
Freedom of conscience
Sine Qua Non upholds the right of everyone to express any opinion, in a spirit of constructive debate.
Freedom of information
Sine Qua Non is committed to disseminate accurate, verified and verifiable information
away from any material, moral or intellectual corruption.
European rights culture
Sine Qua Non adheres and promotes the European rights culture developed around the core principle of a universal humanism respectful of diversity, which was translated into the gradual construction of the Union’s legal order.
OUR PROJECTS
SQN 1 :
Rethinking EU Foreign Policy in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory
Recent shifts on the political trajectory and the facts on the ground also changed the political status quo in Israel and in the oPt. This alienated EU policies from the new reality on the ground, as they are based on a situational logic that is no longer prevalent. Sine Qua Non has decided to address the resulting incoherence in its first case study, SQN 1.
