Shada Islam

Brussels

EU Analyst and Commentator at Freelance

Columnist at EUobserver

Articles

Journalists helped shape the EU - now it needs us more than ever

1 month ago | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

Journalists are an unruly bunch, always have been, always will be. But they are also the lifeblood of democracy. Without us there would be no accountability for the powerful, no pushbacks against the corrupt, no visibility for the honorable. To read this story, log in or subscribeEnjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week. Become a memberAlready a member? Login
The EU can’t replace the US as a global player until it sheds its own colonial thinking | Shada Islam

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Shada Islam

Donald Trump has disrupted the global economy with his disastrous tariff wars and appears hell-bent on gutting transatlantic relations. I am hoping he has also unwittingly injected new life into the EU’s struggle to wean itself off overreliance on Washington. A vast network of trade and aid agreements connects the EU with more than 70 countries. The union could become an important standalone global actor and even thrive in a multipolar world.
In search for Asian trade allies, EU must avoid past mistakes

2 months ago | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

ColumnCall it a sign of the times. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s first official statement on America’s bizarre tariff war came while she was in Samarkand wooing Central Asian leaders at the bloc’... Get EU news that mattersBack our independent journalism by becoming a supporting memberAlready a member?
Why are EU-Africa relations are still performative?

Mar 25, 2025 | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

European policymakers once hailed Africa as a “sister continent”. Fast forward to 2025 and for most African states, the EU appears to be — at best — a distant relative.
Some depressing home truths on International Womens' Day

Mar 7, 2025 | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

The alarming rise in violence against women is a major global emergency. World leaders should recognise and treat it as such. Sexually violent crimes against women, including rape and torture, are proliferating in conflict zones like Ukraine, Gaza, Congo, and Sudan. There is gender apartheid in Afghanistan, and institutional discrimination against women in Iran. Women refugees face rape and detention as they try and enter Fortress Europe.
'Brussels So White' - but what role play journalists?

Feb 25, 2025 | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

Writing about structural racism in the EU is not for the faint-hearted. It requires persistence, resilience and a (very) thick skin. Additional assets? An ability to separate fact from fiction and differentiate myth from reality. Perhaps also a touch of kindness and empathy, a minimal understanding of societal power asymmetries, and yes, a dogged determi...
Trump and Vance have smashed the old order – how should Europe respond?

Feb 18, 2025 | msn.com | Nathalie Tocci |Yanis Varoufakis |Rokhaya Diallo |Shada Islam |John Kampfner |Lorenzo Marsili

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Trump and Vance have smashed the old order – how should Europe respond? | Nathalie Tocci, Yanis Varoufakis and others

Feb 18, 2025 | theguardian.com | Nathalie Tocci |Yanis Varoufakis |Shada Islam |John Kampfner |Lorenzo Marsili

This assault on democracy has left Europe reeling – and aloneNathalie TocciGuardian Europe columnistFor years, many of us assumed that with the decline of the US-led liberal international order, the split between democracies and autocracies would be what shaped the contemporary world. Liberal democracies in America, Europe and Asia would stick together, while China, Russia, Iran and North Korea would increasingly cooperate.
To salvage EU’s shattered global reputation, Kallas must not ignore Gaza

Jan 28, 2025 | euobserver.com | Shada Islam

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign and security policy chief, is living up to her reputation for steely resolve in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine. She must take a similarly strong stance against Israel’s genocide in Gaza
¿Integrarnos? Los musulmanes europeos estamos condenados tanto si lo hacemos como si no

Jan 2, 2025 | eldiario.es | Shada Islam

Informar sobre el aumento de la hostilidad contra los musulmanes en Europa significa escuchar repetidamente las mismas generalizaciones sobre los 25 millones de musulmanes europeos.