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Josephine Solanki Project Officer

Our people — Staff member

Josephine Solanki is a project officer with TNI's War and Pacification programme. She holds an MA degree with distinction in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies and a BA degree in Philosophy and Economics.

Latest work

  • Under the Radar Twenty years of EU military missions

    • EU Militarism and War Policies
    • Militarism
    Under the Radar

    In 2003, the EU deployed its first-ever foreign mission to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In the 20 years since then it has undertaken more than 40 operations across Europe, Africa and Asia with 24 currently active, 13 of which are civilian, 10 of which are military and are the focus of this report, as well as one hybrid mission. The stated objectives of these missions include laudable aims, such as preventing conflict, strengthening international peace and security, supporting the rule of law, and crisis management, among others. According to the EU’s diplomatic service these missions are driven by the EU’s commitment to improving the security situation in host nations. They are described as low to middle intensity, offering EU services that are tailored to local circumstances and usually involve the provision of military training and equipment to national armies. In reality, as this report shows, these missions have little to do with ‘promoting peace, prosperity and security’, and are rather far more concerned with achieving the EU’s final stated aim of promoting ‘the interests of Europeans’ to the detriment of local populations in host states. 

    Policy briefing by
    Josephine Solanki

  • How the EU has used the war in Ukraine to expand its border regime

    • EU Militarism and War Policies
    • Border Wars

    Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 13 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes in what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called ‘the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II’. Breaking with a policy of deterring and containing asylum seekers outside its borders, the EU and its member states rightly responded to the flow of people by creating legal pathways that granted Ukrainian nationals protection and legal status within the Union. To date, some 8.2 million Ukrainians have registered across Europe. While these laudable efforts have undoubtedly saved lives, over a year later it is clear that the measures are the exception and not the rule. The EU has used the war in Ukraine to expand its deadly border regime in Eastern Europe, in particular the role of Frontex, doubling its efforts to keep out those fleeing other wars and conflicts. Moreover, Ukraine, which has acted as the EU’s border guard for nearly two decades, has continued to play this role even as the war rages on. As we approach World Refugee Day, we expose the discrimination, racism, and hypocrisy driving Europe’s deadly border policies in response to the war.

    Longread by
    • Mark Akkerman
    • Niamh Ní Bhriain
    • Josephine Solanki

  • Smoke Screen How states are using the war in Ukraine to drive a new arms race

    • EU Militarism and War Policies
    • Militarism
    Cover image

    Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, western governments have pledged unprecedented financial support to militarism, citing the threat posed by the war as justification. Political leaders have repeatedly deemed this response to be reasonable, proportionate, and necessary to support Ukraine’s war effort and to deter Russia from advancing further westward. Order print copy

    Publication by
    • Mark Akkerman
    • Niamh Ní Bhriain
    • Josephine Solanki
See all work by Josephine Solanki