The transatlantic economic partnership generates around €5.5 trillion ($6 trillion) in commercial sales a year and accounts for half of total global personal consumption. No place in the world attracts more US foreign direct investment (FDI) than Europe. Since the beginning of this decade, Europe has attracted 62.6% of total US global investment.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine poses some challenges for students of International Law and Diplomacy in terms of what they have were taught and what they have come to expect of the discipline. Since World War II, there has been no major wars in Europe, and despite Russia’s incursions into Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Crimea, and support for separatist groups in Donbas in 2014, Europe has remained relatively peaceful. For the past two years Europe and the international community have remained focused on mitigating the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and trying to overcome the economic fallout from the virus. No one expected a major war in Europe, as we see with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hence, the Russian invasion is a reflection point for both faculty and students, as it makes teaching and studying International Relations a lot more difficult.