The European Council on Foreign Relations

Witneyhedgehog1

2010-05-17T10:18:31+00:00

What is defence really for and what should Europe do after defence budgets have been ravaged by the economic crisis? In the second of a two part series of podcasts, Daniel Korski talks to Nick Witney about how European security will have to be rethought from the ground up after the economic crisis - and how the best option might be to become a spikey, hedgehog-like larger version of Switzerland.

A responsible government must re-examine Trident

2010-04-21T16:10:31+00:00

Tomorrow night�s foreign policy Leaders� Debate will cover a lot of ground, and Trident will no doubt be discussed. Nick Witney argues that a post-election defence review that does not include Trident is irresponsible and absurd.

WitneySTARTnotNOFUN

2010-04-12T11:16:50+00:00

Obama’s moves over nuclear weapons need putting in context. The US no longer needs them to equalise the USSR’s conventional forces, but others might need nuclear weapons to equalise the US military

Britain�s defence review: the real strategic questions witney

2010-02-11T10:54:56+00:00

Britain’s defence review must take on board how much the world has changed since the late 1900s and focus on preserving Britain’s power and influence, both in and through Europe.

tough snub witney

2010-02-08T15:50:13+00:00

Obama’s snub of the May EU-US summit is tough, but fair. If it wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, the EU must stop complaining and learn from this and other recent disappointments

witny too many cooks

2010-02-01T10:29:09+00:00

After nearly a decade of effort, the Lisbon Treaty is finally in place � and Europeans finally have the chance to develop the unified voice and combined weight in the world that we all now understand to be necessary. Yet Europe�s national leaders seem unable to curb the sort of self-indulgent behaviour that will sabotage this historic opportunity.

Europe�s troublesome neighbours witney

2010-01-15T12:43:44+00:00

Europe’s southern and eastern border give cause for significant concern. It needs to wake up to where its real security interests lie.

How Europe can be heard in Washington shapiro witney

2009-11-16T10:21:49+00:00

Europeans must steel themselves to discuss, within the EU, the big issues on which Europe must engage the US.

progress witney get a grip transatlantic relations

2009-11-05T12:56:49+00:00

To avoid creeping irrelevance, Europe must find a collective voice on the international stage.

witney video transatlantic power audit

2009-11-02T18:52:08+00:00

Nick Witney talks about our transatlantic report in this video blog.

europe obama moment witney shapiro

2009-11-02T06:11:45+00:00

National governments in the EU must shake off illusions about the transatlantic relationship if they want to avoid irrelevance on the global stage.

witney europe’s world Nice location, shame about the neighbours

2009-10-23T17:01:02+00:00

Europe�s biggest challenge in coming decades is how it will get along with the Islamic world.

witney e!sharp missile defence

2009-10-01T09:41:53+00:00

In spite of Czech and Polish objections, the Obama administration was right to drop plans for radars and rocket interceptors in central Europe.

Obama�s Cairo Witney

2009-06-03T10:12:45+00:00

Obama’s flagship Middle East speech in Cairo tomorrow will prove indicative of just how far he is willing to go in replacing the hostile Bush years.

British army the economist Witney

2009-02-05T15:14:56+00:00

As the British Army�s problems deepen, Nick Witney blames a defence policy too fixated on the US.

Nick Witney ECFR European defence summit

2008-12-19T11:43:53+00:00

Nick Witney assesses the outcome of the French Presidency’s efforts on the ‘new impetus� for European defence.

Witney the death of NATO

2008-11-20T13:15:56+00:00

Now in its 60th year, NATO no longer provides a healthy basis for the trans-Atlantic security relationship.

Georgian lessons for EU generals Witney

2008-11-04T10:20:40+00:00

As the dust of the August war in Georgia begins to settle, the EU is emerging as the nearest thing around to a winner. An article published in E-Sharp!.

witney european defence cooperation

2008-07-29T05:01:00+00:00

On ESDP, a decade of procrastination and missed opportunities has taught us some important lessons.

Witney on franco british defence cooperation

2008-02-27T10:44:00+00:00

The Brown-Sarkozy summit in late March will offer a great opportunity to boost defence cooperation between the UK and France. But real progress will require a determined exercise of will by the two leaders.

french defence review witney

2008-02-08T10:01:00+00:00

There are two sure signs that France’s defence review is entering its end-game: a new imprecision has crept into forecasts of when the outcome will be published (“spring”); and interesting disclosures are beginning to appear.