Featured
Too clean to compete: Why strict standards keep Europeans out of African minerals
The EU’s high ESG standards are strangling investment in Africa’s mining sector. A phased, realistic approach could unlock much-needed resources
Pieces in motion: Rebalancing power in a new Levantine order
How Europe can use the current moment of flux in the Middle East to help stabilise Iraq, Lebanon and Syria
Anatomy of a chokepoint: Mapping power and conflict in the Red Sea
This ECFR project maps the Red Sea region as a nexus of conflict, regional rivalries and global power plays. To address the risks of this instability, Europeans need to develop a more comprehensive approach
MAGA goes global: Trump’s plan for Europe
Form exists in the frenzy of Donald Trump’s first months back in power. His foreign policy is his domestic agenda exported—and that is bad news for Europe
Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
Truce or trap: Decoding the US-China trade pause
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel to unpack the US-China trade de-escalation and its implications for Europe
Mark Leonard's World in 30 minutes
Erdogan’s crackdown: Turkey and the fight for democracy
Mark Leonard welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş to unpack the recent political upheaval in Turkey and its broader geopolitical implications
Views from the Council
Reasons to be optimistic: European strengths in the global financial landscape
Investors are demonstrating confidence in the European approach embodied in flagship initiatives from the EU
Untying the Hungarian knot: Why the EU might stop spoiling the spoiler state
Orban’s latest defiance of EU values—the banning of Pride—comes as Hungary’s economy flails, the opposition gains, and Washington will no longer oppose. It could be the push the EU needs to figure out how to work around Budapest
In the Media - Council
Carl Bildt on Ukraine imposed sanctions on former president and opposition politician Petro Poroshenko
Mark Leonard, Ivan Krastev, and Timothy Garton Ash on ECFR’s latest global survey
Mark Leonard, Ivan Krastev, and Timothy Garton Ash on ECFR’s latest global survey
Mark Leonard, Timothy Garton Ash and Ivan Krastev on ECFR’s latest global survey on Trump’s return to the White House
Featured and flagship projects
Public opinion polling
Through polling in EU member states, ECFR’s analysis seeks to unlock shifting coalitions in Europe that favour a more internationally engaged union.
Featured
Re:Engage
This project helps the EU in refining its foreign policy, re-engaging neighbours post-Russia's invasion of Ukraine to bolster regional resilience and advance enlargement policies.
Featured
Re:Order
Re:Order project explores emerging visions of the global order, as well as the interplay between economic might and geopolitical influence.
Featured
Latest
Alone we stand: How Europe can counter hybrid threats in a post-transatlantic era
The US is retreating from its history of shared threat recognition and multilateral engagement with Europe. Now the EU must confront Russia’s intensifying hybrid aggression alone—while bolstering its own resilience
The paradox of intervention: How US strikes in Yemen empowered the Houthis
The United States has now ended its campaign of airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi movement, having achieved little military success and instead playing into Houthi attempts to consolidate domestic control
North-south aligned: Why Italy should join the Three Seas Initiative
Giorgia Meloni needs to make Italy’s geopolitical role in Europe more definitive. Rome should welcome cross-border collaboration and greater regional integration through projects such as the Three Seas Initiative
Reasons to be optimistic: European strengths in the global financial landscape
Investors are demonstrating confidence in the European approach embodied in flagship initiatives from the EU
Escalation in South Asia: Europe’s core interests amid crisis between India and Pakistan
This week, tensions between India and Pakistan have led to direct combat and fatalities. As the confrontation escalates, Europeans will likely have to take clear sides and re-assess the role of Chinese military technology in future wars—which could be much closer to home
The bully’s pulpit: Finding patterns in Trump’s use of military force
Over two presidential terms, Donald Trump has used threats to intimidate his adversaries and mostly only employed force against his weaker victims. This pattern of bullying provides an insight into his future decision-making
Julien Barnes-Dacey on US President Donald Trump’s first planned trip abroad to Saudi Arabia
The Policy Brief “Maga goes global: Trump’s plan for Europe” has been mentioned by the news outlet “Formiche”
Corrado Cok on the implications of Trump’s foreign policy for the Middle East and Saudi Arabia
More on Africa
React, rinse, repeat: How Europe can help break Somalia’s cycle of conflict
Al-Shabab is regaining strength in Somalia amid obstacles with the latest peacekeeping mission—just as external partners seek to move away from costly interventions. But there is a path forward
More on Asia
Multi-Pole-arity: How Poland can help Europe think big on China
Beijing’s economic policies are threatening European competitiveness and economic security at a time when Europe cannot afford to be vulnerable. Poland can use its growing leadership role in the EU to help guide the bloc’s response
More on European Power
Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence
The EU’s accession process ignores defence while NATO cannot cover all the candidates. Tailored defence cooperation roadmaps offer a promising path to protect Europe’s periphery without NATO membership
More on Middle East and North Africa
The bear who came to tea: Russia, Libya and the Kremlin’s playbook for fragile states
Russia’s re-entrenchment in Libya, Europe’s soft underbelly, offers profound lessons on how it exploits geopolitical instability—and how Europeans can push back
More on United States
The Orbanisation of America: Hungary’s lessons for Donald Trump
If Trump wins the US presidency, Republicans will likely adapt techniques refined in Viktor Orban’s Hungary as they return to power – with profound implications for both America and Europe
More on Wider Europe
Bridging the Bosphorus: How Europe and Turkey can turn tiffs into tactics in the Black Sea
After years of bickering, Europe and Turkey need each other more than ever. A security partnership in the Black Sea could be the first step toward a pragmatic, if uneasy, alliance to contain Russia