Highlights
Featured
- Wider Europe
Combined farces: Russia’s early military failures in Ukraine
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Gustav Gressel
- Commentary
- 3 minute read
The Kremlin’s secrecy in waging war on Ukraine has created severe problems on the battlefield. Inadequate force generation seems responsible for many of these problems.
- Wider Europe
Why Ukraine needs greater military support from the West
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Denys Davydenko, Margaryta Khvostova, Olga Lymar
- Views from the Capitals
- 4 minute read
Many more Ukrainians want to defend their country than have the weapons to do so. An increase in Western military support is vital to Ukraine’s survival.
- Wider Europe
Acts of normality: The potential for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement
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Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Richard Giragosian
- Policy Brief
After decades of tension, Turkey and Armenia now feel it is in their interest to normalise their relationship – not least to promote trade and to balance against Russian influence
- Wider Europe
Let a thousand contacts bloom: How China competes for influence in Bulgaria
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Vladimir Shopov
- Policy Brief
China is expanding its presence in Bulgaria through a strategy of engagement with state and non-state actors. This has concerning implications in areas such as technology transfer, critical infrastructure, and public procurement.
Russia attacks Ukraine
With the massive attack against Ukraine, Russia's President Putin has started a full-scale war against an independent country. The European Council on Foreign Relations will explore the crisis as it unfolds, focusing in on Europe's political, economic and military response.
The crisis of European security: What Europeans think about the war in Ukraine
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Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard
- Policy Brief
Europeans are united around three key ideas about the war in Ukraine. The crisis will likely test their readiness to defend the European security order.
Welcome to the jungle
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Mark Leonard
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
As a paranoid dictator, Vladimir Putin has survived by eliminating anyone who could pose a threat to him. But now that he has triggered the survival instinct of Europe and the broader West, the world is entering a dangerous new phase of existential conflict.
Upcoming events
The battle for the Elysee
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De Balie, Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 1017 RR Amsterdam
Podcasts
War in Ukraine: a stale-mate for the West and NATO’s future?
How should Europe react to Russian loss or indeed victory in this war? And what are the possible ramifications for the West?
Featured projects
European Sovereignty
To prosper and maintain their independence in a world of geopolitical competition, the EU needs to learn to think like a geopolitical power
Sovereign Europe, dangerous world: Five agendas to protect Europe’s capacity to act
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Mark Leonard, Jeremy Shapiro
Re:shape Global Europe
The project strives to engage citizens across Europe and generate a wide debate about the purpose of European power in the twenty-first century
The Power Atlas
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Mark Leonard (ed.)
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
The crisis of European security: What Europeans think about the war in Ukraine
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Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard
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Latest
- European Power
Welcome to the jungle
-
Mark Leonard
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
As a paranoid dictator, Vladimir Putin has survived by eliminating anyone who could pose a threat to him. But now that he has triggered the survival instinct of Europe and the broader West, the world is entering a dangerous new phase of existential conflict.
- European Power
Out of the dark: Reinventing European defence cooperation
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Gustav Gressel, Nick Witney
- Commentary
- 8 minute read
Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine has convinced many European states to rebuild their militaries. In doing so, they should initially focus on readiness, capability gaps, and joint equipment procurement and research.
- Middle East and North Africa
Agreement and uncertainty: The Iran nuclear deal in a new global order
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Esfandyar Batmanghelidj
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
In an unstable world, Western policymakers need a new approach to Iran. They should think beyond non-proliferation to account for the country’s attempts at strategic balancing.
- Asia
Southern discomfort: The West’s competition with China in the Balkans
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Vladimir Shopov
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
The West has only recently started to develop a coordinated strategy to compete with China in the Balkans. This contest has now begun in earnest.
- Middle East and North Africa
Balance of power: Gulf states, Russia, and European energy security
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Cinzia Bianco
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Gulf monarchies’ refusal to side with the US and Europe against Russia is not about Russia. It is about a transactional approach to protecting national interests and avoiding the costs of strategic alignment.
- Wider Europe
How to train your dictator: Putin’s control over Lukashenka
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Pavel Slunkin, Andrew Wilson
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Lukashenka is complicit in Russia’s war on Ukraine. But this should not stigmatise members of the Belarusian democratic movement – who need more support than they are receiving.
Our experts are available for media requests. Our work involves many issues relating to Europe and foreign policy, and our programmes focus on Africa, Asia, the Middle East & North Africa, and Wider Europe.
The mistake of Nord Stream 2, now on hold, is entirely [Merkel’s]
Putin saw the whole thing as a special military operation. He probably thought it would be done in a few days. Now the Russian troops are forced to regroup.
Gustav Gressel believes that the next two weeks could be decisive for the further outcome of the war and the fate of Ukraine
Putin has used these kinds of talks as distractions to make progress on the military front before
Strengthening the Eastern flank with a presence that is no longer merely symbolic but one of operational defence serves to reinforce Western credibility when diplomatic negotiations get under way
More on Africa
Gateway to growth: How the European Green Deal can strengthen Africa’s and Europe’s economies
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Michaël Tanchum
- Policy Brief
Africa’s burgeoning innovation economies offer huge opportunities for the continent – and for Europe as it looks to tackle the climate crisis and respond to China’s BRI global connectivity programme
Competitive values: Russia’s conflict with Europe in Africa
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Theodore Murphy
- Commentary
- 7 minute read
Promises, promises: The future of the Europe-Africa partnership
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David McNair
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
More on Asia
What Europeans think about the US-China Cold War
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Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard
- Policy Brief
A majority of European citizens believe a new cold war with both China and Russia is under way – but they mostly do not think that their own country is involved
Why India’s silence on Ukraine is an opportunity for Europe
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Manisha Reuter
- Commentary
- 4 minute read
Will and intent: The Paris ministerial forum on the Indo-Pacific
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Frédéric Grare
- Note from Paris
- 3 minute read
More on European Power
A certain idea of Europe: How the next French president can lead
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Susi Dennison, Tara Varma
- Policy Brief
The next French president should pursue a strong European foreign policy agenda to protect Europeans against the threats they are most concerned about
Grand illusions: Partnerships in the EU’s Strategic Compass
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Isabella Antinozzi
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
The fight for Europe’s digital future
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Eva Maydell
- View from the Council
- 3 minute read
More on Middle East and North Africa
Building security: How Europeans can help reform Libya
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Roberta Maggi
- Policy Brief
Europeans can play a meaningful role in the reform of Libya’s security sector if they adopt a shared strategy and operational principles
The man from Misrata: Why Libya has two prime ministers (again)
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Tarek Megerisi
- Commentary
- 5 minute read
Unsettled: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Middle East and North Africa
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Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Julien Barnes-Dacey, Cinzia Bianco, Hugh Lovatt, Tarek Megerisi, Kelly Petillo
- Commentary
- 6 minute read
More on Wider Europe
It’s complicated: Russia’s tricky relationship with China
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Kadri Liik
- Policy Brief
The West does not have an opportunity to prompt a policy U-turn in Moscow that divides Russia and China. But it could give Russia space to hedge against China in key areas
Competitive values: Russia’s conflict with Europe in Africa
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Theodore Murphy
- Commentary
- 7 minute read
Mixmaster Orban: Why Hungary’s prime minister keeps changing his tune
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Tibor Dessewffy
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
Views from the Council
The fight for Europe’s digital future
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Eva Maydell
- View from the Council
- 3 minute read
If the West loses the race to gain the economic, security, and social benefits of AI and other advanced technologies, there will be a fundamental shift in the global order
Mixmaster Orban: Why Hungary’s prime minister keeps changing his tune
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Tibor Dessewffy
- View from the Council
- 4 minute read
A new Versailles declaration for Ukraine
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Heather Grabbe, Iskra Kirova
- View from the Council
- 3 minute read
