Why the West must be ready for this moment of opportunity and risk in Ukraine
Ukrainians are preparing for a make-or-break counter-offensive. They have a theory of victory. Do we?
European Strategy
The German scapegoat: Berlin’s inevitable role in the US presidential election
Germany cannot avoid being dragged into election debates in the US. On defence, it should focus on its own national security interests
German foreign policy with Christoph Heusgen
Mark Leonard is joined by Christoph Heusgen to talk about Germany’s foreign policy
Ukraine one year on: When tech companies go to war
The war in Ukraine has reinforced the strategic role of global tech giants in defence and security policy. NATO and the EU should learn from this as they try to deter future aggressors
Connectivity: A Hungarian globalisation strategy
To escape the middle-income trap in the next decade, Hungary needs an economic strategy of connectivity
Live from the Munich Security Conference: Where is world politics turning?
Mark Leonard reports live from the Munich Security Conference
Insights from an AI author: The geopolitical consequences of ChatGPT
ChatGPT seems set to shake up the technology industry, but its implications for geopolitics are less clear. We asked ChatGPT what these might be
Repair, replace, reimburse: Sustaining a European tank coalition for Ukraine
Military help for Ukraine is moving towards serious questions of logistics – but more countries still need to step forward. Here is how the next-stage coalition could look.
The power of pragmatism: Nuclear energy, technological innovation, and the green transition
To propel the green transition, the EU needs to combine more self-sufficiency in nuclear energy with a forward-thinking approach to technological innovation
The Leopards are free!
Mark Leonard, Camille Grand, Gustav Gressel, Jana Puglierin, and Jeremy Shapiro discuss what the Leopard 2 decision means for the war in Ukraine
Publications
Byting back: The EU’s digital alliance with Latin America and the Caribbean
The EU can counter Chinese and Russian influence through a digital alliance with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
Iron net: Digital repression in the Middle East and North Africa
Governments across the world have powerful digital tools to control and repress their populations. The EU should treat this as an urgent security and political concern.
The geopolitics of technology: How the EU can become a global player
The digital space is a key battleground in today’s global power struggles. For the EU to become a global player in the geopolitics of technology, it needs an ambitious external digital strategy – one that allows it to secure its interests, values, and standing in a world of intensifying geo-technological competition.
Beyond Merkelism: What Europeans expect of post-election Germany
Paradoxically, to fulfil many Europeans’ expectations, Berlin will need to revise the principles of Merkelism that created this trust
Geo-tech politics: Why technology shapes European power
New technologies are a significant force shaping international relations. If the EU wants to be more than a mediator between the US and China, it will need to change its mindset.
How to prevent Germany from becoming Eurosceptic
To engage more confidently with a world that is changing, outward-looking Germans need to shape a progressive new national identity before it is defined by the forces of isolation and exclusion
Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean
The EU has the ambition and potential to become a sovereign digital power, but it lacks an all-encompassing strategy for the sector, in which individual governments are still the key players
Built to order: How Europe can rebuild multilateralism after covid-19
The covid-19 pandemic has brought forward a new agenda for multilateralism, focused on areas including global health, economic recovery, climate, technology, and trade
Artificial divide: How Europe and America could clash over AI
Artificial intelligence is a rapidly advancing field that policymakers everywhere are struggling to keep up with
Europe’s digital sovereignty: From rulemaker to superpower in the age of US-China rivalry
The EU cannot continue to rely on its regulatory power but must become a tech superpower in its own right. Referees do not win the game.
Articles
Why the West must be ready for this moment of opportunity and risk in Ukraine
Ukrainians are preparing for a make-or-break counter-offensive. They have a theory of victory. Do we?
The German scapegoat: Berlin’s inevitable role in the US presidential election
Germany cannot avoid being dragged into election debates in the US. On defence, it should focus on its own national security interests
Ukraine one year on: When tech companies go to war
The war in Ukraine has reinforced the strategic role of global tech giants in defence and security policy. NATO and the EU should learn from this as they try to deter future aggressors
Connectivity: A Hungarian globalisation strategy
To escape the middle-income trap in the next decade, Hungary needs an economic strategy of connectivity
Insights from an AI author: The geopolitical consequences of ChatGPT
ChatGPT seems set to shake up the technology industry, but its implications for geopolitics are less clear. We asked ChatGPT what these might be
Repair, replace, reimburse: Sustaining a European tank coalition for Ukraine
Military help for Ukraine is moving towards serious questions of logistics – but more countries still need to step forward. Here is how the next-stage coalition could look.
The power of pragmatism: Nuclear energy, technological innovation, and the green transition
To propel the green transition, the EU needs to combine more self-sufficiency in nuclear energy with a forward-thinking approach to technological innovation
Aggression on trial: The tricky path towards prosecuting Russian war leaders
A UN-backed court could reinforce condemnation of Russia’s aggressive war and reduce Putin’s legitimacy on the international stage. But its establishment and success will depend on the commitment it receives
Setting the tone: The value of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council
The EU-US Trade and Technology Council continues to be a valuable initiative for transatlantic cooperation – even if the outcomes of the negotiations will not always make the news
The case for defence: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has proved France right
Old stereotypes about France’s position on Russia were not wholly unjustified. But in 2022, Paris’s actions and words merit greater attention from other EU capitals long suspicious of French motives
Specials
EU Energy Deals Tracker
The energy deals the EU and its member states are now making with third countries will shape Europeans’ ability to protect their energy security in the long term. The EU Energy Deals Tracker provides a comprehensive overview of these agreements, including their implications for the sustainable transition.
Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
The future shape of Europe: How the EU can bend without breaking
A critical mass of countries agree on the need for more flexible cooperation, but what could it look like?
Fear and loathing on the road to the US elections
European leaders are underestimating the danger that Trump presents to the transatlantic alliance and assuming too much continuity in the event of a Clinton presidency
Podcasts
German foreign policy with Christoph Heusgen
Mark Leonard is joined by Christoph Heusgen to talk about Germany’s foreign policy
Live from the Munich Security Conference: Where is world politics turning?
Mark Leonard reports live from the Munich Security Conference
The Leopards are free!
Mark Leonard, Camille Grand, Gustav Gressel, Jana Puglierin, and Jeremy Shapiro discuss what the Leopard 2 decision means for the war in Ukraine
Rethinking the purpose of AI with Stuart Russell
Mark Leonard is joined by Stuart Russell to discuss artificial intelligence’s capabilities to solve global problems and humans’ ability to control its dark side
The global race for semiconductor hegemony
How do chips decide power in today’s geopolitical competition?
15 years of ECFR: Reflections on Europe in a tumultuous world
We turned 15! Time to reflect on the past years and ECFR’s role in helping Europe find a strong, united voice
Machtwechsel: The new generation of German politicians
Mark Leonard discusses with Anna Sauerbrey her book “Machtwechsel” and the new generation of German politicians
The Power of Crisis with Ian Bremmer
Ian Bremmer joins the podcast to discuss the concept of a “goldilocks” crisis, the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, and Europe’s role in global upheavals
White privilege in international relations
What is white privilege and how deeply is the idea of the superiority of white people and Western culture interwoven into international relations?
Germany’s Zeitenwende: what does it mean for Europe?
German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is facing criticism for not meeting the expectations he created with his Zeitenwende speech. But how fair is this criticism?
Events
13 Dec
Colombia, la UE y ALC: Oportunidades para la cooperación en materia digital
El 13 de diciembre de 2022 el European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) organizó una reunión virtual a puerta cerrada sobre las oportunidades de cooperación…
2 Dec
Sahel-North Africa-Europe: Addressing the vertical pathway of instability
A panel discussion organized in collaboration with the Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in the framework of the 8th edition of the Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
1 Dec
Europe debates | Feministische Außenpolitik und militärisches Engagement sind inkompatibel
This debate is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project funded by Stiftung Mercator
18 Nov
El contenido de la Alianza Digital UE – América Latina y el Caribe
El 18 de noviembre de 2022 el European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) organizó una reunión a puerta cerrada en la que participaron miembros de…
8 Nov
The role of Germany in Europe in times of war: Potential for German-Bulgarian cooperation
We will discuss Germany’s role in Europe and will reflect on how the new European order is viewed in Berlin
31 Oct
A new climate for peace? How Europe can reconcile energy and climate security
Cinzia Bianco, Mats Engström and Anthony Dworkin were in conversation with Susi Dennison to hear how Europe can best meet its energy security interests all the while preserving its credibility as a climate superpower
28 Oct
Debate público sobre la Alianza Digital entre la Unión Europea y América Latina y el Caribe
En su reunión (virtual) del 2 de diciembre de 2021, los jefes de Estado y de Gobierno de la UE y América Latina y el Caribe…
7 Jun
Belarus after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: The challenge of dual political identity
How to effectively separate the Belarusian society from the regime when taking sanctions measures? Will the independence of Belarus survive international isolation left alone with an expansionist Russia?
22 Mar
La Hora de la Sociedad Civil: Un Diálogo Transatlántico sobre Venezuela
Este debate fue una iniciativa del Foro Cívico, de la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA), el Open Society Foundations (OSF) y el European…
10 Mar
The EU and Japan: Strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific
In collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Madrid, ECFR has organised a public virtual debate to explore how the EU and the Indo-Pacific can build a strategic alliance and how the EU-Japan relationship can drive this process
In the media
By reducing technological dependence on external actors, the EU can increase its ability to protect critical technologies and ensure its own security and economic prosperity
There can be no functioning open trading order without a corresponding security order underwriting it
Tobias Gehrke and Julian Ringhof analyse how the EU must update its thinking on strategic trade policy
This turnaround is similar to what we feel throughout the West when we talk about the end of the end of history, that the world of globalisation and the dominance of liberal democracy is passing
Piotr Buras explains how the war in Ukraine is changing Germany and what Poland has to say about it
There is a real practical question about the supply of French fighter jets, as well as political reservations about delivering equipment with deep-strike capabilities
