The three challenges for the West in the new cold war
Western states will only maintain their unity and resolve if they address major problems related to their external alliances, EU unity, and people power
European Strategy
State of the Union: How the energy crisis can strengthen EU unity
The European Commission president’s annual address has not pleased everybody – but its focus on energy reflects a deeper understanding of the nature of security today
The Leopard plan: How European tanks can help Ukraine take back its territory
Ukraine needs to move to a new phase of the war if it is to reclaim its territory occupied by Russia. A European plan to supply Leopard tanks should be at the heart of this effort.
Europe’s other transatlantic friend: Germany’s and Canada’s new energy partnership
Germany’s new energy partnership with Canada faces a range of technical and political challenges. But sticking with it could bring major benefits for both sides.
Arm for the storm: Germany’s new security strategy
Germany’s National Security Strategy should aim for more than just a return to the status quo ante but with more money. The Zeitenwende is forcing Germany to reinvent itself as a European security actor.
Turn of phrase: Germany’s Zeitenwende
Scholz’s Zeitenwende speech was widely viewed as a major adjustment to Germany’s foreign and security policy. But, six months on, it is unclear whether the country is up to the task.
Machtwechsel: The new generation of German politicians
Mark Leonard discusses with Anna Sauerbrey her book “Machtwechsel” and the new generation of German politicians
The cold man of Europe: Germany’s energy emergency
Decades of wilfully blind dependence on Russian gas have left Germany facing a bleak winter. German leaders could now have an opportunity to begin repairing the damage.
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
The traveller’s guide to European economic sovereignty
Europeans have set out on a journey towards greater economic sovereignty. They will only reach their destination if they learn to navigate an interconnected world.
Publications
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.
The big engine that might: How France and Germany can build a geopolitical Europe
The EU Coalition Explorer survey reveals the importance of Germany and France within the EU, and the impact they can have when they cooperate with each other
Articles
The three challenges for the West in the new cold war
Western states will only maintain their unity and resolve if they address major problems related to their external alliances, EU unity, and people power
State of the Union: How the energy crisis can strengthen EU unity
The European Commission president’s annual address has not pleased everybody – but its focus on energy reflects a deeper understanding of the nature of security today
The Leopard plan: How European tanks can help Ukraine take back its territory
Ukraine needs to move to a new phase of the war if it is to reclaim its territory occupied by Russia. A European plan to supply Leopard tanks should be at the heart of this effort.
Europe’s other transatlantic friend: Germany’s and Canada’s new energy partnership
Germany’s new energy partnership with Canada faces a range of technical and political challenges. But sticking with it could bring major benefits for both sides.
Arm for the storm: Germany’s new security strategy
Germany’s National Security Strategy should aim for more than just a return to the status quo ante but with more money. The Zeitenwende is forcing Germany to reinvent itself as a European security actor.
Turn of phrase: Germany’s Zeitenwende
Scholz’s Zeitenwende speech was widely viewed as a major adjustment to Germany’s foreign and security policy. But, six months on, it is unclear whether the country is up to the task.
The cold man of Europe: Germany’s energy emergency
Decades of wilfully blind dependence on Russian gas have left Germany facing a bleak winter. German leaders could now have an opportunity to begin repairing the damage.
The traveller’s guide to European economic sovereignty
Europeans have set out on a journey towards greater economic sovereignty. They will only reach their destination if they learn to navigate an interconnected world.
Shadow of the bomb: Russia’s nuclear threats
Russia is the first state to use nuclear threats as part of a war of expansion. Unless it loses in Ukraine, the world will become a far more dangerous place.
Enlarged and in charge: Why the EU needs a new approach to accession
The EU’s enlargement policy will only remain effective if it judiciously manages its relations with Western Balkans countries
Specials
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
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?
The Age of Unpeace: Therapy for internationalists | Session 4 with Anne-Marie Slaughter
Join us on this journey to a more therapeutic approach to international relations. The mini-series brings you five special episodes with guests including today’s Anne-Marie Slaughter, Marietje Schaake, and Dan Drezner.
The Age of Unpeace: Therapy for internationalists | Session 1 with Marietje Schaake
Join us on this journey to a more therapeutic approach to international relations. The mini-series brings you five episodes with guests including today’s Marietje Schaake, Thomas Wright, and Anne Marie Slaughter.
Jamil Anderlini: Inside scoop on POLITICO Europe
Mark Leonard talks to POLITICO Europe’s Editor-in-Chief Jamil Anderlini to discuss China, and Anderlini’s plans for POLITICO
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 4 – Tech
What are the necessary steps the new German government needs to take to advance and support European tech sovereignty?
Germany’s election result and what it means for Europe
How are the German election results being perceived throughout Europe? And what do they mean for the future of our continent?
Events
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
3 Mar
Zeitenwende: Germany as a pioneer in foreign and security policy?
A webinar on Germany’s change of course in defence spending amid the ongoing war in Ukraine
15 Feb
EU-African Union Summit: making the most of the European Green Deal and Global Gateway
To what extent can the European Green Deal and Global Gateway be shaped to satisfy both European and African interests?
8 Feb
Japanese and EU Indo-Pacific policies after the German and Japanese elections
How will the new administrations in Germany and Japan impact the EU’s and Japanese Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
27 Jan
Tensions in the East: How to strengthen a common European position vis-à-vis Russia?
This webinar will bring together a collection of EU and British views to see where everyone stands on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
14 Dec
Cooperación Tecnológica Transatlántica: Cómo hacer que el Consejo de Comercio y Tecnología sea un éxito
Esta es la primera reunión de nuestra iniciativa en ECFR diseñada para acompañar a las negociaciones oficiales del Consejo de Comercio y Tecnología (TTC) entre…
14 Dec
Traffic light coalition seen from the outside: what does Europe think?
What are the expectations of the coalition´s foreign and security policies? Will Germany’s ambitious climate policy spark mirroring across the bloc?
14 Dec
Joining forces with the Indo-Pacific: Kick-starting Europe’s new approach to the region
Over the course of the day, we will discuss how Europe and Asia can redefine the Indo-Pacific in terms compatible with their mutual interests. The 3 sessions will look specifically at trade, connectivity, and the Green Transition.
In the media
This mix of implicit and explicit nuclear threats is intended above all to frighten people
Tagesschau refers to ECFR’s Leopard plan as a “three-way win situation” for Ukraine, Germany, and Europe
Some members of the government are starting to reconsider the red line on supplying tanks
Rafael Loss describes how Ukraine’s battlefield successes have affected policy debates in Berlin
Net assessment and competitive strategies […] could help Germany to manage and persist in strategic competition with Beijing and Moscow
A European “Leopard Plan” in which all participants supply such tanks to Kiev would guarantee the necessary quantity, write Jana Puglierin, Gustav Gressel and Rafael Loss