Afghanistan: How it could have been different
Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had.
Experts & Staff
Carl Bildt
ECFR co-chair
Former Prime Minister and Former Foreign Minister of Sweden
Biography
Carl Bildt served as both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden. Under his leadership, the government initiated major liberal economic reforms and negotiated Sweden’s accession to the EU. A renowned international diplomat, he also served as EU Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Special Envoy to the Balkans, and Co-Chair of the Dayton Peace Conference. Bildt was Chair of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and is a member of different boards, among them a Trustee of the RAND Corporation in the US.
23 Jun
Anti-Coercion Instrument: How the EU can counter sanctions, boycotts and economic blackmailing
This event is the second webinar in a two-part series on current developments in the global use of economic coercion
The Balkans non-paper and the dangers of Plan B
Only a firm framework of integration can bring long-term stability to the Balkans – this is as relevant today as it was in 2003, when EU leaders offered membership to all countries in the region
Push back, contain, and engage: How the EU should approach relations with Russia
The bloc should reframe how it speaks of human rights and democracy, while developing closer security and military links with select neighbours
The evolution of US strategic priorities
The Biden administration’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance reflects an evolution in US strategic thinking and policy priorities
Bosnia to war, to Dayton, and to its slow peace
It will be difficult to sustain progress for Bosnia or the region without a credible and clear EU accession process
The Armenian model for Belarus
While many Western observers have seized on Ukraine's 2004-5 and 2014 revolutions to understand the mass protests in Belarus, a much better analogy is Armenia's democratic transition in 2018.
In times of strategic confusion, deeper dialogue is a must
The relationship between the EU and India has vast potential in areas ranging from multilateral institutions to global health
Hashim Thaci should resign
The indictment for war crimes against Kosovo President Hassim Thaci helpfully upends the poorly conceived US initiative to reconcile Serbia and Kosovo. But it fatally delegitimates Kosovo’s current leadership.
Quarantimes: Thinking big in times of covid-19
Carl Bildt, Co-chair at ECFR and former prime minister of Sweden, launches the new series ECFR Quarantimes: Thinking big in times of covid-19, setting out Europe's role in the new international system of a post-corona world
Publications
Push back, contain, and engage: How the EU should approach relations with Russia
The bloc should reframe how it speaks of human rights and democracy, while developing closer security and military links with select neighbours
The evolution of US strategic priorities
The Biden administration’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance reflects an evolution in US strategic thinking and policy priorities
Bosnia to war, to Dayton, and to its slow peace
It will be difficult to sustain progress for Bosnia or the region without a credible and clear EU accession process
From plaything to player: How Europe can stand up for itself in the next five years
Introduction The last five years have not been kind to the European Union’s foreign policy. The EU has been less relevant, less active, and less…
Dayton revisited: Bosnia’s peace deal 20 years on
Two decades after the end of the Bosnian war Carl Bildt considers the successes and failures of Dayton
Articles
Afghanistan: How it could have been different
Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had.
The Balkans non-paper and the dangers of Plan B
Only a firm framework of integration can bring long-term stability to the Balkans – this is as relevant today as it was in 2003, when EU leaders offered membership to all countries in the region
The Armenian model for Belarus
While many Western observers have seized on Ukraine's 2004-5 and 2014 revolutions to understand the mass protests in Belarus, a much better analogy is Armenia's democratic transition in 2018.
In times of strategic confusion, deeper dialogue is a must
The relationship between the EU and India has vast potential in areas ranging from multilateral institutions to global health
Hashim Thaci should resign
The indictment for war crimes against Kosovo President Hassim Thaci helpfully upends the poorly conceived US initiative to reconcile Serbia and Kosovo. But it fatally delegitimates Kosovo’s current leadership.
Europe risks irrelevance in the age of great power competition
An unpredictable US, rising China and revanchist Russia pose serious strategic challenges
Ukraine’s new front is Europe’s big challenge
There’s plenty Europe should do to push back against Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine
Winning peace
The end of the first world war with its history, remembrance, and challenges | Speech by Carl Bildt
No silver ballot: The problems with a Donbas referendum
The war in Donbas is Europe's worst active conflict – a referendum would not help
Why Europe is very nervous about a Trump-Putin summit
In a Trump-Putin meeting, who gets the show, and who gets the substance?
In the media
Political leaders must accept reality and start mapping out realistic interim steps that could improve conditions in the region without abandoning the final goal
ECFR Co-Chair Carl Bildt calls for action on the stalled Western Balkans EU integration process to avoid a return to violent conflict
Under Obama you had a very comprehensive, forward oriented trade policy with TTIP and TPP… Nothing of that is left after Trump, and Biden hasn’t gone back on it
Carl Bildt states that American trade policy has not changed substantially since the election of Joe Biden
When it comes to trade, the US isn’t “back” at all. And China is wasting no time in taking advantage of this situation to raise its trading profile even further.
ECFR Co-Chair Carl Bildt on US-China competition and the need for President Biden’s administration to understand the critical importance of trade linkages to their country’s global clout
Now is the time for rich countries to donate surplus doses of COVID vaccine
Interview to Carl Bildt on the sharing of vaccines with countries in need and on financing to Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A)
A more constructive, albeit difficult, approach would be to acknowledge that both sides are right in important respects
ECFR Co-Chair Carl Bildt outlines four principles for a viable solution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict