Senior Policy Fellow
Nationalism, illiberal democracies & state capture, post-conflict state building & institutional reforms, CFSP, Western Balkans, transatlantic relations
English, German, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, conversational French
Majda Ruge is a senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Berlin. Before joining ECFR, she spent three years as a fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute/SAIS at the Johns Hopkins University. She has twice testified as an expert witness at hearings of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Western Balkans.
Ruge worked in management and advisory capacities for the Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this time she participated in key state-building reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which merged the sub-state customs and tax administrations into a single state-level institution.
Between 2012 and 2014, she was a post-doctoral fellow and lecturer at the Otto-Suhr-Institute of the Free University of Berlin, where she taught courses on international relations and nationalism. From 2014 to 2016, she lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she was associated with the Gulf Research Center.
Ruge holds degrees from the European University Institute (Ph.D.,2011 and M.A., 2006), Central European University in Budapest (M.A. in International Relations and European Studies, 2001) and Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia (B.A. in International Relations, 2000).
The candidates for the Republican primaries hold diverging views on the future of US foreign policy. In the event of a Republican victory, Europeans must prepare for an end to American support to Ukraine.
As NATO convenes in Vilnius, Kremlin proxies are undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty. Allies need to formulate a diplomatic strategy to prevent a military crisis
Fierce debates are raging among both Republicans and Democrats about America’s future foreign policy orientation. Europeans should take note and prepare
All eyes are on the competition between DeSantis and Trump. But Tim Scott may be the one to watch
Germany cannot avoid being dragged into election debates in the US. On defence, it should focus on its own national security interests
Mitch McConnell uttered comforting words in Munich, but European policymakers would serve the cause of European defence better by planning for a Trump or DeSantis presidency
EU and US policymakers have it within their gift to change the dynamic in their relations with Serbia. Taking on Western Balkans kleptocracy lies at its heart.
The Inflation Reduction Act may reduce US dependency on China, but it also risks harming the transatlantic relationship. European governments must position themselves as critical allies for the US in order to preserve their economies – and effectively counter China’s geo-economic challenge.
Three Republican ‘tribes’ are competing to write their next president’s US foreign policy. Whether ‘restrainers,’ ‘prioritisers,’ or ‘primacists’ emerge on top will have profound implications for Europe and the globe
A Republican-controlled Congress could have significant consequences for the EU – on funding for Ukraine, but also at the level of political symbolism and attitudes towards Europe’s conservative strongmen
Fierce debates are raging among both Republicans and Democrats about America’s future foreign policy orientation. Europeans should take note and prepare
Russia is working to keep Bosnia divided. But many of the country’s problems are homegrown or exacerbated by neighbouring states.
Restoring independence to the judiciary and strengthening the rule of law are key to the country’s future stability and success
The candidates for the Republican primaries hold diverging views on the future of US foreign policy. In the event of a Republican victory, Europeans must prepare for an end to American support to Ukraine.
As NATO convenes in Vilnius, Kremlin proxies are undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty. Allies need to formulate a diplomatic strategy to prevent a military crisis
All eyes are on the competition between DeSantis and Trump. But Tim Scott may be the one to watch
Germany cannot avoid being dragged into election debates in the US. On defence, it should focus on its own national security interests
Mitch McConnell uttered comforting words in Munich, but European policymakers would serve the cause of European defence better by planning for a Trump or DeSantis presidency
EU and US policymakers have it within their gift to change the dynamic in their relations with Serbia. Taking on Western Balkans kleptocracy lies at its heart.
The Inflation Reduction Act may reduce US dependency on China, but it also risks harming the transatlantic relationship. European governments must position themselves as critical allies for the US in order to preserve their economies – and effectively counter China’s geo-economic challenge.
Three Republican ‘tribes’ are competing to write their next president’s US foreign policy. Whether ‘restrainers,’ ‘prioritisers,’ or ‘primacists’ emerge on top will have profound implications for Europe and the globe
A Republican-controlled Congress could have significant consequences for the EU – on funding for Ukraine, but also at the level of political symbolism and attitudes towards Europe’s conservative strongmen
The still-incomplete web of allies and institutions that the EU has woven in the Balkans in the last 30 years is not only strong but also valuable to its geopolitical struggle against Russia
How much influence does China already have in the Western Balkans and how should European policymakers react?
This two-day conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement gathered a distinguished line-up of speakers to discuss the challenges facing the country and to explore options for transatlantic cooperation in the Western Balkans
Assuming we somehow miraculously bring Serbia into the EU, with this sort of regime, you are practically bringing another Russian Trojan horse into the EU, like you have in the shape of Orban
Majda Ruge comments on the relationship between the West and Serbia
Célia Belin, Majda Ruge and Jeremy Shapiro are the authors of this article analyzing the consequences of 2024 US Presidential Election on Europe
They have considerable influence through the ‘power of the purse’, as can be seen just now in the debate on the debt ceiling
Majda Ruge considers the small but vocal group in the Republican ranks to be very powerful
Whatever the issue at hand, Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, is the first person they call
Majda Ruge argues that Western governments treat Belgrade as the indispensable player on the major questions facing the Western Balkans
If a change in US policy resulted in a Russian victory in Ukraine, it could very well destroy the very idea that the US is committed to the defence of Europe
Célia Belin, Majda Ruge and Jeremy Shapiro analyse what the return of a Republican president to power in Washington would mean for Europe
