
The exaggerated death of European sovereignty
The US may have dominated Western efforts to defend Ukraine, but future American leaders will expect Europeans to take up most of the burden of dealing with Russia
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 US may have dominated Western efforts to defend Ukraine, but future American leaders will expect Europeans to take up most of the burden of dealing with Russia
Europe needs to prepare for a breakdown of multilateral cooperation with Russia. Yet, in doing so, it should be careful not to provide space for Moscow to justify unilateral action of its own.
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Russia’s ambition to draw up a new international security architecture extends to regions where the US and its European allies have traditionally taken a leading role
Germany insisted on its choice of new high representative. Now it needs to reveal if it has a plan to make the Bosnian state workable enough for the high representative institution to finally end.
The German Greens’ positions on the Western Balkans check all the right boxes. The challenge will be to translate these positions into a bold policy on the region.
How much influence does China already have in the Western Balkans and how should European policymakers react?
Following a recent dispute over a $1 billion loan to Montenegro, the EU has an opportunity to take a more systematic approach to the growing Chinese presence in the Western Balkans
Germany’s recent corruption scandals are as much about the health of democracy in Germany and the EU as they are simply questions of money
Germany should rally its allies to imbue the Office of the High Representative with new purpose and authority to fulfil its mission
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
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
Europeans should be concerned not just with whether Trump will win but how to deal with the version of post-Trump America that could emerge in 2025
The US may have dominated Western efforts to defend Ukraine, but future American leaders will expect Europeans to take up most of the burden of dealing with 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