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
Experts & Staff
Majda Ruge
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
Nationalism, illiberal democracies & state capture, post-conflict state building & institutional reforms, CFSP, Western Balkans, transatlantic relations
Languages
English, German, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, conversational French
Biography
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).
Council of war: The future of UN cooperation on Bosnia and Syria
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Don’t mention the war in Ukraine: Germany’s deteriorating image in Washington
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Peace of the action: The Kremlin’s plans in Bosnia and Ukraine
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Close to home: Germany’s state building challenge in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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China’s strategic approach to the Western Balkans
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The EU’s Montenegro dilemma
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Germany’s corruption scandals: How to limit authoritarian influence in the EU
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Great power politics in Bosnia: How Berlin can stabilise a dysfunctional state
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Publications
The past and the furious: How Russia’s revisionism threatens Bosnia
Russia is working to keep Bosnia divided. But many of the country’s problems are homegrown or exacerbated by neighbouring states.
Hostage state: How to free Bosnia from Dayton’s paralysing grip
Restoring independence to the judiciary and strengthening the rule of law are key to the country’s future stability and success
Articles
Why Ron DeSantis is not the most consequential Trump challenger in the US presidential race
All eyes are on the competition between DeSantis and Trump. But Tim Scott may be the one to watch
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
To tell the Truth: The Republican party’s Ukraine divide
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
How to kill four birds with one stone: The West’s foreign policy challenge in Serbia
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.
A united front: How the US and the EU can move beyond trade tensions to counter China
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.
Polarised power: The three Republican ‘tribes’ that could define America’s relationship with the world
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
Midterm blues: What a Republican win could mean for Europe, Ukraine, and the return of Trump
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
Closed-skies diplomacy: What the Western Balkans can do for the EU
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
No laughing MAGA: What the next US presidential election could mean for Europe
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 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
Podcasts
China’s strategic approach to the Western Balkans
How much influence does China already have in the Western Balkans and how should European policymakers react?
Events
14 Dec
Dayton at 25: The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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
In the media
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
If a change in US policy were to result in a Russian victory in Ukraine, it could well destroy the very idea that the US is committed to European defence
Célia Belin, Majda Ruge and Jeremy Shapiro analyse what a Republican president returning to power in Washington would mean for Europe
The US will put greater pressure on allies in Europe to massively increase financial and military aid to Ukraine
The pressure to reduce aid to Ukraine is the most relevant foreign policy consequence of the US election for Europe, analyses Majda Ruge