A message from Timothy Garton Ash: Tell us you want Britain to stay
Leaders across Europe might want to get Brexit over the line. But in the long term the EU would be weaker without the UK.
Experts & Staff
Timothy Garton Ash
We know the price of appeasement. That’s why we must stand up to Viktor Orbán
This appeasement has to stop. If Hungary’s anti-liberal, nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, persists in his attempts to close down the country’s best and most independent university, and continues to erode liberal democracy in many other ways, then the EU’s powerful grouping of centre-right parties must expel Orbán’s party from its ranks.
Populists are out to divide us. They must be stopped.
The US is the latest country to be seduced by nationalists. Liberals should brace themselves for a long struggle
Timothy Ash on the economic impact of sanctions against Russia
In the second of two podcasts examining possible sanctions against Vladimir Putin's Russia, following Moscow's actions in Crimea, Timothy Ash looks at the possible…
Václav Havel remembered
A defining figure of late twentieth century Europe, Václav Havel, has died. Among his many roles he was an ECFR Council Member, and is being mourned by those who knew, respected and – sometimes – argued with him.
Living Together in 21st Century Europe
Cultural diversity has been a constant feature of European history, and the source of many of our greatest achievement. We propose 17 principles to help policy-makers, leaders and activists ensure that Europe benefits from migration rather than fears it.
The view from Beijing tells you why we need a European foreign policy
The EU’s national rivalries comprise a standing invitation for any major world power to divide and rule. In an article for The Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash argues that even if things go well, what Europeans may achieve in concentrating power resources will only just compensate for the relative loss of power to the re-emerging old-new giants in the east.
With this timid choice of leaders, the EU may have the faces it deserves
The holders of the new top jobs can perfectly represent a Europe that does not dare to project its values as a continent
This EU job is no presidency. It will rely on another. And it won’t be Blair.
Two people are needed to get Europe’s voice heard in the world. And it is the other one who is more likely to be British.
We need a European foreign policy. Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No
Critics consider us weak and divided. But with political will and public support, we could finally get our act together.
Publications
United West, divided from the rest: Global public opinion one year into Russia’s war on Ukraine
New polling for ECFR reveals the West is consolidating – while facing an increasingly post-Western world, in which powers such as India and Turkiye are readier than ever to act independently
Articles
Why the West must be ready for this moment of opportunity and risk in Ukraine
Ukrainians are preparing for a make-or-break counter-offensive. They have a theory of victory. Do we?
In this moment of crisis, opening the door to Ukraine is one thing the EU can do
Zelensky and his people are fighting for their lives to defend European values. They have earned the prospect of EU membership once this brutal war is over.
Putin knows exactly what he wants in eastern Europe – unlike the West
Until we stop dithering and commit to all European states being independent and free, Russia will have the upper hand
Under cover of Covid, Poland is stifling free media – and all Europe should be worried
A planned ‘coronavirus tax’ on revenues and attacks on foreign-owned media threaten to cut away democracy piece by piece
Will the EU emerge from the coronavirus crisis stronger or weaker?
After its mixed Covid response, the EU must now focus on really delivering what its citizens want
In the war of fake news versus facts, here’s what the next battle should be
Facebook, Twitter, Fox News – by blurring the truth, all pose a risk to democracy itself. But the US and EU can counter them together
The UK and EU are heading for bad-tempered rivalry, unless we can avert it
For all the ‘sovereignty’ it has gained, post-Brexit Britain will be trapped in a future of permanent negotiation
For Europe, losing Britain is bad. Keeping undemocratic Hungary and Poland could be worse
The populists of Budapest and Warsaw are blackmailing the EU over the rule of law. They cannot be allowed to succeed.
What will President Biden’s United States look like to the rest of the world?
The future of a diminished superpower now lies in being part of a wider network of democracies
Since reunification, Germany has had its best 30 years. The next 30 will be harder
The EU is in the country’s DNA. But global threats mean a strong transatlantic Western alliance has never been more vital
Podcasts
United West, divided from the rest: Global public opinion one year into Russia’s war on Ukraine
Mark Leonard, Timothy Garton Ash, and Ivan Krastev discuss the main findings of ECFR’s latest opinion poll
15 years of ECFR: Reflections on Europe in a tumultuous world
We turned 15! Time to reflect on the past years and ECFR’s role in helping Europe find a strong, united voice
1989- the greatest year in European history?
In the first in our mini-series on the events of 1989, host Mark Leonard is joined by very special guest Timothy Garton Ash, historian and…
Timothy Ash on the economic impact of sanctions against Russia
In the second of two podcasts examining possible sanctions against Vladimir Putin's Russia, following Moscow's actions in Crimea, Timothy Ash looks at the possible…
In the media
If we manage to help Ukraine win this war and advance this double eastward enlargement, then historians will conclude: this was the renaissance of Europe
Timothy Garton Ash talks about Europe and his personal history
The West may be more united, but it’s also more isolated
Timothy Garton Ash and Mark Leonard write about the latest ECFR polling opinion results
According to a survey, many people in the West are backing Ukraine: Kiev must win the war against Moscow
According to a survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations, more Germans would accept territorial losses of Ukraine to Russia than in other EU states
ECFR new polling data is presented