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.
Experts & Staff
Timothy Garton Ash
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.
The G20 summit in London will be missing one great power. Guess who?
When President Barack Obama comes to London next week, he will find one great power missing at the world’s summit table: Europe. The US and China may end up carrying on as a G2.
Europe needs to forge a strategy to cope with a shaken, evolving Russia
Our vital interests from energy to security cry out for a new, fully European Ostpolitik – and one nation holds the key
Europe is failing two life and death tests. We must act together, now
Timothy Garton Ash looks at how the EU has appeared divided in both Gaza and the gas crisis
Instead of bullying the Irish, Europe should be working on plan D – and E
As Britain moves to ratify the Lisbon treaty, EU politicians are wrong to threaten Ireland. We’re all in the same boat.
Articles
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
Belarus should remind us to believe in freedom’s power
However uncertain the road ahead, these protests show how authoritarianism ultimately subverts itself
Podcasts
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
The US must once again play a leading role in the circle of democracies, no longer as a hegemon but as first among equals
ECFR Council member Timothy Garton Ash comments on US leadership after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
A recent survey by ECFR showed that 53% of young European citizens trust authoritarian states more than democracies when it comes to climate protection
ZEIT Online refers to poll figures from 2020
In a recent ECFR poll, more than 50 per cent of French, Germans, Italians and Spanish said they think the political system of the EU is “broken” rather than “working well.”
Timothy Garton Ash cites the ECFR polling report on the crisis of confidence in the European Union
What we need in cross-Channel relations is (…) the courage to change what can be changed, the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other
ECFR Council member Timothy Garton Ash draws a conclusion five years on from the Brexit referendum, arguing that both the British and the European Union are weakened
What kind of Europe emerges from the coronavirus crisis will depend on the answers given to three tests
The EU can emerge stronger from the pandemic if Merkel seizes the moment, writes Council Member Timothy G. Ash.