Belarus should remind us to believe in freedom’s power
However uncertain the road ahead, these protests show how authoritarianism ultimately subverts itself
Timothy Garton Ash
Can Germany now hold the European team together?
Angela Merkel’s triumph in brokering an EU covid-19 recovery package could mark the resurgence of a shared political dream
China: Lessons for Europe from the Cold War
Liberal democracies must learn the lessons of the past by thinking long-term, applying a strong moral code – and avoiding hubris
What kind of post-corona world do Europeans want?
The coronavirus crisis could lead us to the best of times. It could lead us to the worst of times.
The EU can emerge stronger from the pandemic if Merkel seizes the moment
One member state has become a dictatorship as others spiral into debt. Germany must lead the European Union through the coronavirus crisis
Europe (including Britain) can still be a superpower
The key to European power projection isn’t institutional reform, it’s a shift in attitude and a willingness to cooperate.
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.
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
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.