Commentary
ΝΑΤΟ’s hard choices in view of the Vilnius Summit
Ret. Ambassador Spiros Lampridis argues that alongside the war in Ukraine, NATO will need to take a deep dive into its challenges ahead of and during this year’s Vilnius Summit.
Event
Contact Group on Russia-West Relations: China and India
This month, the Contact Group convened to discuss perspectives from China and India on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Commentary
Network reflections: Xi’s visit to Moscow
After President XI’s visit to Moscow, we asked our network members for their thoughts on what this means for the war in Ukraine and global politics more broadly. Is China ramping up its support for Russia or acting as a calming influence on a potential future junior partner? Read the piece to see our members’ contributions in full.
Networks
Group statements
Group statement
Statement by the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG): Advancing Global Nuclear “Fail-Safe”
Former and serving senior officials, military leaders, and experts from across the Euro-Atlantic region call on all nuclear arms states to reduce the risk of nuclear blunder, and to cooperate to eliminate nuclear risks and threats.
Group statement
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: a success story ready for completion
As the CTBT’s 25th anniversary year comes to a close, CTBTO Executive Secretary Dr Robert Floyd and a diverse set of leaders from the Treaty’s most recent ratifying states send a powerful message on the CTBT’s relevance and resilience in today’s world.
Group statement
Statement by the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG) Co-Conveners: Ukraine and reducing nuclear risks
The Co-Conveners of the EASLG warn that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine elevates nuclear risks dramatically. The first and most essential step toward reducing the risks of a consequential accident, mistake, or miscalculation is a ceasefire to end the unacceptable and unjustifiable loss of human lives.
Commentaries
Commentary
Designing a new Cold War of our preference: A catch-22 problem
Responding to a recent commentary by ELN Director Sir Adam Thomson, Yahueni Preiherman, co-chair of the YGLN, argues that using the language of a new “Cold War” is unhelpful in understanding current and evolving geopolitical tensions. Instead, he argues that the current Russia-West China-US tensions are less the result of an ideological clash and more reflect an adversarial security dilemna.
Commentary
US and China should rein in their rivalry
As Xi Jinping has made a much-publicised visit to Moscow this week, ELN members have been assessing the implications for European security, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the wider faultlines in global geopolitics. In this article, originally published in Danish by the Berlingske newspaper, Mogens Lykketoft provides context on the visit and argues the US and China need to rein in their rivalry in the interests of the rest of the world.
Commentary
The war in Ukraine one year on: will Belarus join the battlefield?
A new Russian offensive this year raises the threat of Belarus playing a more active role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Even though facts on the ground point to this being a less likely scenario, decision-makers should prepare for the unexpected. The situation could change at any moment, with the risk of the conflict widening.
Policy briefs & reports
Policy brief
Changing perceptions of strategic risks in the Asia-Pacific – the Australian, Japanese, and South Korean perspectives
The European Leadership Network (ELN) with the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) have worked together on three reports that analyse the changing nature of the strategic risks landscape in the Asia-Pacific. These reports look into how these changes affect the non-proliferation regime, and come from the Australian, Japanese and South Korean perspectives. Full report details within the article.
Policy brief
Workshop report: Getting the JCPOA through 2022 and the US and Europe effectively engaged with Iran
In October, the ELN and Hanns Seidel Foundation partnered on a track 1.5 meeting in London which brought together a range of European and Iranian participants both to assess how the JCPOA could still be revived and to consider alternative scenarios in more detail. The ELN’s Policy and Impact Director, Jane Kinninmont, captures the key highlights from the meeting.
Report
Emerging and disruptive technologies, nuclear risk, and strategic stability: Chinese literature review
With emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) increasingly becoming a new field of military competition among great powers, serious questions have been raised about whether they will fundamentally change the ways modern warfare will be conducted, in particular implications for nuclear deterrence. Fei Su and Dr Jingdong Yuan analyse Chinese academic and professional publications to explore new ways forward for mitigating the risks posed by EDTs.