The cyber side of conflict has become a prominent topic in recent years, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the discussion of this topic all the more relevant. In this commentary, Michael Klipstein and Tinatin Japaridze argue that NATO should consider and create policy for collective cyber defence, and potentially offense, under Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
ELN Impact Director Jane Kinninmont reflects on the perspectives of people in the Middle East on the war in Ukraine, as seen at the The Doha Forum. She argues that the question of exactly what security commitments the US is willing to make outside of NATO is deeply relevant to the Gulf states’ own existential concerns.
On 5 May 2022, the European Leadership Network (ELN) convened the Contact Group on Russia-West relations via Zoom to discuss the current situation in Ukraine, as well as prospects for negotiations and the future of dialogue.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has already devastated Ukraine, and the situation could get even worse: Carlo Trezza argues that Russia could, for example, resort to chemical and/or nuclear weapons. To stand up to Russia’s aggression, there are many actions that both NATO and the UN can take to pressure Russia.
Following Russia’s military action, the United States will sooner or later turn back to its “Pivot to Asia” due to China’s challenge to its global primacy, leaving the EU to deal with Russia relatively alone. The EU finds itself at a turning point in its history where it needs to take decisive steps towards building a comprehensive security and defence strategy, writes Iren Marinova.
Putin underestimated Western unity and the scope of Western reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, write Üzümcü, Ceylan and İldem. However, they note that had such an invasion occurred during Donald Trump’s presidency, the Western reaction may have been quite different.