Ilana Bet-El is a strategic adviser, writer and historian. A former UN official and senior adviser on the Balkans, she has worked extensively with both governments and clients in the private sector on geostrategic and policy issues related to security, defence and energy in the EU, Russia, Turkey and broader Europe, the Middle East and the Trans-Atlantic community. With a background in the media and academe, she has published widely, including a weekly column on EU defence and security. She holds a PhD in history from UCL, is a member of the WIIS (Women In International Security) Senior Advisory Board in Brussels, and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London Department of War Studies.
Ilana Bet-El
Senior Associate Fellow
Content by Ilana Bet-El
Commentary
Network reflections: What kind of Cold War do you want?
Members of the ELN Network respond to ELN Director Sir Adam Thomson’s recent commentary, reflecting on what choices countries can make that will affect what a 21st-century-style cold war will be like.
Policy brief
Potentials and planning for postwar Ukraine: Implementing Dayton as a cautionary tale
ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El looks at the problems inherent both in the Dayton Agreement and its implementation – and offers recommendations for how they could be avoided in a future post-war agreement in Ukraine.
Policy brief
COVID-19 and the future of security and defence
In a post-COVID world, greater convergence between the silos of security and defence is needed for a more efficient and effective way to deal with threats and risks to both people and states.