With NATO leaders meeting in Madrid to agree on a new Strategic Concept, Adam Thomson and Graham Stacey argue that it must deliver modern deterrence fit for the next decade. They suggest four adjustments that would make NATO’s deterrence more effective at lower risk and lower cost.
The ELN’s Younger Generation Leaders Network on Euro-Atlantic Security (YGLN) has intensified its convening since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has held weekly meetings, every one of which has been attended by Ukrainians, Russians, other Europeans and Americans alike. Through these meetings, all parties involved have engaged in fruitful and frank dialogue and have retained their commitment to engagement even in the toughest of times. Below, we discuss some key takeaways from our first three months of meetings.
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.
Members of the ELN Network share their views on Macron’s foreign policy priorities and challenges.
The Russia-Ukraine war has revealed Europe’s inability to deter Russia from invading Ukraine, writes Adérito Vicente. He argues that the reasons include EU’s security idiosyncrasies, nuclear policy choices, divergent political interests, energy dependency and ineffective sanctions policy on Russia.
The current conflict in Ukraine has caused growing concerns about the potential use of unconventional weapons. Dr Angela Kane, Dr Jaime M. Yassif, and Christopher Colletta from NTI highlight the urgency of establishing a “Joint Assessment Mechanism” within the UN system to investigate cases where there is ambiguity about the source of a biological event.
Within days of Russia invading Ukraine, the two sides started negotiations on a possible political settlement. These negotiations have been difficult to assess, as they have had little transparency and erratic messaging. Almut Rochowanski argues that Europe and the US should follow their own foreign policy doctrines and best practices – in particular, the EU should heed its commitment that women must participate and lead in peace processes.
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.