CER- Centre for European Reform

NATO, Russia and European security working paper by Tomas Valasek, November 2009
Countries in Europe's east and north worry that Moscow is blundering into a confrontation with NATO. They have begun demanding that the alliance start preparing for a possible conflict. But are they right to be concerned? Would military preparations not make Russia more suspicious of NATO? And should the alliance not focus on the war in Afghanistan? Tomas Valasek argues that allies in Central and Northern Europe have good reasons to worry. And he cautions that unless NATO takes measures to reassure the government concerned about Russia, the alliance will have trouble 'resetting' relations with Moscow and maintaining public support for the war in Afghanistan. press release
CER bulletin - December 2009/January 2010
An open letter to David Cameron by Charles Grant Sharing the burden of a weaker dollar by Simon Tilford Ukraine and the EU: A vicious circle? by Tomas Valasek
Making choices over China: EU-China co-operation on energy and climate policy brief by Nick Mabey, November 2009
The EU needs China to move rapidly towards a low carbon economy. Even with strong leadership at the highest level in China, this will not be easy, given the country's scale, diversity and development needs. The building of an effective UN climate change agreement is an important component of this process. But it is also crucial that the EU develops close bilateral ties with China. Such a relationship would help accelerate China's transition to a low-carbon economy by making the most of Europe's technology and expertise, as well as the dense commercial links between the two economies. press release
Rebalancing the Chinese economy policy brief by Simon Tilford, November 2009
China's economy and society are undergoing an extraordinary transformation, with hundreds of millions of people escaping poverty in record time. But the country's development model is not sustainable economically or politically. Average living standards in China are still very low and it makes little sense for the country to be exporting so much of what it produces and then investing the surplus in developed economies. The Chinese authorities need to bring about a big shift from external to domestic demand, and from investment and export-driven growth towards an economy in which consumption and services play a bigger part. Crucially, they must allow China's currency to appreciate.


comment & analysis
Missing another EU opportunity article by Hugo Brady, Guardian blog, 18 November 2009 Israel's dark view of the world article by Charles Grant, Guardian blog, 13 November 2009 Is Tony Blair the right man to be president of Europe? article by Charles Grant and Henry Porter, The Observer, 25 October 2009 Blair would be a good choice for Europe article by Charles Grant, Financial Times, 7 October 2009