Foreign policy & defence
CER podcast: Europe and Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi
24 April 2019
Sophia Besch asks Beth Oppenheim whether the European-Saudi relationship has changed after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi last October.
Internal strife: NATO's greatest enemy is itself as it turns 70
05 April 2019
Euronews
NATO’s first Secretary General, Lord Hastings Ismay, famously said the alliance’s purpose was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down.”
Stammtisch: Going the distance - Transatlantic relations today
05 April 2019
Germany has headed to New York to take its seat on the UN Security Council - while Barack Obama has come to Germany. Damien McGuinness and DW's Fabian von der Mark chat US-German relations with former US government advisor Julie Smith and NATO expert Sophia Besch from the Centre for European Reform.
NATO at 70: Where next?
03 April 2019
Politico
As member nations gather to celebrate NATO's 70th anniversary this week, Politico asked experts to forecast what the military alliance will look like 10 years from now.
The Zeitgeist: German and European security at a crossroads
21 March 2019
In this episode of The Zeitgeist, Dr Jana Puglierin (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. ) and Sophia Besch (Centre for European Reform ) join Jeff Rathke to talk about the direction Germany’s security policy is taking. They cover four fundamental questions: What is Germany’s role in European security? Are the changes in German policy adequate for the changing international security environment? How are Germany and France seeking to strengthen their co-operation? And how can the United States and Germany manage their frictions in the interest of a stronger transatlantic relationship?
All hands on deck
27 February 2019
Berlin Policy Journal
Concerns about fragmentation shape Berlin’s understanding of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy. That carries risks, especially with Brexit approaching.
Brexit negotiations in the field of defence: Lessons learnt and moving forward
08 January 2019
Federal Academy for Security Policy
It is clearly in Britain and the European Union’s mutual interest to continue working closely together on defence after Brexit.
Review: Plugging In the British: Completing the Circuit
12 December 2018
Foreign Affairs
Brexit has proved surprisingly difficult to implement, not just in economic affairs, where analysts always expected problems, but in many other areas, too.
IFRI: Transatlantic relations in the age of 'America First'
12 December 2018
Sophia Besch, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform discusses transatlantic relations in the age of 'America First' - how American foreign policy will develop, what to make of European efforts to reach strategic autonomy, and how Germany's defence policy is changing.
Cakewatch: How Brexit might affect UK and EU foreign policy
28 November 2018
The Centre for European Reform is the UK's foremost think-tank on matters European, and Ian Bond is its Director of Foreign Policy, so Chris is in his element this week discussing how Brexit might affect both UK and EU foreign policy. Featuring not one, not two, but three baskets.
Letter to the editor: 'Empty' EU army
23 November 2018
The Times
Sir, Gavin Williamson (report, Nov 20) need not worry about a European army, as the term is empty and misleading.
NATO's cyber pledge
21 November 2018
E!Sharp
NATO’s primary and most urgent cyber task is the protection its own communications systems and networks. But the alliance also offers training opportunities and tried to make information sharing between allies easier, in order to help capitals to protect their sytems and ‘critical’ networks from attacks.
As the situation in Gaza worsens, it's time for the EU to step in – Trump has proven the US can't help any more
13 November 2018
The Independent
The EU has leverage over both the Palestinian territories and Israel, and could use it to great effect.
CER podcast: Instability in Libya and a divided EU
10 October 2018
Sophia Besch asks Luigi Scazzieri about the latest escalation of the conflict in Libya, and they discuss the EU's fragmented policy.
CER Bulletin podcast: Singapore-on-Thames; the Western Balkans; Italy
28 September 2018
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Predictable unpredictability: The future of euro-atlantic security?
27 September 2018
Riga Dialogue
A participant in this year’s Riga Dialogue began his presentation by saying that Russia was now more predictable than the US or the EU. It was designed to be provocative, but it was an accurate reflection of reality.
Unpredictability has become an important risk factor in the Euro-Atlantic area. Two of...
Unpredictability has become an important risk factor in the Euro-Atlantic area. Two of...
Brexit and defence negotiations
10 September 2018
Atlantic Community
In the enthusiasm about the EU’s numerous new defence initiatives in Germany, a discussion of the consequences of Britain’s withdrawal from the union is often curiously absent.
The Spectator podcast: China's new diplomacy
02 August 2018
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, spoke to The Spectator Podcast about the 'WTO option' and the likelihood of a no deal (from 16:45mins).
“I think the chances of no deal are higher than they were. I still think it is more likely than not that there will be...
“I think the chances of no deal are higher than they were. I still think it is more likely than not that there will be...
CER event podcast: CER/KAS Conference on 'Plugging in the British: Completing the circuit'
11 July 2018
Three panels of experts gathered at the CER/KAS conference, ‘Plugging in the British: Completing the Circuit’ at the Royal United Services Institute.