Foreign policy & defence

Error message

Notice: Trying to get property 'vocabulary_machine_name' of non-object in _cer_topics_taxonomy_term_page_view() (line 104 of /var/www/vhosts/cer_live/site/sites/all/modules/custom/cer_topics/cer_topics.module).

Using sanctioned Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine will not be easy

Camino Mortera-Martinez, Zach Meyers
03 August 2022
Funding Ukraine’s reconstruction with confiscated assets from Russian elites will be legally complex. Seizing Russia’s frozen foreign reserves may prove easier.

Beyond European strategic autonomy?

03 August 2022
European strategic autonomy in security and defence will remain a controversial subject, but leaving aside labels, the Ukraine war is giving fresh momentum to Europeans’ defence efforts.
First help Ukraine win the war. Then help it win the peace

First help Ukraine win the war. Then help it win the peace

28 July 2022
Even a partial Russian victory in Ukraine would damage Western interests. Ukraine needs much more help to expel Russian forces, and to rebuild its infrastructure, economy and institutions afterwards.
The impact of the Ukraine war on global energy markets

The impact of the Ukraine war on global energy markets

Nick Butler
14 July 2022
Instability in world energy markets will continue beyond the war in Ukraine. Europe will be less dependent on Russia’s fossil fuels, but a weakened Russia could still cause problems.

Europe needs a China strategy

Ian Bond, François Godement, Hanns Maull, Volker Stanzel
30 May 2022
The attention of Europe’s foreign and defence policy establishment is rightly focused on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. But it should not lose sight of the immense challenge that China poses. 
State of the Union: The EU, three months into Putin's war

State of the Union: The EU, three months into Putin's war

Camino Mortera-Martinez
24 May 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted priorities and frayed alliances in the EU. It has also created winners and losers in Brussels.
Turbulence ahead for Turkey and the West

Turbulence ahead for Turkey and the West

20 May 2022
Turkey's objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO have put the spotlight on Ankara’s role in the alliance. Even if a compromise is found, Turkey’s relations with Europe and the US will remain fractious.

Boiling dry: How the EU can help prevent instability in the water-scarce Maghreb

Megan Ferrando
20 April 2022
Water scarcity is increasingly threatening the security of societies and environment in the Maghreb. The EU should step up its work on water to prevent conflicts in the region.

Russia's assault on Ukraine and European security

30 March 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will require NATO to greatly strengthen deterrence. Europeans will have to shoulder a larger share of the security burden, acting through both NATO and the EU. 

Can the West stay united on Ukraine – and what will China do?

30 March 2022
The longer the war in Ukraine continues, the greater the risk that Western unity will fracture. Meanwhile the choices that China makes will determine the future shape of geopolitics.

Europe must stop paying for Russia's war

30 March 2022
Putin wants Europe to pay for gas in roubles, forcing it to deal with Russia’s central bank. Europe should respond by ending Russian hydrocarbon imports sooner than planned.
Does the Strategic Compass herald a stronger EU in security and defence?

Does the Strategic Compass herald a stronger EU in security and defence?

25 March 2022
The EU Strategic Compass sets out a realistic vision for EU security policy. It is now up to member-states to live up to their promises. 
Russia's war on Ukraine: There is worse to come (for the West as well)

Russia's war on Ukraine: There is worse to come (for the West as well)

Ian Bond, Elisabetta Cornago, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri
17 March 2022
The EU has reacted robustly to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But it must now mitigate the economic, social and political consequences, which will hit ordinary citizens and challenge Western cohesion.

Russia-Ukraine: The West needs a sanctions strategy

10 March 2022
After the initial flurry of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Western leaders now need to take a more strategic approach.
Four questions on how the Russian assault on Ukraine will affect Europe

Four questions on how the Russian assault on Ukraine will affect Europe

Sophia Besch, Ian Bond, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri
01 March 2022
CER experts provide answers on the off-ramp for Putin, Germany’s defence spending, how to deal with refugees, the internal battle over the rule of law and the impact on the EU’s neighbourhood. 
Stronger sanctions on Russia: Essential, but not a strategy

Stronger sanctions on Russia: Essential, but not a strategy

25 February 2022
The West is rightly responding to Putin’s all-out attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity with sanctions. But they need to be part of a wider strategy to ensure that he cannot win.
Could EU-endorsed 'coalitions of the willing' strengthen EU security policy?

Could EU-endorsed 'coalitions of the willing' strengthen EU security policy?

09 February 2022
The EU could be a more effective security provider if it mandated operations by coalitions of willing member-states, but that requires consensus.

How the world has changed in 25 years: Annual report 2021

07 February 2022
The CER has been in business for about a quarter of a century – we published our first pamphlets in 1996 and opened our London office in 1998.