Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s speech to parliament fundamentally shifted Germany’s foreign, security, and defense policies, with major regional repercussions.
Turkish President Erdogan has long played Russia and Ukraine against each other, squeezing out the best deal for himself. However, as the fighting intensifies and the West ratchets up the pressure on Vladimir Putin, Ankara is under pressure to finally pick a side.
Had Putin not invaded Ukraine, his legacy may have featured a healthy Russian economy and improved relations with the West. Instead, Russia’s war has brought Moscow closer to pariah state status and given the EU’s unity on foreign and security policy a much needed boost.
In Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mind, invasion is the only way to stop Ukraine’s westward drift. While there is little that can stop Moscow in the short term, Ukrainian resistance, Western sanctions, and opposition within Russia spell trouble for Putin in the longer term.
Since coming to power in 2002 Recep Tayyip Erdogan has overseen a radical transformation of Turkey. Once a pillar of the Western alliance, the country has embarked on a militaristic foreign policy, and its democracy, sustained by the aspiration to join the European Union, has given way to one-man rule.
The European Union’s struggle to respond to the buildup of Russian troops along the Eastern Ukrainian border reveals the bloc’s internal divisions but also the need to rethink the continent’s security architecture.
Dissatisfaction with globalization has turned into a powerful force, with unchecked globalism increasingly seen as a threat to the integrity of democratic rule. Policymakers must reframe globalization to mitigate its negative consequences while keeping its core growth-enhancing dynamics intact.
As centers of economic activity, cities have the power to drive the systemic change needed in today’s climate-disrupted word. Kate Raworth’s Doughnut model offers a valuable, albeit flawed, tool to transform democracies so that they may advance climate action.
Semiconductor manufacturing is currently concentrated in a handful of countries, exacerbating supply chain dependence. The EU’s newly launched Chips Act aims to reduce this dependence, and avoid future shortages—although naysayers question whether the EU will be able to obtain the necessary funding.
Johnson risks being turfed from office for evading his own lockdown rules, not sinking the UK into the pit of irrelevance.
While Orbán’s relationship with Putin may seem to indicate weakness in NATO’s Eastern flank, the Ukraine standoff has actually demonstrated the value of the alliance to Central and Eastern European countries, many of whom have stood firmly in support of the Western response to Russian threats.
It’s leaving the West weaker and divided on the Ukraine crisis.
While Ankara’s activist policy in Southeast Europe has prompted many to see the country as a revisionist power, this is not the case. Turkey is not an external player but very much part of the Balkans, and its foreign policy is a parallel strategy to those of the EU and NATO, rather than a challenge.
With accession talks at an impasse, Turkey and the EU need another way to revitalize their relationship.
In 2021, the EU and members states put in place new policies and processes aimed at supporting democracy. This Annual Review summarizes how and where Europe is directing these funds, and what are the impacts.
Carnegie scholars assess U.S.-European cooperation on China, technology, climate, and more.
In the last two decades, the Balkans appear to have become a new arena for religious competition between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The strategies used by these very different actors show their efforts in exporting faith in the name of power and in projecting their identity and domestic structures.
This week's high-level diplomatic meetings involving Russia, the United States, and NATO mark a departure from recent years of minimal contact. Putin has forced this crisis diplomacy upon the West, and for him, this already constitutes success: it shows the world that Russia is a globally significant power to be reckoned with.
Since October 2020, the European Union has gradually extended its sanctions against Belarus. Aimed to change the calculations and dynamics within the ruling elite, sanctions are now perceived as less important by the Belarusian people given the authoritarian regime's consolidation of power.
With increased summitry and frequent communication between Moscow and Washington, present-day Russia-U.S. relations harks back to the Cold War. To defuse tensions, the Americans must draw the Russians to the table and negotiate from a position of strength.