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Commentary

The Women Leaders podcast: As missiles fly

One year since Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel, Israel’s consequent offensive in Gaza, and Hezbollah’s initial rocket campaign in northern Israel, it appears as if the violence in the Middle East is only getting worse. In this unique episode, Women Leaders is building a bridge: Fania Oz-Salzberger, Professor of History at Haifa University and renowned public intellectual, and Roula from Beirut — for security reasons, we cannot release her real name — join ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El for an in-depth discussion of Israeli and Lebanese politics, the involvement of women in decision-making, and the hope of one day seeing a new Middle East.

4 October 2024 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
Iran
Commentary

A view from Israel: Pezeshkian’s Israel stance could undermine his domestic priorities and nuclear diplomacy

The election of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president in July was met with little enthusiasm in Israel. Meir Javedanfar writes that, in a post-7 October world, the Iranian president’s policy on Israel could impact his desire for improved relations with the West and, in turn, undermine his domestic priorities and a potential nuclear deal.

27 September 2024 | Meir Javedanfar
IranMultilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation
Commentary

Nuclear vs cyber deterrence: why the UK should invest more in its cyber capabilities and less in nuclear deterrence

The threats the UK faces today are more nuanced and diverse than in the Cold War era, ranging from state-sponsored cyber-attacks to sophisticated disinformation campaigns. ELN Policy Fellow Nikita Gryazin argues that these challenges require a shift in focus from traditional nuclear deterrence to modern defensive and offensive cyber capabilities.

23 September 2024 | Nikita Gryazin
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction

Networks

Our networks are at the heart of our policy impact. Reaching right across Europe they bring together established figures with emerging leaders who are all committed to better security for Europe. 

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Commentaries

Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – How to save the world

Listen to the final episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! This episode takes a step back to assess what we’ve learned about existential and global catastrophic risks in previous episodes, and what comes next. Featuring a discussion of how ordinary people can get involved in existential risk mitigation, what ongoing efforts will prove most successful in creating a framework to deal on these topics, and how the example of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty demonstrates that global cooperation to deal with the biggest threats we all face is possible, even in a tense geopolitical climate.

20 September 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Florian Ulrich Jehn and Nadine Andersen
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
Commentary

Nuclear posture and cyber threats: Why deterrence by punishment is not credible – and what to do about it

The United Kingdom’s latest nuclear doctrine suggests that severe cyber-attacks on their national or critical infrastructure could provoke a nuclear response. Despite this, cyber-attacks against the UK have surged over the past decade. Eva-Nour Repussard, YGLN member and Policy Fellow at BASIC, writes that instead of deterrence by punishment, the UK should seek to increase its resilience to cyber-attacks and focus on a strategy of deterrence by denial regarding cyber threats.

19 September 2024 | Eva-Nour Repussard
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
Commentary

The Women Leaders podcast: Grinding horror

Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is in its third year, with no end in sight. The Russian offensive in the East of Ukraine grinds on, consuming a mass of men and material on both sides while its conquest proceeds in tiny paces. To get a deep insight into what is happening on the ground, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Lisa Yaskow, Member of the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) and Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. In a frank and revealing conversation, Lisa reflects on the war from its start, the daily reality in Ukraine, and the shortcomings of the international community.

20 September 2024 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
Russia-West relations
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Policy briefs & reports

Report

Workshop report: The OSCE and its role in strengthening European security architecture

In July 2024, the ELN convened a group of international experts to explore the historic, current, and future role of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its toolbox in maintaining and strengthening European security architecture. This workshop report details the participants’ discussions on the OSCE’s history, its operations in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, the role of the OSCE in conflict management and post-conflict normalisation, organisational successes and failures, and its unique status as a platform for dialogue between the West and Russia.

15 August 2024 | Maria Branea
Russia-West relations
Report

Protecting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in turbulent times: Commentary collection

This commentary collection compiles 15 articles by 18 ELN network members and external collaborators as part of the ELN’s Protecting the Non-Proliferation Treaty project. The collection was originally published for the 2024 NPT Preparatory Committee.

31 July 2024 | Oliver Meier, Michael Biontino, Sanaa Alvira, Shizuka Kuramitsu, Olamide Samuel, Dr Irmgard Niemeyer, Maren Vieluf, Ananya Agustin Malhotra, Ward Wilson, Paul Ingram, Adam Thomson, Julia Berghofer, Alexander Kmentt, Pavel Podvig, Maximilian Hoell, Tarja Cronberg, Rishi Paul and Daniel Ajudeonu
Multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferationNPT Project
Report

Technological complexity and risk reduction: A Guardrails and Self-Assessment Framework for EDTs in NC3 and nuclear weapons decision-making

Emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) are changing our lives – including in the worlds of defence and security. The ELN has been working since 2020 to understand how future nuclear crises may be affected by the intersection of multiple rapidly evolving new technologies. Building on years of work, this report presents a new Framework to help guide the safe use of EDTs in nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) systems, aiming to reduce risks and manage escalation.

19 July 2024 | Belén Bianco and Rishi Paul
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
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