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Commentary

The militarisation of non-proliferation: Will the NPT survive?

The impact of the Israel-US military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June will not only be felt in the Middle East. ELN senior network member Tarja Cronberg writes that these strikes also endanger the future of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The 2026 NPT Review Conference should concentrate on preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and should focus on its commitment to a Middle East WMD-Free Zone before it’s too late.

11 July 2025 | Tarja Cronberg
IranMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT Project
Podcast

The Women Leaders podcast: The South Caucasus conundrum

As the eyes of the world look to the US, Ukraine, and the Middle East, attention is distracted from rapidly changing events in the Caucasus. Traditionally Russia’s “backyard”, its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has lessened its influence in the region. Meanwhile, Armenia is in disarray following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023, and in Georgia, the Russia-backed government is cracking down on opposition leaders. To understand these fascinating dynamics, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by YGLN member Tinatin Japaridze, Eurasia analyst at the Eurasia Group.

11 July 2025 | Ilana Bet-El, Florence Ferrando and Tinatin Japaridze
Russia-West relations
Commentary

The US-Ukraine mineral resources agreement as a signpost in Eurasia’s emerging resource realignment

The recent mineral resources agreement between the US and Ukraine is more than just an isolated bilateral deal – it is part of a broader pattern unfolding across Eurasia as Western powers ramp up efforts to secure alternative sources of strategic raw materials in competition with China and Russia. Nikita Gryazin and Daniel Shapiro write that if the West hopes to offer a viable, sustainable alternative to the China-Russia axis, it must begin acting not as a set of competing actors but as a coordinated front.

3 July 2025 | Nikita Gryazin and Daniel Shapiro
Russia-West relations

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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Group statements

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Commentaries

Commentary

A tale of two summits

Around the political NATO Summit in the Hague last week, with its limited ambition to make Donald Trump happy again, a less visible and much more productive summit occurred, writes ELN Senior Network Member Nicholas Dungan. Concentrating on what Europe needs to do to increase European deterrence, efficiency, and resilience, it produced sound thinking and actionable proposals.

1 July 2025 | Nicholas Dungan
Euro-Atlantic SecurityRussia-West relations
Commentary

Containing the non-proliferation damage from Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme

The threat to global non-proliferation norms resulting from Israel’s attack on Iran is putting Europe’s commitment to multilateralism and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to a real test. ELN Policy & Research Director Oliver Meier writes that those countries still believing in multilateralism can bring their political, economic, and military clout to protect and strengthen the global non-proliferation regime. They must come down from the fence from which they have been observing the conflict and engage on the side of diplomacy and international law.

18 June 2025 | Oliver Meier
NPT Project
Commentary

Israel-Iran conflict: War amid talks

On Thursday night, Israel launched massive strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear programme and military leaders. This came two days before the US and Iran were supposed to resume direct talks on finding a diplomatic agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. Jane Kinninmont writes that while the short-term repercussions are highly uncertain, there may be more certainty about the long-term ones: this is hugely undermining to nuclear diplomacy and non-proliferation in general.

13 June 2025 | Jane Kinninmont
Iran
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Policy briefs & reports

Policy brief

Technological complexity and risk reduction: Using digital twins to navigate uncertainty in nuclear weapons decision-making and EDT landscapes

This policy brief explores the integration of digital twin technologies into nuclear decision-making processes, assessing their potential to reduce risks stemming from emerging disruptive technologies (EDTs). It argues for international dialogue, transparency, and responsible innovation to prevent misuse, enhance NC3 resilience, and strengthen strategic stability through informed, scenario-based crisis simulations.

23 April 2025 | Rishi Paul, Graham Stacey, Ganna Pogrebna, Immaculate-Motsi Omoijiade, Nathan Damaj and Jake McNaughton
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk Reduction
Policy brief

Turning down the heat: Addressing the growing salience of nuclear weapons

At the 2025 NPT Preparatory Committee in New York this month a key issue likely to spark debate is the increasing salience of nuclear weapons. All five nuclear-weapon states under the NPT are increasing the role and significance of nuclear weapons in their military and security policies, at odds with the commitments accepted under the NPT. This new policy brief from the ELN’s Protecting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty project examines this challenge and offers recommendations for states to address it within the NPT framework.

16 April 2025
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT Project
Policy brief

Focused Multilateralism: How China and Germany can better engage on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation

Engaging China on multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation has become more urgent, but also more difficult. Even in times of increased competition between China, Russia, and the US, Europeans have agency and will need to up their level of ambition in pursuing their own interests in making multilateral instruments more resilient. ELN Policy & Research Director Oliver Meier and Michael Staack call for focused, substantive, and flexible dialogues between Europeans and Chinese.

18 March 2025 | Oliver Meier and Michael Staack
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
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Podcasts and Media

Podcast

The Women Leaders podcast: A NATO Summit for “Daddy”

This week’s NATO summit will go down in history, not only for all but one of the Alliance’s members agreeing to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, but also for Mark Rutte, the Alliance’s Secretary General, referring to President Trump as “Daddy”. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El breaks the summit down with two Big Women Leaders who were recent ambassadors to NATO: Kerry Buck of Canada and Muriel Domenach of France.

27 June 2025 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
Russia-West relations
Podcast

The Women Leaders Podcast: The hidden crisis behind global fertility rates

In a world torn by conflict and culture wars, we often overlook the central issue: people. With every continent but Africa falling below the 2.1 fertility replacement rate, we may soon face a future short on caregivers, let alone soldiers or debaters. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El speaks with Birgit Van Hout, Director of the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) EU office, about this urgent demographic shift.

13 June 2025 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
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