Ilana Bet-El is a strategic adviser, writer and historian. A former UN official and senior adviser on the Balkans, she has worked extensively with both governments and clients in the private sector on geostrategic and policy issues related to security, defence and energy in the EU, Russia, Turkey and broader Europe, the Middle East and the Trans-Atlantic community. With a background in the media and academia, she has published widely, including a weekly column on EU defence and security. She holds a PhD in history from UCL, is a member of the WIIS (Women In International Security) Senior Advisory Board in Brussels, and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London Department of War Studies.
Ilana Bet-El
Senior Associate Fellow
Content by Ilana Bet-El
Podcast
The Women Leaders podcast: Trade wars
Today, President Trump’s tariffs on all of the US’s major trading partners come into action. The Trump administration has declared today a “Liberation Day” from the global intertwined trade system, whilst at the same time nearly every other major economy has expressed their displeasure with the move. To discuss the tariffs, their effects, and the state of the global economy, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Rebecca Christie and Lauren Gloudeman.
Podcast
The Women Leaders podcast: The battle for freedom of the press
For the Trump administration, it seems that journalism is passé, or worse, a threat. In a world where the boundaries between media, politics and business continue to erode, the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos have become central figures in shaping public discourse. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by veteran BBC journalist Kate Adie to reflect on the evolution of media, the structural crises of today’s news industry, and the fundamental role of journalism in society.
Podcast
The Women Leaders podcast: Divide, destroy and dictate
The car crash of the Zelensky-Trump-Vance meeting in the White House on 28 February is still reverberating around the world. The bottom line appears to be, according to ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El, that the US has abandoned not only Ukraine but also the multilateral system put in place by US leadership after the Second World War. For a guided tour of this strange new world and the US’s role within it, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by the storied US journalist Trudy Rubin.