ELN publications feature authoritative research, high-quality analysis, diverse viewpoints and practical recommendations to address current foreign, defence, and security policy challenges.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 was a shock to the Middle East, with the Gulf states aligning with the US, and Iran cultivating a “Shia Crescent” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Dina Esfandiary joins ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El to guide us through the historical and geographic complexities of Iranian-American hostilities.
Following the recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent regional escalation, Europe’s response has been mixed. As the conflict widens, we ask members of the ELN Network how they assess Europe’s approach so far and what role European governments should be playing.
In May, States Parties to the NPT will meet for the 11th Review Conference under difficult circumstances. In the second of our commentary series exploring different European perspectives, Ciarán Doyle, a diplomat from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, reflects on Ireland’s perspective on the Treaty and its approach to the 2026 Review Conference. He writes about the importance Ireland places on the Treaty as a small, militarily neutral country, and calls for a commitment to enhanced transparency and accountability from the nuclear weapon states.
The first in our series exploring P5 perspectives on the forthcoming 2026 NPT Review Conference, Emmanuelle Maitre writes that for France, constructive participation in the RevCon will require delicate balancing. At the P5 level, preserving dialogue despite strong opposition remains a priority, but must not prevent calling out behaviours of concern related to the NPT.
On 4th February, the New START Treaty – the last treaty constraining the nuclear weapons of the United States and Russia – expired. We now face the prospect that the half-century process of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world is about to be reversed. Although this situation appears bleak, Edward Ifft writes that there are constructive measures nuclear weapons states can take to reinforce global stability.
Former and serving senior officials, military leaders, and experts from across the Euro-Atlantic region call for strengthened fail-safe measures to prevent accidental nuclear use.
Former and serving senior officials, military leaders, and experts from across the Euro-Atlantic region call for support for space security and stability.
Iran is at a boiling point. In January, mass protests broke out across the country, and many thousands of people were wounded and killed. Meanwhile, the US has moved an aircraft carrier and a number of destroyers close to Iran in a military threat which remains unclear in its aims. To untangle these and many other threads, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El welcomes back Iran specialist Roxane Farmanfarmaian, her co-Senior Associate Fellow at the ELN, for a deep and fascinating examination of Iran at a crossroads.
In May, States Parties to the NPT will meet for the 11th Review Conference under difficult circumstances. While European support for and leadership in the NPT is more urgent than ever, it could be complicated by diverging priorities among European states. In the first of our commentary series exploring different European perspectives, YGLN member Federica Dall’Arche reflects on Italy’s perspective on the Treaty and its approach to the 2026 Review Conference. She writes that rather than focusing on ambitious normative breakthroughs, priority should be given to preserving the Treaty’s role as a stabilising framework.