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Commentary

ELN reflections: 2026 NPT Review Conference

Amid mounting geopolitical tensions and deepening scepticism about multilateral diplomacy, diplomats, experts, and civil society representatives are gathering in New York for the 2026 NPT Review Conference to confront growing divisions over disarmament and non-proliferation. In these reflections, ELN staff who attended the RevCon examine the mounting risks facing the global nuclear order, and consider what they reveal about the future of the NPT regime.

13 May 2026 | Oliver Meier, Jana Baldus, Sophie Taylor and Nikita Gryazin
Network ReflectionsNPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectDiplomacyForeign policyNPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsUnited Nations
Commentary

Reflections on the JCPOA: why it worked and why it matters now

On the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, former European Commission Vice-President Catherine Ashton reflects on the diplomacy behind the landmark JCPOA agreement, why it worked, and what its collapse means today. Ashton argues that collective leadership and renewed European engagement remain essential to securing long-term regional stability.

8 May 2026 | Catherine Ashton
IranNPTIranMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlDiplomacyIranJCPOAMiddle EastNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentUnited NationsUnited States
Commentary

Understanding Hungary’s political earthquake and the rise of Péter Magyar

Balázs Csuday writes that Péter Magyar’s landslide victory has upended Hungary’s political order, opening the door to constitutional conflict, institutional upheaval, and a major foreign policy reset after 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule. The result could reshape Hungary’s relationship with the European Union and reverberate across Europe’s populist right.

7 May 2026 | Balázs Csuday
European Security and RussiaCentral EuropeDemocracyEUEuropeForeign policyHungary
Commentary

Is this the end of automatic Atlanticism in Germany?

Germany is entering a new era in its relationship with the United States. The old Atlanticist reflex has not disappeared, however it no longer reflects the instincts of the next generation of senior officials. For them, the moral clarity of the Cold War is not the starting point. It is an era of disruption, doubt, and strategic volatility. Berlin should take this into account, writes Vincent Tadday. The future of the transatlantic relationship will not be secured by waiting for the past to return.

5 May 2026 | Vincent Tadday
Euro-Atlantic SecurityEuropeForeign policyGermanyNATOTransatlantic relationsUnited States
Commentary

Different roles, shared outcomes: Europe in the Indo-Pacific

At NATO headquarters and in European chancelleries, a new consensus has emerged: the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is indivisible. Yet Europe’s major powers are responding to this reality in strikingly different ways. As Harvard Kennedy School Fellow Joel Christoph writes, this divergence is not a weakness to be papered over. It is an asset that should be organised.

29 April 2026 | Joël Christoph
NATO SPSEuro-Atlantic SecurityDefenceEuropeIndo-PacificNATO
Commentary

Network reflections: 2026 NPT Review Conference

The Eleventh NPT Review Conference (RevCon) begins on 27 April 2026 in New York City. Here, members of the ELN’s ‘Protecting the NPT’ project reflect on what they hope to see at this RevCon and offer advice to diplomats entering negotiations.

23 April 2026 | Daniel Ajudeonu, Jana Baldus, Jan Hoekema, Thomas Hajnoczi, Oliver Meier, Andreas Persbo and Ahmet Üzümcü
Network ReflectionsNPTNuclear and Multilateral DisarmamentDiplomacyNPTNuclear Arms ControlUnited Nations
Commentary

At cross purposes? The TPNW and US alliance commitments

As the US behaves with increasing unpredictability, it is becoming necessary for its allies to develop more independent foreign policy paths. Taking a leadership role on the TPNW could be part of that shift, writes Davis Ellison. This does not mean allies should immediately join the treaty, but rather that the assumption of incompatibility has unnecessarily constrained debate.

22 April 2026 | Davis Ellison
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlDeterrenceNATONPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear Weapons
Commentary

P5 perspectives on the 2026 NPT Review Conference: Russia

In the fifth in our series exploring P5 perspectives on the forthcoming 2026 NPT Review Conference, former Soviet and Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs official Nikolai Sokov sets out Russia’s position, highlighting its response to US and Israeli military actions, emphasis on sovereign equality and peaceful nuclear rights, and increasingly assertive framing of proliferation risks, alongside growing alignment with China and outreach to the Global South.

21 April 2026 | Nikolai Sokov
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationDeterrenceNPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsRussiaRussia-West Relations
Commentary

European perspectives on the Non-Proliferation Treaty: Poland

Continuing our commentary series exploring European perspectives ahead of the 2026 NPT Review Conference, Łukasz Kulesa sets out Poland’s approach, balancing firm support for the Treaty with heightened security concerns, reaffirming non-proliferation commitments while prioritizing deterrence credibility, NATO cohesion, and pragmatic outcomes in a deeply polarised and uncertain global environment.

20 April 2026 | Łukasz Kulesa
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationEUNATONPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsPoland