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Commentary

Building bridges for security and cooperation: Highlights from the YGLN Annual Gathering 2024

From the 11-14th of November, the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) met in Vienna for their annual gathering. Over the course of the week, YGLN members met with various international organisations and diplomatic missions, fostered insightful discussions, and were able to network and collaborate with one another. Read the commentary for a full account of the annual gathering.

2 December 2024 | Nikita Gryazin
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlCTBTDefenceDiplomacyEmerging technologiesEuropeForeign policyGovernanceInternational LawNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentRisk ReductionRussia-West RelationsUkraineUnited Nations
Commentary

Deterrence without destruction: Rethinking responses to biological threats

Scientific advances have renewed a discussion around the possibility of potentially devastating biological attacks. Eva Siegmann writes that nuclear deterrence is inadequate to deter biological threats. Instead, the threat of biological weapons should be addressed via international efforts rooted in transparency and cooperation. Leveraging the mechanisms of the Biological Weapons Convention and implementing deterrence-by-denial strategies can effectively mitigate risks.

28 November 2024 | Eva Siegmann
EDTsJRCTEmerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionBiosecurityConventional Arms ControlDefenceDeterrenceEmerging technologiesGovernanceHybrid warfareInternational LawNEVERNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionWMDs
Commentary

Bluff and bluster: Why Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine

Last week, President Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, formally lowering the threshold for Russia’s use of its nuclear weapons. ELN Senior Policy Fellow Rishi Paul writes that these changes have been prompted by Putin’s use of nuclear weapons as tools of coercion, aiming to manipulate shared nuclear risks for intimidation and political leverage and to induce Western caution. However, Putin’s nuclear threats have not fundamentally reshaped Western policies and may underscore the limitations of nuclear coercion as a tool for shaping adversaries’ behaviour.

25 November 2024 | Rishi Paul
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRussiaRussia-West RelationsSecurityUkraine
Commentary

The Women Leaders podcast: Unpacking the US elections

2024’s US elections saw unprecedented developments— a last-minute democratic candidacy, an attempted assassination, and over $15 billion in campaign spending. These tumultuous events culminated in a decisive win for Trump and the Republican Party. In this episode, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Elena Schneider, Politico US’s National Political Reporter, to explore the election’s dynamics, the fragmented media landscape, and how perceptions of power and strength continue to influence the electorate.

15 November 2024 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
DemocracyGenderPodcastsTransatlantic relationsUnited States
Commentary

Network reflections: What will Trump’s election mean for European security?

This week, Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential elections, beating Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States. We asked members of the ELN’s networks: What now for European security?

8 November 2024 | Valeriia Gergiieva, Bernard Norlain, Marc Finaud, Oliver Meier, Sahil Shah, Irina Busygina, Evie Aspinall and Shane Ward
Network ReflectionsRussia-West relationsEuropeRussiaRussia-West RelationsSecurityUnited KingdomUnited States
Commentary

The non-proliferation considerations of nuclear-powered submarines

The AUKUS partnership has sparked heated debate about the use of nuclear-powered submarines by non-nuclear weapon states. Alexander Hoppenbrouwers writes that the main risks of diversion of nuclear material lie outside of its use to fuel nuclear-powered submarines, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency should argue for strict verification measures on the basis of earlier negotiations on this topic.

29 October 2024 | Alexander Hoppenbrouwers
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectAsia-Pacific RegionEmerging technologiesNATONPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionSecurityUnited KingdomUnited StatesWMDs
Commentary

Network reflections: The return of long-range US missiles to Europe

The US and Germany have agreed to redeploy conventional long-range missiles to Europe, starting with periodic deployments in 2026, in response to Russia’s dual-capable missile capabilities. We ask five network members what effect this could have on strategic stability and what steps can be taken to reduce possible risks.

23 October 2024
Network ReflectionsMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlDefenceDeterrenceGermanyNATORussiaRussia-West RelationsSecurityUnited States
Commentary

The use of EDTs in Ukraine could offer lessons for military strategies in South Asia

The war in Ukraine has become a theatre for military innovation due to the integration of new technologies on the battlefield which have transformed warfighting strategies. Rizwana Abbasi writes that Ukraine offers lessons on the employment of integrated technologies to engage in cross-domain warfare that militaries in South Asia could learn from. As new technologies risk increasing nuclear dangers in the South Asian context she offers potential ways forward for India and Pakistan to reduce escalations risks.

11 October 2024 | Rizwana Abbasi
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and Risk ReductionCyberEmerging technologiesHybrid warfareIndiaNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsPakistanUkraine
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
IranIranDefenceDiplomacyForeign policyGenderIranMiddle EastMissilesPodcastsUnited Nations