The turmoil and changes of the past five years — from the coronavirus pandemic to the second Trump administration — make clear one basic fact: the post-Cold War era is over. To explore the meaning of this term, as well as the reality of living through it, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Professor Marci Shore.
As the UK and the EU declare a “new strategic partnership” to boost trade and security ahead of a UK-EU summit at the end of May, ELN Executive Director Robert Ondrejcsák outlines nine steps for how Europe can rejuvenate itself and become an active architect of its own security.
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.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the OSCE has faced a deep crisis. Russia and Belarus have violated key norms of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, undermining the OSCE’s role in crisis management. Alexander Graef argues that breaking the impasse requires decisive political leadership and multi-level diplomacy. He also argues that growing military activities in Europe highlight the need for military-to-military contacts for managing escalation risks, in which the OSCE can facilitate necessary dialogues and support future monitoring activities as it has in the past.
For nearly 50 years, the OSCE has developed a toolbox to address security challenges across wider Europe. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dismantled Europe’s existing security architecture, rendering many OSCE tools ineffective. Former ELN Policy Fellow Katia Glod argues that in spite of this, a resurgence of political commitment could reinvigorate the OSCE’s tools, enabling them to be adapted to current challenges. This report recommends concrete actions to be undertaken by the OSCE to improve the efficacy of its toolbox.
As European leaders prepare a peace plan for Ukraine, ELN Policy and Impact Director Jane Kinninmont and Dr Loïc Simonet argue that they should draw on the OSCE, as the organisation that helped manage risks and offer communication channels during the Cold War, and which includes Russia along with Ukraine.