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Commentary

Leaving the Landmine Ban Treaty puts civilians at risk

This week, Finland looks set to vote a final time on withdrawing from the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, and Poland may soon follow. Mary Wareham and Laura Lodenius write that this is a catastrophic step backwards for the protection of civilians, and these states should reconsider. Withdrawing from long-standing legal and humanitarian norms threatens to erode fundamental tenets of international humanitarian and human rights law and will only increase the likelihood of harming civilians.

16 June 2025 | Mary Wareham and Laura Lodenius
Multilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationArms ControlConventional Arms ControlFinlandInternational LawPoland
Policy brief

From crisis to strategy: The OSCE and arms control in a divided Europe

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.

14 March 2025 | Alexander Graef
OSCERussia-WestOSCERussia-West relationsArms ControlConventional Arms ControlDefenceDiplomacyEastern EuropeEmerging technologiesEuropeForeign policyMilitary DoctrineNATONuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsOpen Skies TreatyOSCERisk ReductionRussiaRussia-West RelationsSecurityUkraineOSCE Expert NetworkYGLN
Report

Assessing the OSCE Toolbox: Opportunities for a safer Europe

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.

14 March 2025 | Katia Glod
OSCERussia-WestOSCERussia-West relationsArms ControlBalkansBaltic SeaBalticsBlack SeaCentral EuropeConventional Arms ControlDefenceDiplomacyEastern EuropeEUEuropeForeign policyMoldovaNATONuclear DisarmamentNuclear WeaponsOpen Skies TreatyOSCERisk ReductionRussiaRussia-West RelationsSecurityUkraineUnited NationsOSCE Expert Network
Commentary

In Russia’s perceived war with the West, arms control is collateral damage

Three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and as New START enters its penultimate year in force, Nicholas Lokker writes that Russia is seeking to extricate itself from previously established arms control agreements it perceives as elements of the broader Western-dominated political and security order that it aims to overturn. He also argues that whilst Russia is unwilling to return to the negotiating table now, economics and external pressure from allies could herald a resumption of talks in future.

13 January 2025 | Nicholas Lokker
NPTRussia-WestMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectArms ControlConventional Arms ControlCSBMsDefenceDeterrenceDiplomacyEastern EuropeEuropeForeign policyMissilesNATONPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear SecurityNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionRussiaRussia-West RelationsUkraineWMDs
Commentary

The politics of nuclear disarmament verification: How to advance nuclear disarmament

Following the UN Committee on Disarmament and International Security’s call to ascertain the views of Member States on the establishment of a Group of Scientific and Technical Experts (GSTE) on Nuclear Disarmament Verification (NDV), ELN Senior Network member Michael Biontino argues that NDV, beyond its technical aspects, is an essential political element of nuclear disarmament since it builds the trust needed for disarmament agreements. In the commentary, he outlines the various ways that NDV can advance the political processes necessary for effective disarmament.

4 December 2024 | Michael Biontino
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectArms ControlConventional Arms ControlDefenceDeterrenceGovernanceNATONPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear DisarmamentNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionSecurityUnited NationsWMDsELN
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 ReductionWMDsNEVER