Marking Women Leaders’ fifth anniversary, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Jessica Cox, Director of Defence Plans and Policy at the U.S. Mission to NATO. Together, they unpack the shifting dynamics of 2025, including NATO and US perceptions and expectations in the coming months for Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region, China, the Middle East … and much more!
As we enter 2025 with the imminent return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House and war still raging in Ukraine, we asked members of our network who are actively engaged in their domestic politics what the defence and security priorities for their country or party should be for the year ahead.
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.
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.
As Germany enters early elections following the erosion of Olaf Scholz’s coalition, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Tanit Koch, journalist, co-host of the Focus Briefing and former editor-in-chief of the popular BILD, for a discussion of the problems facing Germany in terms of its economic ills, political divisions, and the rise of populist extremism.
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.