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.
From 11-12 November 2024, the European Leadership Network (ELN), as a Core Partner to the Expert Network on the OSCE, brought eight members of the ELN’s contingent of OSCE Expert Network to Vienna for their Annual Meeting.
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?
In the wake of suspected interference in Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Salome Samadashvili, opposition Member of Parliament in Georgia, and Tinatin Japaridze, member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) and Eurasia Analyst at the Eurasia Group, for a hard-hitting discussion on Georgia, the region, autocracy and democracy.
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.