Faced with a near-term threat to their security, NATO’s European allies can establish a framework for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their defence acquisition system. ELN network member Tom McKane outlines what elements this should contain.
As the eyes of the world look to the US, Ukraine, and the Middle East, attention is distracted from rapidly changing events in the Caucasus. Traditionally Russia’s “backyard”, its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has lessened its influence in the region. Meanwhile, Armenia is in disarray following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023, and in Georgia, the Russia-backed government is cracking down on opposition leaders. To understand these fascinating dynamics, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by YGLN member Tinatin Japaridze, Eurasia analyst at the Eurasia Group.
Around the political NATO Summit in the Hague last week, with its limited ambition to make Donald Trump happy again, a less visible and much more productive summit occurred, writes ELN Senior Network Member Nicholas Dungan. Concentrating on what Europe needs to do to increase European deterrence, efficiency, and resilience, it produced sound thinking and actionable proposals.
This week’s NATO summit will go down in history, not only for all but one of the Alliance’s members agreeing to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, but also for Mark Rutte, the Alliance’s Secretary General, referring to President Trump as “Daddy”. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El breaks the summit down with two Big Women Leaders who were recent ambassadors to NATO: Kerry Buck of Canada and Muriel Domenach of France.
Following the release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, we asked members to reflect on if its recommendations strengthen security and its implications for multilateral nuclear disarmament.
NATO’s upcoming Summit in The Hague comes at a key point in the Alliance’s history; Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, American impatience with European underspending on defence, and European fears of American withdrawal from collective defence all represent major threats. Former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Stephen Evans, and ELN Senior Associate Fellow former UK Ambassador to NATO, Sir Adam Thomson, argue that NATO’s history demonstrates it is capable of combining strength and flexibility in times of crisis. They argue for a ‘back to basics’ approach to ease internal tensions, strengthen partnerships and move towards a state of ‘managed co-existence’ with Russia.