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.
In the disaster zone that is currently the Middle East, Iran looms large. From its missile attacks on Israel to supporting Hizbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — it is perceived to be a malign presence across the region, especially from the Western perspective. To better understand Iran and its place in the world, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by her colleague, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian of Cambridge University, in a strong and enlightening discussion that touches on the history of Iran and its international position since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, through the Iran-Iraq war of the 1990s, all the way to understanding its regional and global interests today.
The Women Leaders podcast, hosted by ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-EL, is back after the summer break! In “Events unabated” Ilana is joined by Jodi Rudoren, Editor in Chief of the Forward and former New York Times Bureau Chief in Jerusalem. They discuss the rapidly changing realities of US politics and the changing gender roles within them, the prospects of both presidential candidates’ policies on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the appalling lack of women in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians — and elsewhere too.
Today, the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act comes into force. NEVER member and Digital Policy Consultant Julie Lübken argues that the EU’s AI Act, pre-dating similar efforts to regulate AI in the UK and the US, could lay the groundwork for global AI governance. She writes that the legislation should also mark the start of a discussion with other countries, such as China, for a worldwide effort, engaging with policymakers, businesses, and civil society, to better understand AI, harness its potential and mitigate risk.
In advance of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2026 Review Conference, ELN Policy and Research Director Oliver Meier argues that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has thrown the nuclear non-proliferation regime into crisis. Despite this, opportunities remain to revitalise multilateral frameworks. If N5 states are willing to compartmentalise nuclear arms control, and if the existing international organisations that govern arms nuclear control are better leveraged to build on past achievements, progress on mitigating nuclear risks can still be made.
The ELN’s Policy and Impact Director, Jane Kinninmont, analyses why the deaths of Iran’s President and Foreign Minister, Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amirabdollahian, doesn’t necessarily represent a shift in global politics. She explains that the probable candidates to replace Raisi are likely to endorse a continuation of current Iranian foreign policy, and any changes will be hard to notice for external observers.