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December 23, 2025
Tech 2025: The AI Year
Artificial intelligence dominated – and transatlantic turbulence flared over tech regulations. CEPA fellows weigh in.
December 22, 2025
CEPA at 20 and the Ideas That Shaped 2025
CEPA’s President & CEO Dr Alina Polyakova reflects on the events and trends that shaped 2025, the institution’s 20th Anniversary.
December 22, 2025
Grim Tidings for Hungary’s Rulers This Christmas
Polls show the governing party is taking a hit from Hungary’s child abuse scandal.
December 19, 2025
EU Privacy Makeover: No Surgery, Just Lipstick
Europe’s simplification campaign aims to streamline its GDPR privacy regulation. The changes are useful, though far from a radical overhaul.
December 19, 2025
Europe Rescues Ukraine, Sort Of
“The greatest treason,” wrote the poet TS Elliot, is “to do the right deed for the wrong reason.”
December 19, 2025
Preparing to Confront Russia’s Shadow Fleet
Europe needs to share intelligence and exploit legal “gray zones” to tackle Russia’s sanctions-busting shadow fleet.
December 18, 2025
Why Russia’s Shadow Fleet Sails Unhindered
Russia is developing a steadily more aggressive shadow war campaign against Baltic Sea countries, but there’s been little response.
December 18, 2025
Frozen: Europe Struggles to Agree Ukraine Lifeline
The dispute over €210bn of Russia’s reserves frozen in Europe is entering a decisive phase.
December 18, 2025
Counting the Cost of Putin’s Assault on Ukraine’s Biosphere
Any peace settlement has to include compensation for Russian damage to Ukraine’s environment, alongside reparations for lost lives and property since 2014.
December 17, 2025
USTR Bares Its Claws on Euro Tech Rules
Transatlantic conflict over technology policy shows no sign of abatement. US lawmakers and government officials have Brussels (and others) in their sights.
December 17, 2025
Ukraine’s Long-Range Strikes: Photogenic But…
Ukraine has increased the number of long-range attacks on Russia, but there are questions about the campaign’s effectiveness.
December 16, 2025
Émigrés in Putin’s Crosshairs
As 2026 nears, Russian authorities are preparing a new, large-scale attack on political emigrants.
December 16, 2025
Russia and China’s Shadow War in Europe
China and Russia share common interests: weakening US leadership, fracturing Western unity, and creating strategic paralysis across the democratic world.
December 16, 2025
Germany: Europe’s New Security Leader
As the US pulls away from confrontation with Russia, Berlin is moving fast to fill the gap.
December 16, 2025
High Stakes in the High North: Harnessing Uncrewed Capabilities for Arctic Defense and Security
Uncrewed systems are helping allies confront the rapidly changing security dynamics in the Arctic.
December 15, 2025
Japanese Chips: A Model for Countering China
While Tokyo no longer dominates global chipmaking, it has forged a path to reduce dependence on China and make itself indispensable.
December 15, 2025
Nuclear Fusion: A Solution to Europe’s Energy Woes?
As Europe confronts crippling energy prices, it hopes to fuel its energy-intensive tech industry with clean fusion power. But skeptics ask, will it move fast enough?
December 15, 2025
Europe After the US Decoupling: Change or Be Damned
What Washington now presents as strategic recalibration is the overdue recognition of a transatlantic relationship that has already changed.
December 15, 2025
Plus-Minus: America’s National Security Strategy in 10 Points
The dust has settled after transatlantic turbulence over US strategy.
December 15, 2025
The AI Kill Switch: Dangerous Chinese Open Source
US and European entrepreneurs rely on Chinese artificial intelligence models. It’s risky.
December 15, 2025
Joy Division: Belarus
Good news on political prisoners masks alarming geopolitical shifts.
December 12, 2025
Tech Antitrust Slams Into An AI Wall
European and American regulators attempting to rein in Silicon Valley’s largest digital platforms find themselves playing catch-up to innovation.
December 12, 2025
European NATO’s Warriors and Peaceniks
Although NATO has agreed new long-term defense spending objectives, some are enthusiasts and some are not.
December 11, 2025
Why Russia is So Resilient
Outsiders have misread the Russian system and why it functions despite the pressures of wartime.
December 11, 2025
How Russian Drone Developers Outpace the West
Russia’s Geran attack drones have morphed from crude versions of Iranian Shahed UAVs into an affordable and flexible strike system, with deadly results.
December 11, 2025
2026 — Europe’s Year of Living Dangerously
Russia will step-up its shadow war on Europe in the New Year, attacking infrastructure and disrupting democracy in a bid to exploit Western disunity.
December 10, 2025
General Philippe Lavigne on the Future of NATO
General Philippe Lavigne and Kari Odermann discuss NATO’s role amidst shifting technological and geopolitical norms.
December 9, 2025
Sakharov — A Russian Hero for Our Time
Andrei Sakharov was one of the greatest Russians of all time and lived a life that stands as a contrast and rebuke to Vladimir Putin. His voice needs to be heard.
December 9, 2025
A Russian Hangover: Ukraine Fights the Corruption Legacy
Ukraine’s corruption investigations have reached the President’s inner circle and claimed his right-hand man. Why is Russian-style graft so hard to extinguish?
December 8, 2025
Britain — Dangerously Exposed Before the Blizzard
European countries are rearming fast, but the UK is continuing to bury its head in the sand. It’s time to join our European allies and get serious about defense.
December 8, 2025
Macron, Pandas, and Ping Pong
The French leader’s visit to China produced little to proclaim but there were intriguing hints about off-the-record discussions.
December 5, 2025
Awake Now? The US and Europe
The new US National Security Strategy is surprising only for those determined to ignore reality.
December 5, 2025
The US Must Beware the Deepening China-Russia Axis
Beijing is constructing an ever-deepening technological alliance with Moscow. The US should be worried.
December 4, 2025
How Cheap is Too Cheap?
France’s crackdown on Shein for selling dangerous products casts a dark shadow over e-commerce throughout Europe.
December 4, 2025
Taiwan and Ukraine: Joined at the Hip
The two embattled democracies cannot be surrendered. They are simply too important to be sacrificed to global authoritarianism.
December 4, 2025
A Drone Wall Without Ukraine? A Barricade Lacking Bricks
To defend NATO’s airspace Europe must make Ukraine an integral part of its defenses from the outset.
December 3, 2025
Authoritarians Are Ramping Up Online Censorship
A new Freedom House report details a dramatic expansion of government control over the Internet.
December 3, 2025
Is the Brussels Effect Fading?
As Europe attempts to boost competitiveness, it struggles to avoid Washington’s gravitational pull on tech policy.
December 3, 2025
A Strategic Trap? The Outline Ukraine Peace Deal
Europe and Ukraine must work hard to avoid a bad peace that puts the continent’s security at risk from Russia.
December 2, 2025
The Hybrid Threat Imperative: Deterring Russia Before it is Too Late
While Russia’s hybrid tactics are not new, their scale and sophistication in the digital age present unprecedented challenges.
December 2, 2025
The Fragility of the Deal: Why Details Matter in Ukraine’s Endgames
Peace deals are an endpoint, but they are also the starting point for what comes next. Ukraine must take great care in what it agrees to.
December 2, 2025
A Rebirth in Flame: Ukraine’s Beleaguered Energy System
Russia’s relentless assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and a crisis of governance promise a cold winter. But there is hope ahead.
December 1, 2025
Putin’s Sanctions Demands Doomed to Disappointment
The vast web of measures that ensnare the Russian economy will not easily be removed, even if the West acts in unison.
December 1, 2025
The Baltic: A NATO Lake With Crocodiles
Is the Baltic now a NATO lake? Changing strategic geography, and the accession of Sweden and Finland to alliance membership might make it seem so, but the reality is more fraught.
December 1, 2025
Stoppardian Genius: RIP
The Czechoslovak-born playwright Tom Stoppard immortalised resistance to Communist censorship.
November 26, 2025
Seize Russia’s Money — Stop Dithering
The continent says Ukraine’s survival is an existential issue but then risks everything by failing to make swift decisions.
November 25, 2025
How Safe is Your Face?
Europe and US states impose tough restrictions on facial recognition, while the US federal government hesitates. China moves full steam ahead.
November 25, 2025
Blocked and Bypassed: Russians Evade Internet Censorship
Millions of Russians still use VPNs to see forbidden content — and the Kremlin struggles to respond.
November 25, 2025
Europe and the Lukewarm War
The consequences and costs of a hurried peace settlement in Ukraine would be enormous and era-defining.
November 25, 2025
Measuring Europe’s Digital Future Against Ukraine
Europe’s new Digital Omnibus aims to “simplify” the EU’s tangled web of digital regulations. Ukraine sets a good example.
November 25, 2025
China — The Real Winner From Russian Victory in Ukraine
Kremlin success would benefit the Beijing regime in a whole number of ways, including the theft of Ukrainian military technology.
November 24, 2025
Nexperia: China Puts Dutch in Check
The Netherlands moved to place Chinese-owned Nexperia chipmaker under state supervision. China retaliated, and the Dutch backed down.
November 24, 2025
Putin to End Hostilities? Think Again
Ukraine may be Russia’s primary military target but the regime has a much broader range of enemies.
November 24, 2025
Can Democracies Prevail?
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin believe their autocratic political and economic systems will gradually defeat the West’s democracies. How can they be stopped?
November 24, 2025
The 29th Point: Cognitive Control
Russia’s bogus peace plan wins it a round of psychological warfare.
November 21, 2025
Britain Hits Snooze as Russia’s Threat Intensifies
There is now clear evidence that despite an acknowledged threat, the UK is extending its holiday from history.
November 20, 2025
A Necessary Air of Venom: Hardening NATO’s Airspace
Russia’s recent air incursions into NATO airspace are part of a disruptive strategy.
November 20, 2025
Russia’s Shadow War Won’t Stay Hidden Forever
Poland’s Prime Minister has accused Russia of an “unprecedented act of sabotage” against its rail system, the latest in a wave of attacks attributed to the Kremlin’s shadow war.
November 20, 2025
Self-Harm: The EU’s Sustainability Rules
A new European Union directive is undermining the bloc’s economic security and failing to deliver on its social justice promises.
November 19, 2025
The New China Challenge: Gene Editing on the Farm
The US and Europe deem gene editing of crops a national security priority.
November 19, 2025
Awake But Groggy: Europe’s Shadow Warfare Guardians
The EU is doing well in some areas but as attacks rise, much more continent-wide cooperation is needed.
November 19, 2025
War Without End: Russia’s Shadow Warfare
To secure its grip on power, Russia adopts Soviet practices coupled with modern tactics of covert influence, violence, and manipulation.
November 18, 2025
Europe Tech Regulation: Yes to Simplification, No to Deregulation
The European Commission is publishing a much-awaited Digital Omnibus to “simplify” EU tech regulations. But is it an omni-nothing burger?
November 18, 2025
The Hon. Jim Costa on Ukrainian Security & Resilience
Representative Jim Costa discusses his path to Congress and his support of Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
November 18, 2025
The Hon. Nathaniel Moran on US Support for Ukraine
Representative Nathaniel Moran discusses his career in public service and his efforts to strengthen transatlantic support for Ukraine.
November 18, 2025
Making Interoperability Work: Recommendations for Europe’s DMA
Part 3: Open access and secure design are contradictory positions. But there are ways both can co-exist.
November 18, 2025
Washington’s Eurasian Moment
The US has momentum, but Russia and China still limit Central Asia’s options.
November 17, 2025
Urgently Wanted: More European Missile Engines
The US is the dominant supplier of critical propulsion technology for Europe’s missile makers. To rival Russia, Europe must catch up.
November 17, 2025
Fogbound: Narrative Wars
Ukraine’s setbacks are troubling but only part of the story.
November 14, 2025
Opening Up — Europe’s DMA and the Risks of Interoperability
Part 2: The Digital Markets Act introduces several potential risks for tech providers and users. Expect disagreement.
November 14, 2025
The Next Critical Mineral Battle: Potash and Phosphate
Concerns over critical minerals have focused on industrial inputs. That’s a mistake: the risks to our food supply are also significant.
November 14, 2025
The Fortune Teller’s Vision — A Russia Without End
The Kremlin has a vision for the future. It should make everyone very worried.
November 13, 2025
Work Needed After NATO Floats Maritime Plan
NATO has finally published its updated maritime strategy, but it will need government and public support if it is to deliver.
November 13, 2025
Europe’s DMA — A Cybercriminal’s Paradise?
Part 1: The Digital Markets Act mandates largest digital platforms to allow interoperability — overlooking the security dangers.
November 12, 2025
Ukraine’s Corruption Probe — Bad But Not Terminal
Ukraine’s wartime leadership has been rocked by one of the biggest corruption scandals in the energy sector in recent history. It’s a mess, but there are reasons for hope.
November 12, 2025
A Sleeping Semiconductor Giant Awakes: India
Billions of investments are pouring into the country, creating a chip manufacturing alternative for the US and Europe.
November 12, 2025
Truth and Consequences: Russia’s Exiles Shudder at Spy Claims
Russia’s intensive intelligence operations against the exile community are having some success, with profound implications.
November 12, 2025
How Russian Weakness in the South Caucasus Can Reward the West
Developments in 2025 have highlighted the reordering of regional power relations in the South Caucasus. There is opportunity for the West, but peril too.
November 10, 2025
Aesthetics: Border Control
Art can deliver a powerful geopolitical message — so be careful.
November 6, 2025
The Future of World Order
United States-Japan-Europe cooperation in an era of strategic competition.
November 6, 2025
Pokrovsk: Where Putin Shattered His Teeth
“Last November, I visited Pokrovsk and called it the farmhouse at Waterloo”, writes the former Ukrainian Marine, Shaun Pinner. Both places have mauled the army of an imperial aggressor.
November 6, 2025
AI & The Geopolitics of Big Science
Scientists are wielding artificial intelligence to cope with the mounting threat of hurricanes and other disasters. The US & EU need better coordination to stay ahead.
November 6, 2025
Putin Seeks to Solve His Azerbaijan Problem
Russia and Azerbaijan are playing nice again, but the fundamentals have not changed.
November 5, 2025
Geoengineering Innovation: Cooling Effects?
New technologies to reshape global weather are being rolled out by different countries. Will they work — or cause conflict?
November 5, 2025
Oil Turnaround Shows How US Can Win in Ukraine
When many US taxpayers hear about Ukraine, they ask: what’s in it for us? The story of Ukraine’s largest oil company shows why helping Kyiv can put America first.
November 5, 2025
Europe Can Feast on Cheap US Gas (and Roast Russia in the Process)
Abundant gas supply is now available for Central and East European countries. Will they seize the opportunity?
November 4, 2025
Tomahawk for Ukraine — Nice But Not Necessary
Kyiv continues to campaign for the delivery of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but its European funders should consider better alternatives.
November 3, 2025
How are Drones Changing War? The Future of the Battlefield
Drone warfare is reshaping global security by enabling low-cost, high-impact operations, for Ukraine, Russia, NATO, China, and others.
November 3, 2025
Punchlines: Wagner and Narva
Estonia responds to Russian trolling with ridicule.
October 31, 2025
China Trade Truce: Beijing Boosts Its Leverage
China decouples from American and European suppliers, while Western allies are divided on how to respond.
October 31, 2025
Needed: Robust Comms to Foil Russia’s Saboteurs
Communications systems are being targeted by NATO’s enemies. New technology is needed to ensure decision-makers are not blinded by attacks.
October 29, 2025
Digital Sovereignty: Can Europe Afford It?
The European Commission’s new work program prioritizes digital sovereignty. Spoiler alert: It will be expensive — an estimated €3.6 trillion.
October 29, 2025
Counterpunch: NATO Must Take the Offensive
Too many NATO members fail to understand the risks of cyberspace and the need to hit back at aggressors. This is a recipe for failure.
October 28, 2025
Russia’s Spies Fear the Children
The FSB’s ever-expanding target list now includes a new category of Russians — teenagers.
October 28, 2025
US Oil Sanctions on Russia: Progress
The measures mark a significant step forward for Western pressure on the Kremlin, but more is needed.
October 27, 2025
Toy Story: Grounded
Balloons from Belarus close Lithuania’s airports—and set a dangerous precedent.
October 27, 2025
‘We’re Rabid Warmongers’ — Russia’s Propagandists Rage
The hardening of US measures against Russia has caused disappointment and rage among Putin’s mouthpieces.
October 27, 2025
Why We Need a Carnegie Moment for the Age of AI
Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie financed public libraries. We need a similar resource to benefit from AI.
October 24, 2025
The Specter of Stagflation Looms Over Russia
The country’s war of choice against Ukraine is steadily depressing economic activity.
October 24, 2025
Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan on Russia’s Past, Present, and Future
Tune in to hear veteran journalists discuss their personal experiences reporting on Kremlin repression and the heavy price paid for dissent.
October 23, 2025
Putin’s Favorite Analysts Promote ‘Dr Chaos’
Vladimir Putin’s think tank says the Kremlin will not stop at Ukraine, and sees aggression as the only means to “preserve world balance.”
October 22, 2025
A New US Tech Cocktail: Mixed for China
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House marks a pivot in US technology policy. China is watching and reacting.
October 22, 2025
A Squabble in Odesa Echoes Across Ukraine
Ukraine’s government has removed Odesa’s mayor amid claims he is too close to Moscow. Critics say it’s government over-reach.
October 21, 2025
Guns Not Missiles Will Defeat the Drone
Missiles are not a panacea for air defense. Europe needs a return to guns – they’re cheaper and more practical.
October 21, 2025
What Putin Really Wants
Future talks between the US and Russia in Budapest may focus on territory, but Putin’s real ambitions lie elsewhere.
October 20, 2025
Biotech Battle: US Legislators Go On the Offensive
Congress is accelerating a proactive biotech agenda. The US and Europe must work together to beat China.
October 20, 2025
Civilian Technology is Key to European Defense
Europe must harness dual-use technology to more swiftly deliver battlefield innovation.
October 20, 2025
Unmuzzled: German Spies
Political meddling has long hampered German intelligence and security. Not any more.
October 20, 2025
Ukraine Shows Opportunities of Technology, Says Bank of America’s Moynihan
Ukraine’s rapid drone development illustrates how technology can be harnessed for humanity, Bank of America CEO says.
October 20, 2025
Buffett: West Must Learn from Ukraine
Philanthropist and businessman Howard G Buffett called on the world to step up its backing for Kyiv and urged Western leaders to make the case to voters more clearly.
October 20, 2025
Ukraine Can Prevail, Says Former NATO Supreme Commander
General Christopher Cavoli, who stepped down as Supreme Allied Commander Europe in July, said the war in Ukraine must be won to secure future peace and prosperity.
October 20, 2025
CEPA at 20: Two Decades of Focus on Europe
From “stable and boring” to the frontline in a global struggle for freedom and security, Europe’s importance has been clear to CEPA for 20 years.
October 20, 2025
Ukraine’s Journalists — Death and the Battle for Truth
Reporters working in Ukraine are being targeted by Russia because Vladimir Putin’s regime fears the truth, their editors say.
October 17, 2025
Ground Russia’s Drones Before They Ground Us
The continent must swiftly design and adopt an anti-drone system, focusing on effectiveness and putting aside irrelevant discussions on nomenclature.
October 16, 2025
Putin — Disagreement Is Terrorism
The Kremlin’s neurosis about exiled dissident thinkers is extreme and has extremely serious consequences.
October 16, 2025
Russia’s New Gulag
Russia is holding and torturing Ukrainian civilians, though they are not charged, have had no due process and no release date.
October 16, 2025
Portugal: Europe’s Best-Kept Digital Secret
Not long ago, Portugal was a digital backwater. Today, it is challenging digital frontrunners. Will it keep up the momentum?
October 15, 2025
Europe’s Troubled Bet on AI Factories
Europe is pouring billions into artificial intelligence “factories” – but the projects risk repeating past industrial mistakes.
October 15, 2025
Privacy Law’s AI Generation
Current privacy protections limit large data collection by Internet advertising platforms. Artificial intelligence changes the focus.
October 15, 2025
Euro-Dollar Crossroads: The Rise of Stablecoins
A transatlantic divide is emerging over the next wave of payment technologies. Europe risks losing out.
October 15, 2025
Ukraine’s War of Fact and Fiction
Getting accurate information and news is harder than ever in the social media age, but close to existential in a country at war.
October 14, 2025
How to Loosen China’s Stranglehold on Rare Earths
Beijing has imposed sweeping curbs on rare earth exports. The US and Europe must diversify supplies.
October 14, 2025
US Prods Europe to End Russian Energy Addiction
Spurred by US criticism, the European Union’s sanctions against Russia now include crucial measures targeting its energy revenues. Washington should follow suit.
October 14, 2025
Learning Polish Lessons From Russian Attacks
Poland’s battle against cyberattacks should be a warning and an example for the West as governments seek to counter their enemies’ hybrid tactics.
October 14, 2025
Putin — Losing Control of Events?
The Kremlin has an established playbook for war and its consequences, but developments beyond its control threaten the regime’s grasp.
October 12, 2025
Boot Camp: Scare Stories
A Kremlin stunt near the Estonian border highlights a much bigger problem: frayed nerves.
October 9, 2025
Ancient Wisdom: Europe Cannot Hide Behind its Walls
What should be Europe’s strategy as aggressive imperial powers seek to conquer territory? Ancient Greece offers some guidance.
October 8, 2025
H.R. McMaster – 2025 CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner
H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor, presents Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli with the Lifetime Achievement Award during CEPA Forum 2025.
October 8, 2025
Howard G. Buffett – 2025 CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner
Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of The Howard G. Buffet Foundation, receives the Impact Award during the CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to peace, recovery, and long-term global security.
October 8, 2025
General (Ret.) Christopher G. Cavoli – 2025 CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner
Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award during CEPA Forum 2025 in recognition of his efforts to ensure a more resilient NATO, support for Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and his visionary leadership to ensure collective defense and deterrence for the transatlantic alliance.
October 8, 2025
Sevgil Musaieva and Olga Rudenko – 2025 CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner
Sevgil Musaieva and Olga Rudenko receive the CEPA’s 2025 Freedom Fighter Award in recognition of their outstanding commitment to journalistic integrity in documenting the realities of war and advocating for justice in Ukraine.
October 8, 2025
Dr. Alina Polyakova – 2025 CEPA Leadership Awards Dinner
Alina PolyakovaThank you so much, Elina, it’s so wonderful to have you with us. Thank you for those really warm words and the introduction and thank you everyone for joining us tonight for CEPA’s 20th birthday, what an amazing, amazing evening this is going to be. Ladies and gentlemen, we have an incredible program planned […]
October 8, 2025
Georgian Election Boycott Gives Ruling Party a Free Ride
The Georgian opposition’s decision to boycott local elections proved counter-productive. The authoritarian governing party will now have even more leeway.
October 7, 2025
Five Ways to Punish Russia
With a bit of imagination and courage, NATO can impose immediate costs for Russia’s hybrid war operations.
October 7, 2025
Europe Didn’t Always Preach Regulation
Europe is proud of the “Brussels Effect,” setting tech rules that spread around the globe. It shouldn’t be.
October 7, 2025
A Desperate Race for Drone Defenses
Defense industries have tended to focus on the quality of military output, but the Ukraine war shows the importance of mass.
October 7, 2025
NATO Must Learn from Ukraine’s Frontline Drone Labs
Russian drone incursions mark an acceleration in the Kremlin’s hybrid war on the West. NATO members should study Ukraine’s frontline labs to prepare for what comes next.
October 6, 2025
Mapping a Europe ‘No Longer at Peace’
Europe has registered dozens of military and civil drone incursions during the past month. CEPA’s Heine Sandvik Brekke tracks them.
October 6, 2025
Is Germany Going to Walk its Tough China Talk?
After years of appeasement, Berlin’s attitude to China is hardening. But concrete actions remain elusive.
October 6, 2025
The Electoral Revenge of Czech ‘Pork-Eaters’
The Czech Republic will not become a Hungarian-style illiberal state, despite the defeat of its pro-Ukrainian government.
October 6, 2025
Kremlin Financial Retaliation? Empty Threats
The Putin regime realizes its war of aggression will be seriously affected if financial assets are handed to Ukraine. But it’s impotent.
October 6, 2025
Magic Weapons: Drones
As Europe dithers, Russia’s successful drone offensive intensifies.
October 6, 2025
CEPA 20th Anniversary Celebration: Letter from the President & CEO
As CEPA celebrates its 20th Anniversary, President & CEO Dr. Alina Polyakova reflects on CEPA’s contributions to policy & leadership in global affairs.
October 3, 2025
Europe’s Digital Markets Act: Conflict and Confusion
Three years ago, Europe enacted a revolutionary regulation designed to rein in digital “gatekeepers.” It’s causing transatlantic tensions.
October 3, 2025
Ukraine’s AI Drones Hunt the Enemy
Artificial Intelligence is starting to revolutionize the frontline in Ukraine but, still confused by puddles and trees, it’s not there yet.
October 3, 2025
Tomahawk Missile Threat Rattles Putin’s Regime
Russia’s deepest fears are all-too-visible in its media output. High-performance cruise missiles are high on its anxieties list.
October 3, 2025
Making Europe Secure
President Trump’s recent UK visit produced two major agreements: one on artificial intelligence, the other on nuclear energy. Europe should take note.
October 2, 2025
US Officers: NATO’s Options on the Eastern Flank
CEPA’s military and security Fellows describe the options for alliance leaders and forces as the Kremlin’s shadow war accelerates.
October 2, 2025
Russia Cleanses Its Spy Agencies
Something odd and largely unnoticed is happening to Russia’s spies.
October 2, 2025
Sweden Must Win its Wars in School
Sweden has embarked on a rearmament program unprecedented in recent times, but the foundations of national defense are made of flesh, not metal.
October 1, 2025
Goodbye Export Controls, Hello Chinese Import Controls
China has unveiled a new strategy to counter American sanctions — slapping restrictions on the sales of US imports.
October 1, 2025
Putin’s War on Ukraine Harms All Humanity
War may be a prerequisite for the survival of Vladimir Putin’s regime, but its impact on the lives of ordinary people is deeply negative.
October 1, 2025
Why Moldova Matters
For the past few weeks, the small nation of Moldova in southeastern Europe has received more attention than it would like. That signals its importance.
October 1, 2025
The Acceleration of Putin’s Shadow War
Air incursions, military drills and escalating hybrid warfare hint at a new and alarming level of Russian aggression. Is it just for show?
September 30, 2025
Ukraine Asks: Europe, Can You Still Hear Us?
The German security expert and former Defense Ministry official Nico Lange sets out a roadmap to defeat Putin and return the European continent to peace.
September 30, 2025
Tech 2030: A Roadmap for Europe-US Tech Cooperation
A US-Europe tech partnership is key to independence from China.
September 29, 2025
The Kremlin to Russian Consumers — Pay for Our War
Russia’s 2026 budget reveals a stark reality: keeping the war going means consumers must pay more for less.
September 29, 2025
Moldovans Reject Russia
The election was billed as a referendum on the country’s future. In the end, voters plumped for Brussels and Western Europe rather than Russia.
September 29, 2025
China’s Fast-Growing Global Challenge
Beijing’s ambitions caused alarm when paraded by Xi Jinping last month, but the country’s growing global influence is even greater than realized.
September 29, 2025
False Alarms: and Real Ones
Western scaremongering about the Baltics’ vulnerability is missing the real threat.
September 29, 2025
Can Orbán Cling to Power?
After four consecutive terms as prime minister, Viktor Orbán is trailing in polling for Hungary’s April election. Would he accept defeat?
September 26, 2025
Should AI Chatbots Provide Government Services?
AI agents are replacing humans as public servants. This raises serious legal and practical questions.
September 26, 2025
Moldova’s High-Stakes Election
The country is battling for its future amid a tug-of-war between the Kremlin and its friends in Western Europe.
September 26, 2025
Lukashenka’s Hollow Concessions
The release of political prisoners in Belarus is welcome, but signals no real change. The country remains a Russian dependency.
September 26, 2025
Europe’s New Russian Sanctions May Backfire
The EU aims to accelerate the ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports. But the bloc must reconsider its options.
September 26, 2025
Europe Moves Toward Shadow Fleet Seizures
European authorities are no longer confining their response to Russia’s shadow fleet to sanctions lists.
September 26, 2025
Putin’s Propagandists Dismiss US Statements
Russian propagandists are parroting the Kremlin’s apparent indifference to Trump’s attacks.
September 25, 2025
An EU Security Base on the Black Sea
The EU’s renewed focus on the Black Sea has created an opportunity for Romania, Turkey and Ukraine to shape a stronger defense against Russia.
September 24, 2025
Fintech Fight: US and EU Clash
Transatlantic fault lines are widening over whether fintechs should pay for customer financial data.
September 24, 2025
Kremlin Snarls as Norway Surges Ukraine Aid
As Norway’s defense spending and support for Ukraine sharply increase, Russia has taken notice.
September 23, 2025
The Hon. Mike Lawler on Moldova’s Elections and Transatlantic Security
Congressman Mike Lawler discusses his path to Congress and his work on ensuring US support for Moldova.
September 23, 2025
The Hon. Jason Crow on America’s Role in the World
Congressman Jason Crow discusses his path to Congress and his efforts to strengthen the transatlantic relationship.
September 23, 2025
Russian Assets: Milking the Sacred Cow
After years of hesitation, Europe and the UK are poised to seize Russian assets and hand them to Ukraine.
September 23, 2025
Abandoned Russian Families Seek Ukraine’s Help
The friends and relatives of Russian soldiers missing in Ukraine are increasingly turning to Kyiv for help — but have to maintain a public show of loyalty to the Kremlin.
September 23, 2025
Poland to China: So, You Want to Play Hybrid War?
One unexpected victim of Russia’s drone invasions of Poland’s airspace and the Zapad military exercise is China.
September 22, 2025
Test: Found Wanting
NATO just set a powerful signal to the Kremlin: “We’re not serious”
September 22, 2025
The UK’s New Defense Industry Plan: Good in Parts
Britain is at last beginning to tackle some of the issues bedeviling its defense industry. There’s much more work to do.
September 22, 2025
A Baltic Maginot Line Won’t Stop Russia
When Mother Nature blessed the Baltic states, she wasn’t thinking of Russian tanks.
September 19, 2025
Can Europe Catch Up On Laser Weapons?
The continent must leverage its strong industrial base to catch up with the introduction of high-energy laser weapons.
September 19, 2025
Moldova’s Voters and the Russian Bear Paw
Moldovans are preparing for an election that will determine their future in Europe amid “unprecedented” Russian interference. Can they resist?
September 19, 2025
Inside Cyber Diplomacy Redux: Episode 3
Paul Ash, CEO of Christchurch Call Foundation, joins Jim Lewis and Chris Painter for a discussion on online safety.
September 19, 2025
Europe’s Drone Wall: Action This Day
The EU’s vision must avoid typical European delays to deliver swift deterrence on the eastern flank.
September 17, 2025
Firefights and Fear in Ukraine’s Forest War
In the battle for Ukraine’s burning forests, improvised defenses, house-to-house fighting, and eyes and ears prevail under drone-filled skies. David Kirichenko reports from the front.
September 17, 2025
A Napster Moment for AI?
Anthropic’s $1.5 billion offer to authors for training its artificial intelligence model is far from the final answer to the AI copyright war.
September 17, 2025
Russia’s New Potemkin Cities
The humanitarian crisis in Donbas is worsening, revealing the Kremlin’s neglect of its “new regions” in Ukraine and promising a bitter future.
September 15, 2025
Ukraine: The Coming Storm
Ukraine must be properly financed by Europe or unthinkable consequences will follow. Decision-time is fast approaching.
September 15, 2025
Russians Walled-In by Both East and West
Russian opposition figures expected the Kremlin to engage in repression, but they didn’t expect the West to help.
September 12, 2025
An AI Indian Summer – or Autumn Freeze?
Artificial intelligence is facing turbulence. Policymakers should look at climate change for clues.
September 12, 2025
Super Apps: A Path To Surveillance in China and Russia
Messaging services dominate the Chinese and Russian Internet. Not in the US.
September 12, 2025
Putin’s Elite Troops: Self-Harming to Save Themselves?
Russian soldiers have been accused of injuring themselves to win compensation and avoid the frontline. Is it true?
September 11, 2025
Armenia’s Foreign Policy Revolution
Armenia’s heavy reliance on Russia is coming to an end as Yerevan works to extend relationships and repair once-shattered regional ties.
September 10, 2025
Attack on Poland: Russia’s Debris Still Falling
The dispatch of Russian drones into Polish airspace cannot go unpunished.
September 10, 2025
Tip-toeing to Defeat: NATO’s Doom
The Russian attack on Poland highlights alliance weakness.
September 10, 2025
Suicide Squads and the Fight for Ukraine
The Ukrainian frontline is a constantly shifting zone of attack and counter-attack under a sky filled with drones. David Kirichenko reports from the frontline.
September 10, 2025
War Studies: Ukraine Trains Students for Battle
Kyiv has decided to let young men travel abroad, but it is also requiring them to learn the basics of the battlefield.
September 9, 2025
A Limited Lifeline: Russia’s Role in China’s Energy Security
Russia is struggling to keep up with China’s expanding energy needs.
September 9, 2025
Russia’s Zapad-2025 — An Exercise in Hostility
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Lance Landrum, CEPA Fellow and Former Deputy Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, speaks on Russia’s major military exercise.
September 9, 2025
Is Russia’s Moldova Enclave Losing Energy?
Russia has used propaganda, hard power, and cheap gas to maintain Transnistria’s split from Moldova, but Kremlin blunders and its focus on Ukraine may be turning the tide.
September 8, 2025
Flight of the Flamingo Spells Trouble for Russia
Ukraine’s long-range aerial attack program is bearing fruit, as the new Flamingo missile illustrates.
September 8, 2025
Stress Test: Fail
Worries about US support highlight allies’ fragile politics.
September 8, 2025
A Chinese New World Order Would Be Fine — Or Would it?
Hoping history provides inspiration for a new world order is deeply problematic.
September 8, 2025
Ukraine Hammers Russia’s Oil Lifeline
Highly focused attacks are damaging the Kremlin’s key money-making facilities. They could eventually bleed Russia of war-fighting funds.
September 4, 2025
European Court Backs Transatlantic Data Pact — For Now
A Luxembourg ruling saves US-EU data transfers, even if the reprieve may prove temporary.
September 3, 2025
Will Ukrainian Refugees Ever Return Home?
Three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions of Ukrainians remain abroad. While Kyiv estimates up to 70% will eventually return, the reality is more complex.
September 3, 2025
Pick and Mix: Ukraine Opens an Amazon for Weaponry
Allowing army officers to order the kit they need, when they need it, has revolutionized Ukrainian procurement and dramatically improved supply at the front.
September 3, 2025
China’s Anti-Western Bloc? Not So Fast
A summit of mostly autocratic countries appears a gloomy signal for the West. But there’s a gap between China’s ambition and delivery.
September 2, 2025
What the US-EU $40 Billion Chip Deal Means
The transatlantic trade deal promises $40 billion in European purchases of American artificial intelligence chips. Significant gaps remain.
September 2, 2025
Opportunities in Polish President’s Meeting With Trump
Whatever the disputes between Poland’s presidency and government, the head of state’s first official visit to Washington could bring substantial benefits.
September 2, 2025
Fog of War: Defeat and Victory
Decisive outcomes on the battlefield are rare; what comes next matters more.
September 2, 2025
A Baltic Backstop for Russian Blight
Russia’s propaganda and threats are spooking potential investors in the Baltic States. NATO members should offer a financial backstop to reassure them.
September 2, 2025
The Mystery of NATO’s 5% Spending Promise
The detail of what exactly alliance allies are to pay and how they spend are still murky, as are the possible consequences.
September 2, 2025
Too Much US Reverence for the Kremlin’s Smiling Hardmen
Western negotiators need to remember who they’re dealing with when they talk to the Kremlin’s representatives.
August 28, 2025
Italy: Dig for (Rare Earths) Victory
Italy can set an example in breaking China’s dangerous grip on European supply chains.
August 28, 2025
Russia — Ukraine’s Accidental Matchmaker
Uneasy neighbors at the best of times, open hostility from the Kremlin is pushing Azerbaijan closer to Ukraine.
August 27, 2025
Europe — Rescue Serbia From Russian-Style Rule
The EU must act decisively or risk losing another ally to Russia and China.
August 26, 2025
Sino-Russian Alignment Stopping at the Nuclear Threshold
Continued and potentially even strengthened Sino-Russian security coordination and military cooperation is to be expected in the years to come, driven by a shared anti-US sentiment and common concerns about regime security.
August 26, 2025
Surrender Ukrainian Land? Ask the Army
Would the Ukrainian Armed Forces accept a peace deal including Russia’s demand to withdraw from unconquered land? There are signals it’s causing anxiety.
August 26, 2025
Russia’s War for High School Leavers
Russian officials are so concerned at falling birthrates they may cut high school so pupils start families earlier, but they also need cannon fodder for Ukraine.
August 26, 2025
Mechanical Medics Transform Ukraine’s Frontline
Recovering injured soldiers from the Ukrainian frontline is fraught with risk. Now machines are taking on the task.
August 25, 2025
Spain Embraces Chinese Tech
Huawei is storing Spanish wiretap data, a rebuke to the Trump Administration.
August 25, 2025
Swedish Infrastructure: Nightfall
Sabotage incidents abound in Sweden—and prompt alarmingly little response.
August 22, 2025
Putin’s Long Game
Russia’s leader aims to cherry-pick concessions from the West, while imposing Soviet-style barriers between his people and outsiders.
August 21, 2025
An End to Russia’s War? Closer, But Not Yet Close
A combination of talks and Western pressure may yet force the Kremlin to agree an end to its war of aggression against Ukraine.
August 21, 2025
The Man With Viktor Orbán in His Sights
Hungary’s premier has held the role in a vise-like grip for 15 years, but faces the most serious challenge yet at next-year’s election.
August 21, 2025
A New Western Strategy for Russian Aggression
After years of trying to force Russia to halt its aggression, the West may eventually have to reconsider its risk tolerance to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.
August 20, 2025
Putin–Zelenskyy Meeting Is Impossible, Say Russia’s Propagandists
Russia propagandists were in a lather of excitement during and after the Alaska summit. The mood has changed.
August 19, 2025
Hungary Howls as Ukraine Strikes Key Pipeline
Ukraine has struck the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, even as widening attacks indicating the war is spreading to the Eurasian landmass.
August 19, 2025
What is Next for Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia?
Security guarantees, demands of annexation in Donbas, and sanctions on Russia. What do the recent summits with the US, Russia, and Ukraine mean for peace negotiations?
August 19, 2025
Russia Sanctions — Remove or Improve
The effectiveness of Western sanctions is declining, leaving Europe with some very difficult choices.
August 19, 2025
Chip Challenge: Goodbye Export Controls
The Trump administration is allowing US suppliers to resume sales of artificial intelligence chips to China.
August 19, 2025
Sino-Russian Relations in Central Asia
While historically under the firm grip of Russian influence and soft power, China’s recent encroachments into Central Asian affairs have fundamentally shifted the region’s relationship with its two largest neighbors.
August 19, 2025
Georgia — Target the Judges
Once a reliable partner of the West, Georgia is now becoming a Russian-style dictatorship. The West must do more to avert this outcome.
August 18, 2025
US-Serbian Relations on the Move?
There are signals from Washington that an improved relationship is on the cards, with Serbia arguing the US has much to gain.
August 18, 2025
The UAE and Russia: Best Friends Forever?
The Emirates is a trusted ally and key facilitator for the Kremlin and the Belarusian dictatorship. Any loss of support would do serious harm to the Putin regime.
August 18, 2025
Access Denied: The UK Online Safety Act Misses Its Mark
Britain aimed to protect children online. Instead, it is sending teenagers down risky rabbit holes.
August 18, 2025
China Path to Global Power Advances With Russian ‘Victory’
Everything is moving in the right direction for China’s rulers, and the Ukraine war talks are no exception.
August 18, 2025
Dirty Deals: Borders
The use of force to change international frontiers is taboo. Until it isn’t.
August 15, 2025
A Tech Recipe for Europe: Digital Pragmatism
Europe must promote digital adoption and digital investment. Digital pragmatism, not digital sovereignty, will produce the most competitive future.
August 14, 2025
The Rugged Road to Democracy in Belarus
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile, and two Belarusian CEPA Fellows, Katia Glod, and Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach, laid out a possible path forward.
August 14, 2025
Poland’s Choice: Unity or Jeopardy
The country is dangerously divided at a time of rising peril. There are ways to fix this, if the will exists.
August 13, 2025
Unmoored in Anchorage: Europe’s Dangerous Game
The continent has done everything possible to align itself with the US administration. That has avoided difficult decisions, but comes at a high risk.
August 13, 2025
Trump’s Road TRIPP Delivers a Deal
Rivals including Russia have been seriously irritated by the sudden US stake in a geopolitically significant South Caucasus infrastructure project.
August 11, 2025
Baked Alaska: Pricey
The US-Russia summit is a symptom of geopolitical failure.
August 11, 2025
Convicted Bosnian Serb Leader Looks for Friends
Milorad Dodik is threatened with a loss of his power and influence. But he won’t go without a struggle.
August 8, 2025
Sensors on the Baltic Frontline
Russia is now blending cyber interference, underwater sabotage, and manipulation of maritime law to gain tactical advantage without overt conflict.
August 8, 2025
Everyone Needs Loyal Wingmen — A US-European Bargain
A quickfire series of agreements are blazing a trail for future transatlantic defense cooperation.
August 7, 2025
Biotech Blues: The West Struggles To Stay Ahead
China is challenging American and European leadership in biotech and AI-driven medicine.
August 7, 2025
Hope Endures for Georgia’s Democratic Opposition
The regime has cracked down hard, but the pro-democracy movement continues to evolve, and the population remains strongly pro-democracy.
August 7, 2025
Mapping the Brussels Effect: The GDPR Goes Global
Europe’s data privacy rules set the global standard — and provoke transatlantic tensions.
August 7, 2025
The Encryption Debate
It is an old debate — security vs privacy. As countries seek access to sensitive data for national security, new rules may break encryption.
August 6, 2025
Ukraine’s New Drone Boss and the Kill Zone
The new commander is giving drone units a new focus and a new target — to kill and wound 35,000 Russian soldiers a month.
August 6, 2025
Gas Transit and the Death of Russian-Made Myths
The Kremlin issued dire warnings to Europe when Gazprom’s gas transit agreement with Ukraine ended. In fact, Russia has been the loser.
August 6, 2025
French Budget Cuts Squeeze Tech
France and the rest of heavily indebted Europe are cutting spending. Tech could suffer.
August 5, 2025
Hidden Costs — China’s Growing Economic Grip on Serbia
As Chinese investments pour into Serbia, concerns mount over democratic backsliding, lack of transparency, and the entrenchment of the Vučić government.
August 4, 2025
Systematic and Considered Cruelty — Russia’s Prisoner of War Camps
Russia has refined and systematized its brutal treatment of Ukrainian PoWs, who are horribly mistreated as an act of state.
August 4, 2025
AI’s Next Digital Leap: Can It Be Powered?
The US and Europe want to lead in artificial intelligence. Their ambitions remain underpowered – literally.
August 4, 2025
Russia Marshals its Strength for Zapad-2025
The West must keep a close eye on the upcoming Zapad-2025 military exercise amid clear signs that the Kremlin is preparing for a broader confrontation with NATO.
August 4, 2025
Reliquary: The Helsinki Process
A painful deal heralded the final act in the Cold War.
August 1, 2025
Europe is Winning the AI Small Data Race
US tech might need to catch up if the European strategy pays off.
July 31, 2025
Russia’s Bankers Fight Inflation and the Kremlin’s War Addiction
After two years of fiscally-fueled growth and double-digit inflation, the Russian central bank is claiming a victory over galloping prices. But it’s come at a price.
July 31, 2025
Who Wins in the Transatlantic Trade Deal?
The US-EU trade deal announced on July 28 lifts tariffs on most European exports to the US to 15% from a present average of 1.2%, the highest level in decades. Europe will not raise its tariffs and is expected to reduce them.
July 31, 2025
How “America First” AI Holds an Open Hand to Europe
The White House has unveiled an ambitious AI Action Plan. Europe, surprisingly, might find areas of agreement.
July 31, 2025
Did Tech Win in the Trade Deal?
While the transatlantic agreement staved off a bitter trade war, it ignored most US complaints about European digital policy.
July 31, 2025
Ukraine: The Rise and Rise of Presidential Power
Volodymyr Zelenskyy may have backed down on his anti-corruption agency proposals, but popular anger over graft enforcement remains.
July 31, 2025
Flight Risk: Baltics Scramble to Counter Hybrid Drone Threat
Drone incursions have sparked growing concern across the Baltic States as Moscow and Minsk prepare for military exercises.
July 30, 2025
Browser History: The Kremlin’s Newest Weapon
Russia’s rulers are taking more and more extreme measures to block access to independently produced information. But there’s resistance.
July 30, 2025
George Casey Elected by CEPA Board as Vice Chairman
George Casey has been elected by the Board of Directors as its Vice Chairman.
July 29, 2025
Ukraine and NATO: Bridging the Gap Between War and Accession
Ukraine and NATO are deepening their strategic alignment as Kyiv pursues membership and interim security guarantees amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
July 28, 2025
Inside Cyber Diplomacy Redux. Episode II
Jim Lewis and Chris Painter discuss the outcomes of the UN Open-Ended Working Group.
July 28, 2025
US AI Action Plan Prioritizes Innovation
The Trump administration’s new AI Action Plan scraps European-style and Biden-era safeguards in favor of deregulation, export support, and “ideological neutrality.”
July 28, 2025
Weakly: Captive Nations
The Trump administration remembers to mark a Cold War anniversary.
July 25, 2025
Europe Embraces Digital Currency – Not the US
As Europe rushes ahead with plans to issue a digital currency, the US hits the brakes.
July 25, 2025
Putin Building African Springboard for War on West
Russia’s military engagement in Africa has grown since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in a deliberate and cost-effective strategy to broaden its frontline against the West.
July 24, 2025
Bombs on Board: The Strange Streak of Russian Ship Explosions
A run of blasts on Russian oil tankers suggest Ukraine has carved a successful new front in its asymmetric fight to repel Moscow’s imperialist ambitions.
July 24, 2025
The Pariahs’ Embrace: The Kremlin and the Taliban
By recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate authority, Moscow is trying to revive its waning geopolitical influence.
July 24, 2025
Behind the Lines: Crimean Tatars Battle to Save their Language
Suppression of language is a key part of Moscow’s drive to erase the Crimean Tatar identity as it seeks to colonize occupied Ukraine. Linguists are fighting back.
July 24, 2025
Strategic Friction: Indo-Pacific Curbs on China and Russia
The Indo-Pacific has become a theater of great power rivalry and a testing ground for the evolving relationship between China and Russia.
July 24, 2025
The US and France: Opportunities for Cooperation
New opportunities are emerging in US–France cooperation on defense, energy, and China policy in a shifting geopolitical landscape.
July 23, 2025
Tusk’s Cabinet Reshuffle Could Boost US-Poland Cooperation
Former US Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried explains Poland’s cabinet reshuffle and what is next for cooperation between Warsaw and Washington.
July 23, 2025
Could Eco Warriors Help Deter Putin?
Ukraine, Finland, Germany, Poland, and the Baltic states are discovering a new ally in their defense against Russia: Wetlands.
July 23, 2025
Europe’s AI Sandboxes: Racing in the Sand?
The continent is falling behind in the artificial intelligence race. It is betting on regulatory sandboxes to catch up.
July 22, 2025
Christopher Walker Joins CEPA as Vice President
Christopher Walker has joined the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) as Vice President.
July 21, 2025
Europe’s Security Plans Must Extend Beyond its Backyard
Europe’s pledge to rearm is an important first step, but the continent must also acknowledge it has a global role.
July 21, 2025
Ukraine’s Blitz Spirit: Freedom Over Fear
Putin may think bombardment will force Ukrainians into capitulation, but surveys show something very different is happening.
July 21, 2025
Empire’s Echoes: Secrets and Lies
Government secrecy breaches leave red faces in London.
July 18, 2025
Can Peace Prosper in a Kosovo Without NATO?
With the US about to consider troop withdrawals from Europe, anxiety is rising in Kosovo where their presence is seen as critical.
July 18, 2025
NATO’s Missing Merchant Ships
Allied shipping has declined to dangerous levels in recent years. It’s a serious strategic weakness and it needs fixing.
July 18, 2025
From Mines to Motors, China Dominates EVs
The US motors along in the slow lane and looks unable to compete.
July 17, 2025
Even “Fortress America” Needs Supply Lines
Globalization is dead. In its place, the Trump administration is trying to build Fortress America.
July 17, 2025
Belarusian Prisoner Releases: The Dictator’s Gambit
The regime is probing to see if the West will make concessions. There are good grounds for skepticism.
July 16, 2025
Massive US Sanctions on Russia? Time Will Tell
There has been a significant change in tone from the Trump administration on Russia sanctions, but much remains unclear.
July 16, 2025
Russia — The Unreliable Ally
The Kremlin is very good at demanding support from its supposed friends, and very bad at offering anything much in return.
July 16, 2025
Chip Export Controls Don’t Work
Nvidia will soon restart sales of its artificial intelligence semiconductors to China.
July 16, 2025
Combat Medicine: A New Era in Ukraine
Russia’s war in Ukraine is not only transforming the battlefield, it is also rewriting the rules of battlefield medicine.
July 15, 2025
Will Europe Bother to Fight for an Imploding ICC?
As the US wages a sustained campaign against the court, Europe seems ambivalent about its response.
July 15, 2025
US AWACS Cancellation Leaves NATO Scrambling
For 50 years, an airplane with a giant mushroom on top has been the crux of aerial warfare. As that era ends, it’s unclear what comes next.
July 15, 2025
Europe’s Quantum Leap Challenges US Dominance
The US, China, and Europe are engaged in a high-stakes sprint to dominate the next frontier of computing.
July 14, 2025
German Energy Policy Seeks Pragmatism
There will be no return to Russian gas or nuclear power. Renewables remain key, yet with reduced ambition. Will this formula work?
July 14, 2025
Sanctions Crunch Time: Russia’s Wish List vs. Transatlantic Resolve
As policymakers in Washington and Brussels face critical choices, understanding what Russia wants, who controls the levers of relief, and the implications of granting such relief are fundamental to crafting a coherent and effective policy response.
July 14, 2025
Beach Reading: Total War
Russia’s old-new military doctrine, Ukraine’s struggle, and the future of the West.
July 11, 2025
A Recipe for Revitalizing European Tech
Europe is struggling to compete. Here’s how it regains competitiveness without breaking the bank.
July 11, 2025
Putin’s Real Life Crime Drama
The latest dramatic episode has a plot twist that Russia hasn’t seen for decades.
July 10, 2025
Handing Selfies to Beijing: The West’s Leaky Data Pipeline to China
European and American personal data flows to China, despite Beijing’s surveillance laws.
July 10, 2025
From the Frontline: I’d Rather Have a Mortar Than a Drone
After six months serving as an international legionnaire with the Ukrainian army, Jakub Jajcay offers some lessons about frontline weaponry.
July 10, 2025
My Enemy’s Enemy — Taiwan and Eastern Europe
When I was invited to speak at a seminar on resilience in Taiwan, I didn’t expect to find a mirror, writes Ieva Ilves.
July 9, 2025
Spanish Soccer Tests Internet Blocking
FIFA’s Club World Cup championship game is approaching. Will viewers pay to watch – or pirate the match?
July 9, 2025
NATO’s 5% Defense Pledge and Italy: Can It? Will It?
Creative accounting won’t be enough to meet Italy’s commitments, but the country’s savvy prime minister can make a good start.
July 8, 2025
A Secure Europe Between Gaullism and ‘Daddy’
Europe can find a secure path forward if it abandons the delusions of Gaullism and the infantalism of over-reliance on the US.
July 8, 2025
The Washington Effect? Europe Weighs Pausing the AI Act
The bloc’s flagship Artificial Intelligence Act risks becoming a symbol of overregulation.
July 8, 2025
The Archbishops’ ‘Coup’ — Armenia Hints at Russian Plot
In a bid to challenge Armenia’s national church, the government sees a chance to restore its popularity.
July 8, 2025
Putin’s Perp Walk in the Caucasus
Russian power is no longer what it was in the South Caucasus, as smaller countries are demonstrating.
July 8, 2025
Sino-Russian Cooperation in the Arctic
Russia and China have been displaying increased military and security cooperation at the fringe of the Arctic.
July 7, 2025
Meloni Should Lead the Way on Ukraine’s Economic Recovery
The West can find new purpose by reimagining its support to Ukraine at the coming recovery conference.
July 7, 2025
Europe: It’s the Age of the Tiger Not the Ostrich
The continent is at risk. The demand to do nothing is not a rational response.
July 7, 2025
Dimmed: The Rockets’ Red Glare
Ukraine is ill-defended, but Europe’s missile gap is worse.
July 7, 2025
Swamped? The Math of Ukraine’s Missile Crisis
There are ominous developments in Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine but the West is failing to understand the dangers.
July 3, 2025
NATO Summit Reflections — Jason Israel, CEPA Senior Fellow
Jason Israel attended the alliance summit in the Hague. Here he answers questions put by Amy Graham.
July 3, 2025
Tech Wins Round One in US Copyright AI Battle
Although two US courts have ruled that AI training represents fair use, the contest between AI and rights holders has just begun.
July 3, 2025
The New Warrior: Trained in the Bedroom, Deadly on the Battlefield
The drones dominating the Ukraine war highlight Europe’s need to recruit video game bedroom warriors if it wants to keep its armed forces competitive.
July 3, 2025
Spain’s Baffling Russian Gas Addiction
The EU has published tough new measures to phase out Russian fossil fuel imports. It’s now facing opposition from an unexpected member.
July 2, 2025
Russia’s Cyber Warriors Assail NATO-Linked Private Companies
The West’s private sector has still not understood the threat posed by Russian cyber intelligence groups. That’s foolish.
July 2, 2025
EU’s Putin Fan Club Secures Sanctions Win
Russia’s sputtering economy has been aided by the EU’s failure to agree on a new sanctions package, a victory Moscow achieved without lifting a finger.
July 1, 2025
The 2025 NATO Summit
CEPA expert analysis on defense industrial base initiatives, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the future of defense technology in the NATO alliance.
July 1, 2025
Russian Sanctions
The White House appears to be strongly considering policies that will ease the burden created by Western sanctions on the Russian war machine since February 2022 – not the least of which include discussions around reviving Nord Stream 2.
July 1, 2025
The West’s Golden Opportunity to Split Russia’s ‘Deathbed Alliance’
Coordinated Western efforts to persuade Eurasian nations to reduce ties to Russia would diminish Moscow’s influence and vex the Kremlin.
July 1, 2025
Small Nuclear Reactors: A Path to Liberation From Russia
Small Modular Reactor technology offers the EU a path to energy sovereignty, neutralizing Russia’s influence and hardening critical infrastructure against threats
June 30, 2025
Europe’s 5% Pledge Must Buy 10-Fold Edge
Israel’s military campaign against Iran shows the way for NATO’s defense spending boost.
June 30, 2025
Despotism Beckons as Georgia Jails Opponents
With the opposition increasingly hampered by a crackdown and its leaders jailed, Georgia is becoming a one-party state.
June 30, 2025
Secret Weapon: History
The pseudohistorical “Litvinism” is stirring discord between Lithuania and Belarus.
June 30, 2025
German Tech Policy Shows New Ambition
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is moving fast to reinvigorate Germany’s economy. Tech is key.
June 30, 2025
Sino-Russian Convergence in Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference: A Global Threat to the US and Its Allies
Russian and Chinese foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) operations have a fundamental impact on hard power and national security as well
June 27, 2025
Transatlantic Data Truce Under Threat
As Europe doubles down on tech sovereignty and Washington waters down privacy protections, the crucial deal allowing data flows across the Atlantic could collapse.
June 27, 2025
Fight or Die: Grim Options for Russia’s Wounded
Russian military casualties in Ukraine have now passed a million, a bloody moment aggravated by poor medical treatment.
June 26, 2025
Behind the Lines: Russia Bribes Teachers to Work in Occupied Ukraine
Russia is offering cash handouts of as much a two million rubles ($22,000) to lure teachers and cultural workers to Russify occupied Ukraine and create a population loyal to the regime.
June 25, 2025
Ukraine’s New Generals Battle the Old System
Kyiv is fighting not only Russian forces but also the stubborn influence of Soviet-era thinking in its military.
June 25, 2025
Rare Earths: Can We De-Risk From China?
China’s stranglehold on critical minerals and rare earths poses a giant challenge for Washington. Investment is needed.
June 24, 2025
European Defense: Debt or Death
Europe is starting to acknowledge the worrying gaps in its defenses. But leaders must think much harder about the tough issues facing a rearmed continent.
June 24, 2025
Russiaworld, Iran and a Cascade of Collapse
Things have changed beyond recognition for the Kremlin’s bosses as their once-formidable global network suffers one defeat after another.
June 23, 2025
Gulag 2.0 — Russia Reopens the Camps
New legislation working its way through Russia’s rubber-stamp parliament foreshadows a harsh crackdown across Putin’s despotic state.
June 23, 2025
NATO Remains Vital to the US
CEPA’s President and CEO Alina Polyakova addressed the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 18.
June 23, 2025
Europe — Very Well, Alone
How might Europe defend itself without the US? There are some plausible outline answers.
June 23, 2025
US Anti-Nuclear Strikes Bring Russian Turbulence
Kremlin propagandists are struggling to remain coherent as global crises proliferate.
June 23, 2025
Bad News: Waugh-Waugh
A spectre is haunting Europe. It is the ghost of Wenlock Jakes.
June 23, 2025
The Implications for Global Governance of China and Russia’s Post-2022 Alignment
The political alignment of China and Russia is best defined as a friendship rather than a classical alliance.
June 23, 2025
De-Americanizing NATO: Could We?
The US administration’s diminishing interest in the North Atlantic alliance means Europe needs an alternative, and quickly.
June 20, 2025
A Glimmer of Transatlantic Tech Consensus: Child Safety
Washington and Brussels, at loggerheads over digital regulation, share a common desire to protect children online.
June 20, 2025
Ukraine: ‘Chill Mom, It’s OK If We Die’
Emaciated prisoners of war, news from the frontlines and Ukrainian cities under growing bombardment create a picture of absolute horror. But people get on with their lives.
June 20, 2025
Fixing Germany’s Defenses: Some Proposals
Germany’s new government is seeking to shake off decades of complacency and wishful thinking on European defense. How can it succeed?
June 17, 2025
NATO Should Stay In Europe — And Out of the Pacific
The alliance’s credibility rests on a strong deterrent on its home continent, not with ventures on the other side of the world.
June 17, 2025
Inside Cyber Diplomacy Redux: Episode I
Experts discuss the state of international cyber policy, including key UN cybersecurity processes, accountability challenges, and the evolving role of the private sector.
June 17, 2025
Russia’s Economy: Losing Altitude, Not Control
The Russian budget is falling deeper into the red, although the Kremlin may get some unexpected help from the Middle East fighting.
June 16, 2025
Crunch Time for UK Copyright
The Labour government aimed to make the UK an AI superpower by relaxing copyright protections. Musicians led by Elton John and Paul McCartney forced it to reconsider.
June 16, 2025
Rising Spider: Israel and Ukraine Change Warfare
Israel’s campaign against Iran is extensive, effective, and (much like imaginative Ukrainian tactics) represents a serious warning to the West.
June 16, 2025
Ghosts in the Machine: Opposing Putin
Like the Russian opposition, economic sanctions are popular but ineffective.
June 16, 2025
Partnership Short of Alliance: Military Cooperation Between Russia and China
The growing military-technical partnership between Russia and China has become an influential factor in shaping global security dynamics.
June 16, 2025
Going Steady: China and Russia’s Economic Ties are Deeper than Washington Thinks
There is a risk of underestimating the depth and mutual benefit of the economic partnership between Beijing and Moscow.
June 13, 2025
Scattered Clouds: A Forecast for Asia
Asia’s middle and small powers struggle to navigate global trade disputes and the US-China technology competition.
June 13, 2025
Belarusian Soldiers Fighting for Ukraine Left in Limbo
Victory in Ukraine is vital for Belarusians, who hope it will help topple the regimes in Minsk and Moscow. But those who have joined Kyiv’s forces say they need more support.
June 12, 2025
Greening the Cloud
How to power data centers – the digital engines of the AI revolution – is becoming a battleground in climate and competitiveness conflicts.
June 11, 2025
Kazakhstan and the Russian Tightrope
President Tokayev has restored order since “Bloody January” and boosted Kazakhstan’s image, but Russia’s economic weakness and tougher US sanctions could cause big problems.
June 11, 2025
From the Kremlin to the Trenches
An excerpt from Our Dear Friends in Moscow, the new book on the fate of a group of Russian friends, by Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov.
June 10, 2025
Europe’s Digital Ambitions Confront US Tariffs
Transatlantic ties are entering a tense new chapter — one that pits Europe’s drive for digital autonomy against a threat of US tariffs.
June 10, 2025
Copyright: AI Just Wants to Learn, Fair Enough
Policymakers should focus on AI outputs, not inputs, in relation to copyright
June 10, 2025
Ukraine Attack: The Spider’s Web Still Needs Humans
Ukraine’s extraordinary drone assault on Russian airfields only worked because the technology was paired with human ingenuity.
June 9, 2025
Transatlantic Defense Industrial Strategy
CEPA experts discuss the revitalization of Transatlantic Defense-Industrial strategy.
June 9, 2025
Beyond the Elephants in the Room
CEPA’s Inaugural Brussels Tech and Security Conference highlighted the positive path forward on US-Europe tech cooperation.
June 9, 2025
Turkish-Romanian Defense Deal a Model for Europe
A defense deal signed by Turkish and Romanian arms companies shows a route to enhanced industrial cooperation across Europe.
June 9, 2025
Your Money or Your Life: Russia’s Frontline Robbery
Cash is a big attraction for Russian men to fight in Ukraine, but rampant corruption and the bribes needed to stay alive are lowering the appeal.
June 9, 2025
Banking: Moldova’s Winning
Russia’s grip on the unrecognized Transnistrian state is weakening. No stunts, please.
June 6, 2025
How Russia Prepared Crimea and Donetsk for Attack
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 followed decades of work to assert control over Crimea and Donbas. The playbook will be used again.
June 6, 2025
Unlock Data Flows Within Europe
Data localization edicts are fracturing the global Internet – and splintering the European Union’s digital single market.
June 5, 2025
Russia Advances (and Retreats) in the South Caucasus
The Kremlin has reason to hope it can restore its waning influence in the South Caucasus. But as ever in this region, it is one step forward and one step back.
June 5, 2025
Decoupling From the US Cloud: A Step Backwards
Europe is tempted to seek cloud computing sovereignty. That would harm European competitiveness – and distract Europe from tech races it can still win.
June 4, 2025
The Booming China-Russia Drone Alliance
The Russia-China axis is expanding as engineers from both sides work side-by-side to produce lethal drone technology.
June 4, 2025
Russia Assails Ukraine’s Drone Wall
As Russia’s summer offensive gets underway, Ukraine has little choice but to rely on drone technology. Will it work?
June 4, 2025
Stormy Clouds: The Transatlantic Tussle Over Cloud Computing
It’s the key tech battleground, dominated by US firms. Europe is worried.
June 4, 2025
Gridlock Wins: What Next for Poland?
Poland’s presidential election brought renewed stalemate rather than resolution. The options for Prime Minister Donald Tusk are narrowing.
June 3, 2025
AI and Arms Races
Technology development is not weapons manufacturing. We need new terms for AI competition.
June 3, 2025
The Kremlin — Snared by the Spider’s Web
Ukraine’s bold and unprecedented drone attack on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet has done far more than material damage. Its effects will be felt for years.
June 3, 2025
Britain’s Defenses – Eaten by Locusts
The UK’s defense review is a good document with good ideas. But it lacks detail on the key issue — where’s the extra money?
June 3, 2025
Ukraine’s ‘Trojan Horse’ Strike Scorches Putin
An extraordinary covert operation has left many Russian strategic bombers in flames and analysts reaching for superlatives.
June 2, 2025
Barricades on Poland’s Rocky Road
The election of the right-wing candidate in Poland’s presidential election heralds a future of political disagreement.
June 1, 2025
House of Cards: Ukraine Hits Russia
The most audacious attack of the war is a military and strategic game-changer.
May 30, 2025
“EuroStack”: How Europe Can Compete in Tech
Antitrust will not restore Europe’s competitiveness. Digital autonomy, if done right, could.
May 29, 2025
Combat Veterans Fight for a Better Ukraine
Ukrainians who won credibility on the front lines are now stepping into a new kind of fight, for a better tomorrow.
May 29, 2025
Flick Switch for Better European Energy Security
The European Union worked hard to improve gas flows after the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but it missed a golden opportunity.
May 28, 2025
Putin Can’t Afford an Endless War
Russia’s economy and companies are struggling, and Vladimir Putin needs peace more than he is willing to admit. Ukraine and its allies should negotiate accordingly.
May 27, 2025
A Man of Vision in a Time of (Cold) War
Was the West better served in the Cold War, a time of enormous peril but also of men and women with principles and clarity? Or is that mere nostalgia?
May 27, 2025
Our Dear Friends in Moscow
A new book by the exiled Russian journalists Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov tells the story of lost friendships and a broken generation.
May 27, 2025
Putin Turns Peace Efforts to Rubble
Europe must respond more rapidly and with greater determination to halt the Kremlin’s war of aggression.
May 27, 2025
Mideast AI Bonanza Risks Undercutting US Chip Controls
The Trump administration’s decision to allow Persian Gulf countries to buy cutting-edge chips may help China.
May 27, 2025
History Wars: Lithuania’s Next
Smears, nit-picking, and conspiracy theories are ammunition for the Kremlin.
May 22, 2025
Dr. Benedikt Franke on International Diplomacy and Security
Dr. Benedikt Franke joins CEPA’s podcast to discuss the importance of international diplomacy and security.
May 21, 2025
Russia to Ukraine: ‘You want a Ceasefire and I Want You Dead’
The Kremlin’s propagandists are in a joyous mood as they anticipate US disengagement from the Ukraine conflict.
May 21, 2025
Europe’s Tech Challenge: A Conversation with President Toomas Ilves
Estonia’s former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves offers CEPA his views on boosting Europe’s competitiveness, dealing with China, and managing ties with the United States.
May 21, 2025
Election Watchdog Jailed by Putin
Vladimir Putin is a master of fixing elections and rigging votes to demonstrate Russia’s Potemkin democracy. Those who ask questions get persecuted.
May 21, 2025
Ukraine Cites Mossad as Assassinations Multiply
Kyiv’s patiently constructed intelligence services and their assassins have more targets in their sights.
May 21, 2025
Amb. Georgette Mosbacher on NATO’s Eastern Flank
Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher joins CEPA to discuss Poland, NATO, and more.
May 21, 2025
Ukraine — I Spy Your Spy
Recriminations have followed the arrests of alleged Hungarian spies in Ukraine.
May 20, 2025
Expand the Public Domain To Power AI
The length of copyright needs to be shortened to boost artificial intelligence. Here’s how.
May 20, 2025
Poland’s Electoral Map Moves Rightward
There was no clear winner in Poland’s presidential vote, but the right performed well and may do so again in round two.
May 19, 2025
Iberia’s Blackout: Don’t Blame Renewables
Spain leads a revolution in renewable energy. It should keep going.
May 19, 2025
Romanian Centrist Victory Brings Relief to Allies
Ukraine and the European Union had been worrying about a sharp change of policy in a key European state.
May 19, 2025
Poland’s Two-Party Hold Is Broken
The first round of the presidential vote indicates something profound beneath the surface of Polish politics.
May 19, 2025
Hot Shots: Cold Sweats
Europe’s not ready. And Putin knows it.
May 16, 2025
Europe’s Chip Poster Boy Navigates Global Tensions
The Leuven lab stands at the heart of Europe’s efforts to strengthen its leadership in semiconductor research.
May 16, 2025
Why the US-Ukraine Minerals Deal Matters
The agreement to set up a US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund reinforces security, sovereignty and strategic supply chains.
May 16, 2025
Europe Must Take Aim at Putin
Europe has to choose — follow the lead of others, or make its own decisions on continental security.
May 15, 2025
Behind the Lines: Russia Makes Ukrainians Foreigners in Their Own Country
Vladimir Putin has given Ukrainians until September to become Russian citizens or leave the occupied territories in his latest attempt to erase their identity.
May 15, 2025
Wildcat or Whale? Europe’s New Ukraine War Crimes Court
There was major fanfare for the latest advance in Ukraine war crimes accountability, but there are numerous problems to overcome.
May 15, 2025
US Needs to Embrace Foreign Defense Companies
Enhancing the role of defense companies from outside the US will supercharge Washington’s efforts to revitalize its defense industrial base.
May 15, 2025
Ukraine Is a US Strategic Asset — Don’t Lose It
Ukraine now contains an extensive and inventive defense industry that can be of huge help to the US and its European allies.
May 14, 2025
Amb. Mark Gitenstein & EU-US Ties
Ambassador Mark Gitenstein joins the CEPA podcast to discuss the importance of EU-US ties.
May 14, 2025
Russia’s Misremembered Victory in Berlin
“A mixed crowd with competing messages appeared at the gargantuan Soviet Memorial in Berlin’s Treptower Park during World War II victory celebrations,” writes Mykyta Vorobiov.
May 14, 2025
Yielding Crimea Would Weigh Heavy on Ukraine
If Ukraine sacrifices Crimea in return for promises of peace, it will set a precedent for further conflict, and split the country.
May 13, 2025
Farewell to the Godfather of Kremlin Banking
Russian spy agencies are so deeply enmeshed in the banking system, it’s hard to tell them apart.
May 13, 2025
Europe Cannot Repeat America’s Light Tank Fiasco
Defense programs designed in peacetime have a way of going way over-budget and failing even before they reach the battlefield. Europe simply can’t afford this.
May 12, 2025
The Future of EU-US Tech Security Policy
A discussion with high level US and Polish officials leading on cloud security, competitiveness, and cybersecurity.
May 12, 2025
Russia Alienates Central Asia
Russia’s economic hold over Central Asia is slipping and it is relinquishing its position as regional security guarantor. Throwing its weight around is not helping.
May 12, 2025
China Thanks ‘Gas Station Manager’ Putin
Whatever the theatrics on Red Square, Russia is becoming ever-more dependent on China.
May 12, 2025
Europe’s Scramble for Military Minerals
Europe is racing to secure critical raw materials for its defense — but can it avoid the strategic errors of the past?
May 12, 2025
Tone-Deaf: Nobody’s Dancing
The US and Europeans alike are failing to meet Russia’s strategic challenge.
May 9, 2025
Russia-China Relations
The Sino-Russian dyad presents new and daunting challenges for the United States and its allies in Ukraine and Europe more broadly.
May 9, 2025
Tariffs and Tech: An Uncertain Recipe
Silicon Valley’s latest earnings showed that tariffs are not yet hitting their investments. That could change.
May 9, 2025
US Chip Tariffs: How Should Europe Respond?
Europe faces tough choices – crusade for “sovereignty,” cuddle up to China, or partner with Washington.
May 9, 2025
US Offers Europe a Warmer Embrace
The Vice President’s reassurance of strong US-Europe ties signals a shift in US policy.
May 9, 2025
Putin’s New Enemy at the Gates? Same as the Old Enemy
The misappropriation of history is central to the Putin regime and will be on full display in Red Square on May 9.
May 8, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: General H.R. McMaster
A large-scale withdrawal from the US base network in Europe “could be devastating, both for our ability to deter conflict and to respond to crises,” said Lt. Gen (Ret.) H.R. McMaster.
May 8, 2025
The Phony War: Ukraine and Russia’s Decoy Drones
Ukraine and Russia are locked in a race to combat ever-more sophisticated drone attacks, and to spot the decoys sent to deceive their defenses.
May 7, 2025
US-Ukraine Relations on the Rise
A critical minerals deal between the two countries may set the scene for a longer-term improvement in ties between the new business associates.
May 7, 2025
Stalin, Putin, and the Cult of Human Sacrifice
The Kremlin’s contempt for human life will be on full display in its May 9 victory celebrations, just as it is on the battlefields of Ukraine.
May 7, 2025
Bosnia: Moscow’s Second Front in Europe
The Kremlin is playing games behind the scenes in the Balkans, presenting the West with a challenge and an opportunity.
![Photo: A Russian specialist checks pressure at Russian gas monopoly Gazprom gas storage facility near the town of Kasimov 330 km (198 miles) south of [Moscow], January 27, 2006. [Russia will restart deliveries of gas to Georgia on Saturday, a week after two blasts cut the pipeline linking the neighbours, but consumers will not feel the benefit for some time, Interfax news agency reported on Friday. Credit: Reuters](https://cepa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2006-01-27T120000Z_1296881151_PBEAHUNSSDC_RTRMADP_3_RUSSIA-scaled-1-536x400.jpg)
May 7, 2025
Cutting the Russian Energy Cord
The European Commission has published a much-anticipated roadmap to phase out Russian gas, oil, and nuclear imports. But will the new rules stick?
May 6, 2025
Putin Plays the Numbers Game for Victory Day
Putin’s obsession with World War II victory celebrations reveal a desperation to win international acceptance.
May 6, 2025
Romania’s Post-Election Foreign Policy in the Balance
If confirmed in the second round presidential vote, the victory of the nationalist candidate would result in a Euroskeptical and Ukraine-hostile foreign policy.
May 5, 2025
From This Nettle War, We Pluck This Flower Peace
There are lessons to be learned from Europe on how to end war and build a prosperous peace.
May 5, 2025
Rain (Fire) on the Parade
The 80th-anniversary celebrations of victory in Europe will be disappointing—for Russia.
May 1, 2025
‘Historic’ US-Ukraine Minerals Deal
It’s been a long and hard road to agreement, but Ukraine has much to be happy with and the Kremlin does not.
May 1, 2025
How the EU Can Help Serbia’s Protesters
As student-led protests continue to rock Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian grip is facing its most serious challenge yet.
May 1, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark
“US forces in Europe are irreplaceable. They should be augmented, and all talk of withdrawal should be stopped.”
April 30, 2025
Repression Pushes Georgia Further From Europe
Suppression of democracy in Georgia is gathering pace as ever-more authoritarian laws come into force, jeopardizing its people’s dream of a European future.
April 30, 2025
What if the EU Was Really Serious About AI?
The continent wants to catch up to the US and China. It is too timid.
April 30, 2025
Defend in the Cloud: Boost NATO Data Resilience
Data is the “currency of warfare.” It drives innovation in logistics and weaponry, and therefore needs to be interoperable among allies.
April 29, 2025
A Grand Bargain to Reset the Transatlantic Alliance
As the US and Europe surge military spending, there are dangers in division and opportunities in unified action.
April 29, 2025
Why Europe’s “28th Regime” Could Boost Startups
European startups struggle to scale. A new reform will help.
April 28, 2025
Switchback Ride: Rethinking Russia
Kremlin-minded westerners were quiet for years, but no longer.
April 28, 2025
Italy Faces a Huge Security Challenge
Italy is one of the worst defense laggards in Europe, and its policymakers will struggle to convince its people to step up.
April 28, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: Colonel (Ret.) Brian M. Michelson
“If you don’t have forward basing the ability to project by air and sea into places, war gets exponentially harder,” said Colonel (Ret.) Brian M. Michelson.
April 25, 2025
Ukraine Cannot Accept Peace on the Kremlin’s Terms
Russia will not offer peace to Ukraine, whatever it surrenders. The Kremlin wants nothing less than national erasure.
April 25, 2025
The Reward for Putin’s Best Generals? Disgrace
Senior officers beware, if there’s one thing the Kremlin despot really fears it’s a successful general.
April 25, 2025
Garage Land: Ukraine’s Defense Start-Ups
Russia’s full-scale invasion triggered a mobilization in garages and workshops across Ukraine, spawning cutting-edge innovations and hundreds of defense tech startups.
April 24, 2025
Russia’s Military Predicament
Sooner or later, the Ukraine war will be over. However it ends, Russia will face a tough choice: what should its military look like in the future?
April 24, 2025
NATO and the End of Military Self-Indulgence
NATO’s founding treaty obliges members “to maintain and develop [the]…capacity to resist armed attack.” That has been seriously weakened by peacetime posturing.
April 24, 2025
Russia’s Strategy and Military Thinking: Evolving Discourse by 2025
Russian military thinkers have realized that the current Russian armed forces are far from what they should be for modern warfare.
April 23, 2025
Europe Fines US Tech: What Does it Mean?
Apple and Meta are the first victims of Europe’s new digital competition law. What does it mean for the future of US-Europe relations?
April 23, 2025
Burying the Brussels Effect? AI Act Inspires Few Copycats
Only Brazil, Canada, and Peru show interest in replicating Europe’s new artificial intelligence law.
April 23, 2025
Please, Do Not Betray My Crimea
Crimea is not just a lump of land, it is the home to many hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. In exile or under occupation, it is a part of our soul.
April 22, 2025
How Russia’s Economic Retreat Could Become a Rout
Economic indicators are flashing orange. If the Kremlin gets it wrong, they may turn red.
April 22, 2025
Chip Challenges: Tariffs, Trade Restrictions, and China
Semiconductors struggle on the front lines of global economic turbulence. Beijing could profit.
April 22, 2025
China’s Spring Courtship Fails to Win Europe’s Heart
Beijing’s early attempts to exploit Western divisions over tariffs have met a wall of EU skepticism. For now, at least.
April 21, 2025
DMA: Old American Wine in New European Bottles
If digital markets existed during the 1960s “conglomerate merger wave,” would the US have pursued European-style regulations targeting US tech gatekeepers? Probably.
April 21, 2025
Roadmap: Via Meloni
Strategic engagement is the best course for US allies.
April 21, 2025
The Harsh Realities of Russian-Occupied Ukraine
The Kremlin proclaims “the restoration of new regions” in occupied Ukraine, but the reality is worsening poverty and lawlessness as Russia’s economic problems grow.
April 18, 2025
In Defiance of Putin: The Foreign Capital Rebuilding Ukraine
With war losses exceeding $170bn, Ukraine’s recovery demands massive investment. And, despite daily attacks, international companies are flocking to help.
April 17, 2025
Europe’s Defense Spending Puzzle Can Pay Huge Dividends
Can Europe double the number of main battle tanks and triple its nuclear submarine force at a much-reduced unit price? Yes, and here’s how.
April 17, 2025
Rare Earth Minerals: China + Tariffs = Crisis
The West faces a tough choice: make massive recycling investments or rely on China.
April 16, 2025
Breaking Russia’s Triple Chokehold
Ukraine’s forces suffered as Russian tactics were refined. But there are ways to escape the latest battlefield predicaments.
April 15, 2025
Europe Battles to Win Favor in Central Asia
The European Union does poorly in the race to win influence in Central Asia, and will need to up its game to rival China, Russia, and the Gulf.
April 15, 2025
Russia: Erasing Ukraine’s Memory
The Kremlin demands control not just of Ukraine’s future, but also of its past.
April 14, 2025
How an Energy Ceasefire Might Help Ukraine
The energy sector is badly battered but there are opportunities amid the destruction, if Ukraine has the wisdom to exploit them.
April 14, 2025
Russia’s Palm Sunday Massacre
The mass killing of Ukrainian civilians going about their business is not an accident. Nor were the many, many previous attacks on defenseless people.
April 14, 2025
Russia Uses Terror as Ukraine Strikes Back
Ukrainian advances against invading Russian forces came as the Kremlin took aim at civilians in large cities.
April 14, 2025
China First? No Thanks
Transatlantic angst clouds Europe’s strategic choice.
April 14, 2025
Seas of Opportunity: Integrating Gas Markets from the Baltic to the Balkans
Ukraine has a unique opportunity to work with neighboring EU member states to integrate gas markets from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans at minimal cost.
April 14, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: General (Ret.) Gordon B. Davis
“A large-scale withdrawal would make US power projection slower, costlier, and less effective.”
April 14, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: General (Ret.) Stephen Twitty
“Pulling away from that now is saying, we’re going to walk away from peace and stability in Europe and our transatlantic partnership.”
April 14, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: General (Ret.) Ben Hodges
“You cannot defend the United States from Texas or North Carolina or Florida only.”
April 14, 2025
The Future of US Bases in Europe: Admiral (Ret.) James Foggo
Russia and China would be euphoric at US base closures and troop withdrawals from Europe.
April 14, 2025
Going, Going . . .? The US Base Network in Europe
The US military has invested in dozens of bases across the continent since the end of World War II, representing an intricate system supporting critical national security needs.
April 11, 2025
Encryption Backdoors: From Child Safety To Houthis
As governments force tech companies to provide backdoors into their products, the Signal chat scandal shows that errors can be damaging.
April 11, 2025
Europe’s Tech Dilemma: An Olive Branch or a Bazooka
Tariffs, while paused, risk boomeranging on US tech, reducing access to crucial European markets.
April 10, 2025
Weapons or Welfare: Spain’s Security Dilemma
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is between a rock and a hard place as he seeks to boost defense investment without damaging social support.
April 10, 2025
Remembering the China Challenge
There are considerable challenges facing the transatlantic relationship vis-à-vis China, especially technology and economic security.
April 9, 2025
Fintechs Against Finance Fortresses: The Battle for Data Access
As financial innovation surges, hotly debated regulations on both sides of the Atlantic could bolster change — or slow it down.
April 9, 2025
The New Energy Frontline: Nukes
In order to compete against China and Russia, both the US and Europe are turning to nuclear power.
April 8, 2025
Britain’s Spymasters — The Kremlin’s Most Feared Enemy
A profound anxiety about the espionage capabilities of the UK and France is rooted deep in the Kremlin’s consciousness.
April 8, 2025
Russia — Zero Tariffs Bring Zero Relief
Russia was spared tariffs by the Trump administration but the impact of a protracted global trade war will be significant.
April 7, 2025
Ukraine Peace Negotiations Press Briefing
CEPA experts discuss the potential impact of the recent ceasefire negotiations between the US, Ukraine, and Russia.
April 7, 2025
Russia’s Increasingly Bellicose Elite
More people with an interest in continuing the war against Ukraine are joining Vladimir Putin’s entourage, making the Kremlin even less open to peace.
April 7, 2025
The F-35 Should Have Been NATO’s Fighter — What’s Gone Wrong?
The multi-billion dollar project was turning into a great example of transatlantic cooperation. Then things changed.
April 7, 2025
Adaptation Under Fire: Mass, Speed, and Accuracy Transform Russia’s Kill Chain In Ukraine
US and NATO military planners must critical lessons from drone warfare in Ukraine to defend and deter against Russia and peer adversaries.
April 7, 2025
Sea-Sick: the Not-So-Secret War
Britons are waking up to the weakness of their defense and deterrence.
April 4, 2025
Europe’s Digital Leaders Call for “Tech Sovereignty”
The anti-protectionist, pro-tech D9+ alliance switches sides as Europe debates targeting US digital services with tariffs and other measures.
April 4, 2025
Terrorism’s Future — Crypto for Russia’s Suicide Bombers
Moscow is brainwashing Ukrainian children into delivering bombs — without telling them they will die in attacks.
April 4, 2025
The End of European Fecklessness?
Europeans can build a better relationship with the US but they need to start by acknowledging some difficult truths.
April 4, 2025
Ukraine’s Drones Can Inspire Taiwan’s Naval Defense
The success of drones against Russia’s Black Sea fleet provides a template for Taiwan to prepare for China’s invasion.
April 3, 2025
Ukraine Needs Aid to Find Stolen Children
Listen to this story for a moment and reflect on what it means in a country fighting to survive.
April 3, 2025
Hungary’s Orbán Walks US-China Tightrope
Viktor Orbán has strong links to MAGA Republicans, and now expects to reap the benefits. There’s just one problem: China.
April 1, 2025
Russia’s Sanctions Demands: A Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma
It’s not always possible to work out whether the Kremlin is being super-clever or just plain stupid.
April 1, 2025
Between a Hawk and a Buzzard: Kazakhstan’s Choices on Russia
Kazakhstan might want to consider adjusting its multivector doctrine to buttress its sovereignty in an era of great uncertainty.
April 1, 2025
Yes, Open Ukraine’s Nuclear Sector to Foreign Investment
Inclusion of Ukraine’s nuclear sector in any US-Ukraine deal may be a good idea for all sides.
March 31, 2025
Latvians Prepare as the ‘Long Peace’ Ends
The nation’s security has become the center point of Latvian thinking, with soldiers and civilians engaged to ensure deterrence.
March 31, 2025
Europe’s Vital Nordic-Baltic Shield
There is much to do if Europe wants to deter war, and much of that will depend on the countries in the continent’s northeast.
March 31, 2025
Grow Up: Europe’s Challenge
Huge ambitions and baby steps are an odd mixture.
March 31, 2025
War and Sino-Russian Partnership: An Indispensable but Uneasy Relationship
Building on the United States’ economic and technological lead will be key in addressing the challenges of the China-Russia partnership.
March 28, 2025
Europe Moves Ahead on Regulating US Tech
Amid rising trade tensions, European regulators are enforcing their new digital rules.
March 28, 2025
Georgia Approaches the Final Act
What seemed mere pre-election rhetoric has now evolved into a full-blown political witch-hunt.
March 28, 2025
Europe Needs to Fight the Houthis
The US administration’s private messages reveal impatience with Europe and its contribution to global security. It has good reason to complain.
March 27, 2025
Romania’s ‘TikTok Messiah’ Is Gone But Admirers Live On
The country’s extreme right is prospering ahead of re-run presidential elections despite extensive evidence of continuing Russian subversion.
March 27, 2025
China Moves to Exploit Transatlantic Turmoil
Where some see turmoil, others see opportunity. Beijing’s gaze is firmly on the European continent as old Atlantic allies fall out.
March 26, 2025
Silver Lining for European Tech: Swedish Startups
Europe is often characterized as a tech laggard. Swedish AI startups tell a different story.
March 26, 2025
Putin Has the Fancy Watches — Europe Has the Time
Now more than ever, Europe must stand firm to ensure peace with justice. That means maintaining full military and other pressure on Russia.
March 26, 2025
Europe’s Green Dreams Turn into a Nightmare
As the US buries its climate change ambitions, Europe engages in wishful thinking.
March 26, 2025
Three Ways to Build EU Defense
As the US prepares to cut support for “free-loading” Europeans, the continent has a plan to rapidly scale-up its defenses. How should it ensure delivery?
March 25, 2025
US Disputes Revitalize Ukraine’s Opposition
Political rivalries in Ukraine have been on hold since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Oval Office spat with Donald Trump they are being revived.
March 25, 2025
You Broke it, You Fix it — The Kremlin’s Spooky Ukraine Negotiator
As the US delegation sat down for peace talks with the Kremlin at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, it faced the senior FSB spy Sergei Beseda, a man with a lot of baggage.
March 24, 2025
Europe’s Message to Moscow: We Will Keep Sanctions
Sanctions are hitting Russia hard and the EU is ready to keep pressure on Russia.
March 24, 2025
Plotting ‘a Russian-US War on Satanic Europe’
Putin’s mouthpieces are near-delirious as they map out a future of punishing Europe, with US help.
March 24, 2025
Russian Corruption Hands Democratic Armies an Edge
As Europe accelerates its efforts to re-arm, its comparatively low levels of corruption offer a key strategic advantage.
March 24, 2025
With or Without the US, NATO Exercises Are Priceless
Political uncertainty doesn’t change the critical need for alliance forces to practice warfighting together.
March 24, 2025
Panic Stations: Testing, Testing
Doom-mongering won’t help, but decisions and sacrifice will.
March 21, 2025
Can Europe Trust US Weapons?
Europe’s defenses against Russia will be at risk if Washington opts for neutrality and degrades the technology vital for US-made fighters and weapons systems. It needs to act fast.
March 21, 2025
The Costs of Transatlantic Arguments
The far-reaching consequences of the Trump administration’s Ukraine policy are rippling out across the globe.
March 20, 2025
How Long Before Europe Can Fight Russia?
Europe wants to stand on its own militarily, but what’s holding it back and how long will it take?
March 20, 2025
Ukraine Teaches Europe Cyber Lessons
Europe plans to boost spending on tanks and ammo. It also needs to reinforce the continent’s digital defenses.
March 20, 2025
Wide Awake and Busy: The Baltics Prepare for Russian Hybrid Attacks
Not all European Union countries are prepared to counter Russia’s hybrid threats, but proximity has increased awareness and readiness in its nearest neighbors.
March 19, 2025
Sympathy With the Devil: The Lie of NATO Expansion
The Kremlin has accomplished something that even its most fervent propagandists might have considered impossible: Western figures now echo its untruths.
March 19, 2025
Mapping the Brussels Effect
European Union digital regulations are spreading across the globe. CEPA is mapping where similar rules have been adopted or are under consideration, starting with the Digital Markets Act.
March 18, 2025
Murderers and Torturers — Why Are Russian Troops So Bestial?
Just why are Russian soldiers so incredibly brutal and what does this say about the culture of the Kremlin’s military, asks former Moscow correspondent Julius Strauss?
March 18, 2025
Ukraine: There’s No Peace Without Security
Ukraine returns repeatedly to the question of security guarantees in discussions about any eventual peace with Russia. It’s not about obstruction, it’s about survival.
March 18, 2025
Ending NATO’s Self-Harm
The holiday from history is over and the alliance has to adapt. That means revoking international agreements that hamstring our forces facing Russia.
March 17, 2025
European NATO: Combat Air Patrols for Ukraine
Dozens of European combat aircraft could make a deterrent force for Ukraine credible and formidable, as the SkyShield initiative proposes.
March 17, 2025
Free Radio: Who Needs Truth?
Experience suggests that federally funded outreach to the world produces a very significant return on investment.
March 17, 2025
When Ivan Comes Marching Home Again
Veterans from the invasion of Ukraine threaten to bring an epidemic of crime and violence home to Russia. The Kremlin hopes to co-opt their brutality to further cement its grip on power.
March 17, 2025
European Defense Depends on Tech
President Trump’s threats are a wake-up call: Europe must build up its own defenses, learning from Ukraine’s use of drones and satellites.
March 17, 2025
Airwaves: Turn the Dial
The US is abandoning its international broadcasters. Europe should step in.
March 14, 2025
Kremlin Soft Power — Harder Than It Looks
There’s no suggestion that Russia seeks peace with the West. Indeed, the evidence multiplies that it wants the exact opposite.
March 14, 2025
Copyright Blocks the UK’s AI Ambitions
The UK is seeking to position itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence innovation. To succeed, it needs copyright reform.
March 14, 2025
AI Aftershocks: US Copyright Licensing Booms
Copyright lawsuits against AI developers could take decades to resolve. In the meantime, the media are racing to license content to AI companies.
March 14, 2025
Western Balkans Quiver Amid Trump Uncertainty
The US administration’s approach to this fragile region is far from clear.
March 14, 2025
Georgia Cracks Down as World’s Attention Drifts
Georgia’s authoritarian leaders are closing down the democratic space and settling old scores.
March 13, 2025
The Baltics Adapt to Trump
The Baltic states have had the US as a steadfast ally since the end of Cold War but may now have to build regional defenses as Washington turns away.
March 13, 2025
Poland’s Fractured National Unity
It’s sometimes hard for outsiders to understand the sheer depth of division with Poland’s political elite, something underlined in a social media flare-up.
March 13, 2025
Don’t Forget the Information War
Europe has finally woken up to the scale of the risks it faces, but rises in defense spending must include the information war.
March 12, 2025
AI Boom or Copyright Doom? Lessons from Asia
Japan and Singapore aim to attract more AI industry with permissive copyright laws. The details tell a more complex story.
March 12, 2025
Can Europe’s Navies Deter Russia Alone?
There is good news and bad news for any European-only effort to face Russian forces in the Atlantic, Arctic, Baltic and Mediterranean.
March 12, 2025
Are Europe’s Speech Rules Censorship? No.
Europe’s Digital Services Act represents a crucial, balanced shield against disinformation – though it is difficult to enforce and fuels transatlantic tensions.
March 12, 2025
Ukraine Ceasefire Deal — What Does it Mean?
CEPA Fellows explain the US-Ukraine agreement on a ceasefire. The Trump administration says, “the ball is in Moscow’s court.”
March 12, 2025
Antitrust Fuels Trade Tensions
Transatlantic tensions are mounting over Europe’s Digital Markets Act — politicizing previously apolitical antitrust enforcement.
March 11, 2025
A Trump-Putin Condominium? Dream On
The idea of big nations exercising joint control over smaller countries is a delusion that always ends badly.
March 10, 2025
Turkey Has Answers for a Vulnerable Europe
There could be a historic match between Turkey’s defense industry and military capabilities, and a European continent urgently in need of troops and arms.
March 10, 2025
Russia Needs Trump Card for War Fatigue
Donald Trump says Ukraine has the weaker hand in the war, but Russia’s internal struggles mean Moscow has fewer cards than the White House believes.
March 10, 2025
Putin Prepares Sanctions-Lifting Wish List
The US has been mulling how to ease existing restrictions against the Russian economy. So has the Kremlin.
March 10, 2025
High Stakes: the Showdown Looms
Europe is confronting the US over Ukraine—but with weaker cards.
March 7, 2025
The Global South AI Copyright’s Test Case: India
How will the developing world promote artificial intelligence while respecting copyright? India is Ground Zero.
March 7, 2025
Ghosts Haunt Poland’s Future
The prospect of the US abandoning Europe is raising profound questions in Warsaw.
March 6, 2025
A Firehose of Money — Panicked Europe Races to Mend Defenses
The continent is preparing huge rises in defense outlays as the Russian threat and US hostility trigger a revolution in policy.
March 5, 2025
The Road to Hell Is Paved With Russian Resets
The US appears on the verge of yet another reset of relations with Moscow. History suggests it will lead to broken promises and more war.
March 5, 2025
AI Under Fire: US Lawsuits and Loopholes
The US is Ground Zero for rightsholder lawsuits against AI companies. Courts have yet to deliver a definitive verdict.
March 5, 2025
From Russia to Italy: That’s Not Amore
The Kremlin regards disinformation operations against Italy as key to its aims in Europe and Africa.
March 4, 2025
Human rights? We Don’t Care, China Tells Georgia
While Washington’s attention is on Ukraine, China is solidifying its influence in the Black Sea region.
March 4, 2025
Resolve — What Europe Needs for War
Half the battle for European security is in the equipment; the other half is in the head.
March 4, 2025
Ukraine Needs European Forces Immediately
The continent’s leaders must act decisively to prevent a bad peace that could undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, embolden Russia and menace NATO allies.
March 3, 2025
British Tech Gamble: Can it Lead by Thinking Fast?
The UK aims to carve out a niche as a tech thought leader between the US and Europe. It’s a difficult balancing act.
March 3, 2025
A New and More Deadly Drone on Russia’s Battlefields
As techniques for jamming communications get more sophisticated, Ukraine and Russia are turning to a mix of old and new technology to keep their drones in the air.
March 3, 2025
Russia’s Interference Freezes NATO Exercise
Moscow’s hybrid war has stopped a NATO military exercise in Romania.
March 3, 2025
The Boycott Business
There is real anger in Europe over the US treatment of Ukraine. It may develop in unexpected ways.
March 2, 2025
Hail to the Chief! Europe Owes Trump
Real change happens mostly when people are scared or angry. Good.
February 28, 2025
From AI To Digital Tax: Europe and US Clash on Tech
Transatlantic tensions over tech are mounting. High-level meetings aim to prevent a destructive conflict.
February 28, 2025
The Battle for Kharkiv’s School 134
Three years ago, an elite squad of Russia’s spetsnaz special forces was making a last stand in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv. By day’s end they would almost all be dead.
February 28, 2025
Happy Days for Russia’s Cyber Warriors
Vladimir Putin’s warming relationship with Donald Trump has given Moscow the chance to bring more people back from US prisons. Russia’s first choice was instructive.
February 28, 2025
Better Energy Solutions for Ukraine
Russia’s deliberate targeting of infrastructure and occupation of strategic assets has pushed Ukraine’s energy systems to the brink. How can they be rebuilt?
February 27, 2025
US and European Defense: Making a Virtue of Necessity
The transatlantic partners cannot wish away 75 years of mutual reliance. Everyone needs to cool down and recognize the facts.
February 27, 2025
Germany: Now for the Real Zeitenwende
The election has given some clarity to Germany’s future course, although the policy detail has yet to be agreed. Jan Techau of Eurasia Group, a CEPA Fellow, explains.
February 26, 2025
Marketing NATO to Americans TikTok-Style
If NATO’s enemies can appeal to the US public through social media, so can the alliance. The old ways aren’t working and something new is needed.
February 26, 2025
Can Sanctions Survive a US Embrace of Russia?
Washington says sanctions against Russia are on the table in peace talks, but if the US gives them up, how will Europe maintain its curbs on links with Vladimir Putin’s regime?
February 26, 2025
Five Concerns Over US-Ukraine Minerals Deal
In addition to high tension in Ukrainian-US relations, negotiation of the deal has generated much frustration among Ukrainians.
February 25, 2025
Europe Must Break the Shackles of Munitions Laws
Europe chose to handicap itself with international legal agreements during the long peace, but these now threaten an effective defense against Russia.
February 25, 2025
Steering the Digital Future: Poland’s EU Presidency and the Race to Achieve AI Milestones
A discussion with the Deputy Digital Minister of Poland and Transatlantic Leaders Working on Artificial Intelligence.
February 25, 2025
EU Copyright Needs Reform to Spur Fair AI
Current European copyright opt-outs are ill-suited to develop artificial intelligence. Mandatory remuneration rights offer a better solution.
February 25, 2025
Ukraine: It’s the Lies That Kill
There is shock and fear as a result of US administration statements. Europe must use the moment, or face the consequences.
February 25, 2025
Dry Your Tears: Europe Must Fight Alone
Europe has to drop its self-pity over the transatlantic rift and urgently prepare to defend itself against Russia. The clock is ticking.
February 25, 2025
Rearming Britain and Europe — The Task Ahead
The road to a rearmed Europe will be perilous and expensive. There’s no time to waste.
February 25, 2025
What European NATO Lacks
US Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Skip Davis, a former senior NATO official, tells Mila Tanghe about the gaps that would be left without the US military in Europe.
February 24, 2025
The Unlikely Revival of Germany’s Far Left
The outlook looked grim for the country’s far left only a year ago but it performed well in the Bundestag elections.
February 24, 2025
Germany Awakes to a Revolutionary Dawn
Gone are the certainties of the post-1945 and post-1989 worlds. Something new and chilling now faces Europe’s most important power.
February 24, 2025
How Much Copyright is Needed to Fuel AI?
Countries with permissive copyright rules are associated with high levels of artificial intelligence innovation. But too liberal laws could backfire.
February 24, 2025
Can Europe Make Up for US Retreat?
As the US curtails development aid, Europe is left alone to counter China’s Belt and Road in the Global South. Team Europe has a fighting chance.
February 24, 2025
Ukraine: Where Do We Go From Here?
President Trump has four key demands for Ukraine and Europe. They will be difficult to meet but not impossible, writes Ambassador Kurt Volker in Kyiv.
February 24, 2025
Trustquake: The Arc of the Deal
A quick fix to the war will have long-term costs.
February 24, 2025
Ukraine: The Calendar of Death
Three years after Russia’s all-out war began, Ukrainians are finding ways to remember those they have loved and lost.
February 21, 2025
Confronting the AI Copyright Crunch
Artificial intelligence developers are harvesting copyrighted content from across the web. Is this practice fair, robbery, or something in between?
February 21, 2025
So, You Want a Ukrainian Election?
The US demands that Ukraine hold an election in a war-ravaged state present unique challenges.
February 21, 2025
Humble the Bankers and Give Russia’s Cash to Ukraine
The veto applied by European bankers and bureaucrats to military aid for Ukraine must end. Here’s how to do it.
February 20, 2025
Behind the Lines: Russia’s Struggle to Colonize Ukraine
Despite Russification programs, repression, population replacement, and forced identity changes, Moscow’s colonizing tactics have failed to break the spirit of Ukrainians.
February 20, 2025
Ukraine Security
CEPA experts discuss Ukraine’s long-term security and stability, emphasizing the need for consistent leadership and partnership buy-in.
February 20, 2025
‘Freedom Is Dearer Than Life’ Says Jailed Georgian Journalist
From prison, Mzia Amaglobeli has become a symbol of resistance against Georgia’s oppressive pro-Russian elite.
February 20, 2025
US to Europe — Get Used to a New World
The US is making decisions for its security and the continent will need to adjust accordingly. This should not be a surprise or a disaster.
February 20, 2025
Vance Criticism of Romania Ignores Real Threats
Romania has been attacked by the US for canceling its presidential election, but evidence of Kremlin interference mean its courts had no choice.
February 20, 2025
America Our Guardian: What Happens When You Look Away?
That golden age is now gone, and I’m very afraid — Dzmitry Halko, a witness to Putin’s crimes, shares a personal perspective.
February 20, 2025
Do You Really Truly Love Me, Poland Asks US?
On Valentine’s Day, Poland was once again left wondering where it really stands in its relationship with the United States.
February 19, 2025
Pressure to Lift Russia Sanctions? Do the Opposite
Putin’s friends inside the European Union continue to lobby for his benefit and for their own self-interest. Brussels must end this process.
February 19, 2025
Czechs Will Never Again Be Russian Vassals
After the Riyadh talks, the US and Russia appear to seek spheres of influence. If you think Czechs will play this game, think again.
February 19, 2025
Romania’s Hard-Right Boosted by Vance
Riding a wave of disillusion with the political establishment, Romania’s pro-Russian right wing has been given an even greater gift: backing from the US.
February 19, 2025
Defending Britain Without the US
The UK has subcontracted grand strategy to the US and NATO since the 1960s. Now it’s coming home and urgent work is needed to make it credible.
February 18, 2025
Adapt or Die: Europe’s Energy on the Edge
Europe has severed almost all its dependence on Russian energy. But it faces a cost crunch.
February 18, 2025
Europe — Stop Hitting Snooze and Wake Up
The continent must act urgently to boost its defenses or face the consequences of Russia’s continued belligerence.
February 18, 2025
US Strategic Incoherence
The new administration’s foreign policy is puzzling on many levels, not least its underlying sense of what constitute US interests.
February 18, 2025
Europe Must Think Long and Move Fast
Europe must not be paralyzed by the sheer pace and discomfort of events. There’s time to get a good outcome if it moves swiftly and in unison.
February 18, 2025
Europe Needs to Keep Buying American
Europe has spent more on the war in Ukraine than the US, boosting American arms makers, but it will need to keep buying American while it rebuilds its own defense industry.
February 18, 2025
‘The US Is Doing Russia’s Work’ Say Ecstatic Propagandists
Putin’s mouthpieces are in a lather of excitement over the US administration’s willingness to make a deal to their liking.
February 17, 2025
A Return to Spheres of Influence? Don’t Be Silly
Even if the idea was sustainable, the behavior of the US and Russia show it’s not a workable idea.
February 17, 2025
Europe: A Time for Decisions Not Discussions
Europe needs to stop reacting to others and start setting its own course to ensure it seizes the initiative on Ukraine and continental security.
February 17, 2025
After Munich: What Happens Next?
Dr. Alina Polyakova, CEPA’s President and CEO, was at the Munich Security Conference. She has a positive message for the continent.
February 16, 2025
Munched at Munich: Europe Alone
Europe is in a defense emergency and a catastrophe is looming.
February 14, 2025
Ukraine’s Drones Say Just Stop Oil
Ukraine has escalated attacks on Russian oil refineries, crippling its energy infrastructure and limiting a vital source of funds for Vladimir Putin’s war.
February 13, 2025
German Elections
Edward Lucas, Jessica Berlin, Volodymyr Dubovyk, and Reinhard Bütikofer highlight key issues in the upcoming German elections.
February 13, 2025
France Pursues an AI “Third Way”
Sovereignty emerged as a core theme of the Paris AI Action Summit. Is it a viable strategy?
February 13, 2025
Recommendations for a Transatlantic China Policy
Part Seven: Although common or complementary US-European approaches to China could be a bridge too far, the stakes are such that it is worth exploring what a deal might look like.
February 13, 2025
Can the US Afford Guns and Butter?
Budgets are compared to pies for a reason. Whether family dinner or fiscal policy, not everyone gets an equal share.
February 13, 2025
British Army ‘Makes Me Want to Cry’ Says Trump’s Ex-Advisor
Former US National Security Advisor and Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster warned London that new technology can’t make up for falling numbers in its armed forces.
February 13, 2025
A Post-Mortem for Transatlantic Clean Tech
Part Six: For the past four years, Europe and the US agreed on green goals while disagreeing on tactics. Trump’s re-election torpedoes this tentative rapprochement.
February 13, 2025
A Trump-Tailored Deal for Ukraine
Let’s do as Trump says – let’s make a deal with the master of business negotiating.
February 12, 2025
Authoritarianism Beckons to the South Caucasus
A series of negative trends are reversing decades of democratic advance.
February 11, 2025
US and European Economic Prosperity Starts With Tech
The transatlantic partners face shared challenges on multiple fronts. The US and Europe should work together to find tech policy solutions.
February 11, 2025
Norway: Land of Surprises
Time to stop fetishizing “predictability.”
February 11, 2025
China Speaks to Europe in the Language of the Wolf
The appointment of a new diplomatic supremo for Europe sends a harsh message on Beijing’s next steps.
February 11, 2025
Russia Wants Bonds, James Bonds
The Kremlin is directing its tax rubles at movies fostering a love of its foreign spy agency and the soldiers fighting its war of aggression.
February 11, 2025
Using NATO’s Article 5 Against Hybrid Attacks
Hybrid warfare against NATO nations should trigger the doctrine of collective defense. But how would it work in practice?
February 10, 2025
Ukraine: An Education in Wartime
One in seven schools have been damaged by the war, many in occupied areas taken over by Russian forces. But Ukrainians are ensuring learning continues.
February 10, 2025
Powering the AI Race: Go Green or Go Home
The AI boom is driving investment in natural gas and nuclear energy. Renewables and efficiency-improving innovations offer a better solution.
February 10, 2025
Give Us Zelenskyy’s Head: Excitement Grows Among Russia’s Propagandists
The Kremlin’s mouthpieces are whip-sawing between excitement and trepidation over forthcoming US decisions.
February 10, 2025
Ukraine and the Lessons of Munich
The sacrifice of smaller nations in the cause of peace is an extremely risky strategy.
February 10, 2025
How to Win: A Seven-Point Plan for Sustainable Peace in Ukraine
CEPA’s International Leadership Council outlines key ideas for US and European policymakers to consider as new leadership starts to shape policy for Ukraine and beyond.
February 7, 2025
How to Win in Ukraine: Top Priorities for the US and EU
Ahead of the 2025 Munich Security Conference, H.R. McMaster and Alina Polyakova discuss top policy priorities for the US and Europe.
February 7, 2025
Russia — More Than a Local Difficulty
The Kremlin’s aggression may be focused on Ukraine, but its fingerprints are found on many of the world’s crime scenes.
February 6, 2025
Is DeepSeek a Robber or an Innovator?
The Chinese AI company’s cheap R1 model upended global markets. It may have cheated.
February 6, 2025
Chips War 2025
Part Five: Semiconductors power the digital economy. US and European industries are complementary — and need to join forces to beat China.
February 6, 2025
The Plague of Sexual Violence Against Ukraine’s Prisoners of War
Ukrainian prisoners of war are suffering sexual violence and rape, compounded by a suffocating silence that isolates them from the world.
February 6, 2025
A Silver Bullet for Russia Sanctions?
A new wave of sanctions on individual vessels is making it harder for Moscow’s shadow oil fleet to operate, slowing the flow of petrodollars to the Kremlin’s war machine.
February 6, 2025
How the EU Can Lead on Ukraine and Russia
Ukraine can’t wait on NATO membership for its security. A new CEPA report spells out how Europe can act now to face down Russia’s continued aggression.
February 5, 2025
Is Europe’s Competitiveness Compass Leading It Astray?
Strong action is needed to reboot Europe’s tech prowess. The European Commission’s just published plan may lack the strength to deal with Trumpian upheaval.
February 5, 2025
US Aid Freeze Numbs Ukraine
As the US aid freeze ripples across the globe, vital services are facing cutbacks or outright ruin.
February 5, 2025
Addicted to War: Undermining Russia’s Economy
The West should revisit the sanctions plan and hit Russia’s economy where it’s most vulnerable.
February 4, 2025
Putin’s Advances Menace Trump’s Peace Hopes
Russia is slowly and systematically advancing while Trump’s Ukraine policy is still being formulated. What is needed?
February 4, 2025
Recalibrating Connectivity to Compete Against China
Part Four: China manipulates flows of information, goods, and critical materials. The West must respond.
February 4, 2025
Poland and the Battle to Beat Russian Despotism
As Ukraine’s biggest democratic neighbor, Poland has done everything in its power to help Kyiv. There’s every reason to continue that aid.
February 3, 2025
Putin Resorts to Financial Smoke and Mirrors
Moscow pours colossal sums into its arms industry, but endemic corruption and a shortage of components means it is unable to meet the needs of its military.
February 2, 2025
Earth Tremors
For close American allies, the world is turning upside down.
January 31, 2025
Europe’s AI Act Stumbles Out of the Gate
The world’s first AI law is causing a commotion as it moves, hastily, from lofty ambition to concrete policy.
January 31, 2025
Premier Rages as Slovaks Take to the Streets
Eight months after an assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is lashing out at a widening range of targets.
January 31, 2025
How to Keep the Peace in Ukraine?
As talk of possible peace in Ukraine gets louder, a plan to keep it is urgently needed. Where would peacekeepers come from, and what orders would they have?
January 31, 2025
Putin’s Weak Hand
The Russian leader rules a land of oppressed minorities and others who have good reason to loathe the Kremlin.
January 30, 2025
Ukraine’s Marauding Sea Drones Bewilder Russia
Things continue to worsen for Russia’s battered military in the Black Sea as Ukrainian innovation inflicts greater pain.
January 30, 2025
Coming Together or Falling Apart Over China?
Part Three: Americans generally agree on the China Challenge. Europeans do not.
January 30, 2025
Ukraine Shows Power of Public-Private Space Cooperation
The war in Ukraine has been called the world’s first commercial space war, showing how private and public sectors can work together in the race to the Moon and beyond.
January 29, 2025
Assassination Makes Sense. Sometimes
There are arguments to support targeted killings but they must be very carefully evaluated for risk and impact.
January 29, 2025
Transnistria Suffers Russia’s Tough Love
The territory exists to serve the needs of the Kremlin, as it’s discovering to its cost.
January 29, 2025
Trump Should Support European AI Allies
Recent US AI export restrictions exclude key NATO allies Poland and the Baltic states from the top tier. That’s a mistake.
January 28, 2025
Will Europe’s Green Hydrogen Ambitions Be Trumped?
Clean hydrogen could help achieve Europe’s green goals. But the US is moving in the opposite direction.
January 28, 2025
China Upends the AI Race
A Chinese startup has upended assumptions about artificial intelligence, throwing doubt about US sanctions.
January 28, 2025
Will the US Let the Bad Guys Grab Everything?
Washington could make greater efforts to stop Beijing taking the South China Sea and Moscow menacing Ukraine. Why doesn’t it?
January 28, 2025
Love Putin’s Russia? Come, Join Us
If you seek the traditional and spiritual life, Putin’s Russia offers a glittering new opportunity. Quite what this amounts to is a mystery.
January 28, 2025
Defining the China Challenge
Part Two: Efforts to manipulate interdependence began in Beijing, not Washington or Brussels.
January 28, 2025
Germany: The Man Who Would Be King
The pro-Ukraine contender to become Germany’s next chancellor still faces hurdles to win the top job in February’s election.
January 27, 2025
Czechs Prepare to Evict Pro-Ukraine Government
Opinion polls suggest an election in the fall will sweep away Kyiv’s old friends in Prague. It will be one of many changes across Central Europe this year.
January 27, 2025
Georgia Drifts Away From the West
Georgia’s opposition lacks leadership and resources, which helps the country’s illiberal ruling party in its move away from the West.
January 27, 2025
Lifelines: Knots and Cuts
Infrastructure and transportation networks are under attack. Where’s the response?
January 27, 2025
Meeting China’s Trade and Tech Challenge: How the US and Europe Can Come Together
Part One: China’s emergence as a tech and trade superpower threatens both the US and Europe. The allies are struggling to respond.
January 27, 2025
UK’s Defense Plans ‘Not Enough’, say America’s NATO Experts
Britain is once again discussing a rise in defense spending but the numbers may fall shy of what the Trump administration wants, CEPA experts warn.
January 24, 2025
How to Fix Ukraine’s People Shortage
Russia’s war has pushed Ukraine into the demographic abyss. The country needs sweeping programs to reverse the trend.
January 24, 2025
Ukraine Is Far From Defeated
Doom-mongers have been counting out Ukraine’s defenders for years. But they’re not broken yet and continue to fight.
January 24, 2025
Legacy Chips: The Next Tech Battle with China
A battle with China is brewing over the unsung workhorses of modern tech – low-tech legacy chips.
January 23, 2025
Behind the Lines: Ethnic Cleansing by Home Loan
Russian banks are offering cheap mortgages for homes in the occupied territories as the invaders seek to colonize Ukraine and drive out local residents.
January 23, 2025
Cash-Rich Ukraine Is Future-Proofed (for Now)
The efforts of Ukraine’s Western backers last year have made a big difference, though arms supplies remain a vulnerability.
January 23, 2025
Weaning India off Russian Oil — A Proposal for Team Trump
There is a way to squeeze Russian oil income, hit its war machine, and aid the US economy. And it’s not complicated.
January 23, 2025
Stony-Faced Kremlin Propagandists Digest Trump’s Sanctions Threats
“Hooligan” was among the insults thrown at the US president as Russian regime mouthpieces grappled with bad news from Washington.
January 22, 2025
Tech Schizophrenia: Who Makes US Policy?
Numerous agencies divvy up US tech policy, producing a muddle. Reform is required.
January 22, 2025
Russia’s Year of Truth: The Missing Military Hardware
In the last of a series of three pieces, Pavel Luzin goes behind the curtain of Russia’s military-industrial complex to expose the weapons crisis in Vladimir Putin’s military.
January 22, 2025
Russia’s Year of Truth: The Runaway Military Budget
In the second of three pieces, Pavel Luzin goes behind the curtain of Kremlin economy to expose the budget crisis in Russia’s armed forces.
January 22, 2025
Russia’s Year of Truth: The Soldier Shortage
In the first of three pieces, Pavel Luzin looks behind the curtain of Kremlin misinformation to expose the crisis in Vladimir Putin’s military.
January 22, 2025
Hurting Putin: The Russian Gas Pipe Bypass
From the Baltic Sea to the Aegean a new gas pipeline network would aid Europe and halt Russia’s energy blackmail.
January 22, 2025
Russia Puts Bombs Before Butter
Moscow can continue to finance the war in Ukraine, but only at the cost of its people’s happiness and welfare.
January 21, 2025
Don’t Know: Even Now
As crises loom, questions still outnumber answers.
January 21, 2025
How To Make Sense of Tech Making Nice with Trump
As Donald Trump begins his second term, tech leaders are lining up to get on his good side.
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