This year, CEPA celebrates 20 years of policy impact and leadership. While an important milestone for the institution, it is a critical moment for the Europe-US alliance and the world order.
Reflecting on CEPA’s founding twenty years ago, I am first struck by how far CEPA has come from being a policy start-up to a policy innovator and driver. I am also struck by how much the world and geopolitics have changed. In the aftermath of 9/11, the focus of national security across Europe and the United States was on the war against terrorism. The US and Europe looked to Russia as a potential partner in that confrontation, as well as a contributing member of the international community. Few, at that time, were talking about China. The United States was in its unipolar moment, and Europe seemed “stable and boring,” as a European friend said to me then. This context is what made CEPA’s founding insight so profound and prescient: that Europe’s security, and that of the transatlantic community, was not a closed book.
Now, in 2025, that initial insight is mainstream thinking: geostrategic competition is not only back, it is redefining US global leadership and the character of the transatlantic alliance. Russia’s war against Ukraine — from the invasion of Crimea in 2014 to the full-scale invasion in 2022 — has reinvigorated NATO around a purpose. Ukraine’s continued resilience and courage serve as an important reminder that our security is fragile and hard-won. Indeed, the outcome of the war will define Europe’s security architecture and US national security for generations, which is one reason why we continue to recognize the courage of the Ukrainian people and those who support them.
China’s global rise is another major development over the last two decades. There is little doubt now that China presents a full-spectrum challenge to the United States and allies; Beijing is working with other authoritarian partners to reforge the world order that the US built. From economic coercion to security threats, China is exerting its power and influence in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and beyond. The sharp competition between the US and China is already reshaping the global economy and international security. Beijing increasingly leverages its relationships with other authoritarian regimes to strengthen its influence. Therefore, it is clear that the United States, despite our distinct advantages in practically every domain, cannot go at it alone: we will need our partners and allies, especially those in Europe, to win the competition with China.
Perhaps the most defining change in the last 20 years, however, has been the digital and tech revolution. From the interconnectedness ushered in through social media and connectivity infrastructure to the revolution in artificial intelligence, we are still in the early stages of understanding the transformative effects of technology. The battlefield in Ukraine offers one insight into how AI and autonomy are transforming the character of war. The efficiencies that AI is bringing to many aspects of work offer another glimpse into the future of tech-driven economies. And here, the US and Europe have a generational opportunity to ensure that democracies define the global digital infrastructure of the future. The combination of our resources, human capital, and innovation is unbeatable — but it will take smart and deliberate policies to deploy these advantages and win the global tech race.
Looking back over this 20-year period of accelerating change, it is difficult to predict what the next two decades will hold. But it is clear to me — given the velocity of change and the depth of the competition — that CEPA’s mission will be even more urgent. It is in this unique institution’s DNA to look ahead of the curve, create opportunities for policy impact and innovation, and to always be the signal above the noise. From our investment in the next generation of leaders to our agility in taking on new ideas in order to adapt to an ever-evolving set of national security challenges, CEPA’s future as the premier transatlantic institution is bright.
I am grateful to the powerful community of partners and thought leaders who have contributed to CEPA’s success over the years: our Board of Directors, International Leadership Council, Business Leadership Council, and our powerhouse network of more than 120 fellows and staff across our offices in Europe and the United States. But most of all, I am humbled by the talent and dedication to our mission that I see every day in all the young people with whom I have the privilege to work with every day.
Dr. Alina Polyakova
President & CEO
Center for European Policy Analysis
2025 in Review:
This year, CEPA continued to bring attention to the most critical issues on security, tech policy, and authoritarian threats. It has been our focus to do the long-term strategic thinking that policymakers rarely have the time to do, and to be the source for new ideas that contribute to a positive agenda.
At the end of the day, Europe and the US will have to work together to be able to outcompete China on tech innovation and to ensure Ukraine’s and NATO’s security. And if Russia and China forge a stronger partnership, the allies will have to be more strategic and more assertive in our response. Below are just some of the many policy ideas on these issues from CEPA’s experts:
Moscow-Beijing Nexus: Cooperation and Competition
Analyzing how Russian and Chinese interests converge.
In this comprehensive series, Moscow-Beijing Nexus: Cooperation and Competition, experts dissect the Sino-Russian relationship and the specific threats posed by the partnership.
- War and Sino-Russian Partnership: An Indispensable but Uneasy Relationship by Bobo Lo
- Meeting China’s Trade and Tech Challenge: How the US and Europe Can Come Together by Christopher Cytera, Daniel S. Hamilton, Niclas Poitiers, Ron Stoop, Dr. Tim Sweijs, and Pauline Weil
Between Now and NATO: A Security Strategy for Ukraine
While NATO membership is the strongest guarantee for Ukraine’s security, opportunities remain for the West and Ukraine to build a reliable defense.
In this flagship report, Between Now and NATO: A Security Strategy for Ukraine, experts identify specific tools and authorities that have proven effective in previous security assistance arrangements, which the US Congress and administration can deploy now for Ukraine.
- Sanctions Crunch Time: Russia’s Wish List vs. Transatlantic Resolve by Sam Greene, Alexander Kolyandr, Benjamin Schmitt, and David Kagan
- Adaptation Under Fire: Mass, Speed, and Accuracy Transform Russia’s Kill Chain In Ukraine by Federico Borsari
Tech 2030: A Roadmap for Europe-US Tech Cooperation
A US-Europe tech partnership is key to independence from China.
CEPA’s latest report Tech 2030: A Roadmap for Europe-US Tech Cooperation, looks to the future. How can the United States and Europe confront the common challenge of staying ahead of China in the global innovation race?
- The Encryption Debate by Ronan Murphy and Heather West
- Defend in the Cloud: Boost NATO Data Resilience byClara Riedenstein, William Echikson, and Lance Landrum
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
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