Regional security in Europe is decided as much at its edges as in its capitals. From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, the Western Balkans to the High North, regional flashpoints shape the wider contest between democratic states and authoritarian challengers. This hub follows the security dynamics of Europe’s most exposed regions: deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank, Ukraine security and the defense of its neighbors, frozen and active conflicts in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus, and Black Sea security in a contested maritime domain. Ukraine security now anchors the wider debate over regional security, pressure on NATO’s eastern flank keeps allied deterrence in focus, and Black Sea security has become a test of Western resolve. Fellows and analysts assess force posture, alliance politics, and the local drivers of instability that outside powers seek to exploit. Explore expert analysis and commentary on the regional security challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic community.
Regional Security
Russia’s sudden and substantial military escalation in and around Ukrainian territory has captured media and government attention not only in Ukraine but also in the EU, the United States, NATO, and other western capitals.
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September 18, 2018
Reimagining History
The eightieth anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact next year will be a good chance to highlight its unique combination of secrecy, hypocrisy, and infamy. If Russia resents being associated with it, the answer is simple: stop trying to defend it. Instead, it adopts the opposite tactic, exemplified by a tweet published on September 14th by the Russian […]
September 10, 2018
Threads of the Past
Nazi memorabilia is not cool. If you hold your nose and look on the internet, you can find flags, T-shirts and bumper stickers commemorating the Third Reich on sale at outlets that also sell pagan-themed cigarette lighters and Ku Klux Klan regalia. But no reputable retailer would stock such merchandise. It would be reasonable to […]
September 7, 2018
Russia’s Primary Targets
External assertiveness often serves as an effective diversionary maneuver to dampen domestic turmoil by acting on the deception that Russia is under threat. Moscow’s tools of aggression against neighboring states rely on stealth and surprise. This was most evident during the attack on Ukraine in 2014 and the takeover of the Crimean peninsula. Russia’s rulers […]
September 4, 2018
A Cure For Chaos
It is not Russia that is strong; it is the West that is weak.
August 21, 2018
Putin’s Viennese Waltz
Under the right-wing coalition government which took office in December, Austria has been rattling nerves at home and abroad. It has infuriated Italy by offering passports to German-speakers in South Tirol, reopening a long-buried feud over the former Austro-Hungarian territory’s ethnic and linguistic identity. It has infuriated Israel, and observant Jews, by scheduling an EU summit that will start […]
August 15, 2018
Perils of Balkan Partition
After several provocative statements by Serbian and Kosovar politicians and in the midst of relative silence from Washington and Brussels, suppositions are growing that a territorial exchange is being planned between Belgrade and Prishtina. Kosova’s President Hashim Thaci has asserted that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will include talks on “border corrections” – a term that implies […]
July 31, 2018
Unresolved Conflicts Benefit Moscow
In dismissing fears that Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula would be sacrificed to improve relations with Moscow, the Trump administration has affirmed that the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force contravenes international law. The U.S. position is an important policy principle that must be applied to Moscow’s other forceful territorial acquisitions. The capture of […]
July 23, 2018
NATO Defends America
The framers of the Washington Treaty established NATO in April 1949 as a multi-national commitment to collective defense. Their premise was clear: after the horrific destruction of World War II, tying Europe to North America in a security pact would not only prevent another war in Europe, it would also provide a frontline defense for […]
July 20, 2018
Defending Europe
France spends more on defense than Russia. Admittedly, the numbers are a bit misleading. The Kremlin probably under-reports its spending. And its $55.3 billion stretches further than France’s $56.3 billion.