Recent Posts

Between Russia and the EU: Europe’s Arc of Instability

Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Serbia are caught in between Russia and the EU, building ties with the latter even as the former seeks to maintain influence there and deter the West. Introduction The war in Ukraine has left a group of “in-between” European countries more vulnerable and …

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Ukraine’s Perilous Path to EU Membership

How to Expand Europe Without Destabilizing It Faced with the threat posed by Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has launched a new enlargement process that is more ambitious and complex than any it has ever undertaken. Ukraine is the most prominent of the new candidate …

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What Does America Want From China?

Debating Washington’s Strategy—and the Endgame of Competition The Biden PlanRush Doshi In “No Substitute for Victory” (May/June 2024), Matt Pottinger and Mike Gallagher raise important concerns about the Biden administration’s China policy. But their analysis misses the mark. Their review of key episodes in the administration’s China policy is inaccurate, …

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Turkey’s Dwindling International Role

Multiple crises have taken the international spotlight off Turkey. This, combined with Ankara’s contradictory foreign policy ambitions and rule-of-law deficiencies, limits the country’s global clout. This month marks the first year of Turkey’s current five-year legislature. When Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected for his third presidential mandate with 52 percent …

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Europe’s Inability to Manage Instability

Turbulent developments in Europe and beyond are eroding the premises upon which the EU was established. European governments must respond strategically to protect democracy. It has been a tumultuous few weeks inside the EU and beyond. The Slovak prime minister survived an assassination attempt. A far-right-wing coalition is poised to …

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The End of the Near Abroad

Putin’s war on Ukraine marks the end of the near abroad—the idea that Russia enjoys a special status in much of the post-Soviet space. But while Russia’s neighbors are seeking greater independence, they are not necessarily turning West. By November 2022, nine months into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, …

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