Section: The German Marshall Fund of the United States (USA)
The Five Most Contentious Issues on the Road to Warsaw
The 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw will take place in a distressing period with multiple security crises in the European neighborhood as well as risks of political division within the Alliance.[1] Yet, in the midst of an outstanding series of challenges, the transatlantic partnership has also shown its unique resistance and provided reasons for...
Montenegro to Walk Through NATO’s Open Door: Can More of the Balkans Follow?
Transatlantic TakeWASHINGTON—At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton famously said, “I believe this should be the last summit that is not an enlargement summit.” She was to be immediately disappointed: the subsequent NATO summit in Cardiff passed without new members. Now, for the first time in seven years,...
Reckless Russia: Putin is Underestimating the Risks of His Actions in Syria
Nearly two months after Russia ramped up its presence in Syria, the complexity of the conflict has grown exponentially. President Vladimir Putin’s move in Syria has not stabilized the region. It has not pushed back the waves of violent extremism. It has not provided an easier path to end the fighting or decreased the numbers of refugees...
Russia Remains An Unlikely Partner for France Against ISIS
French President François Hollande continues his diplomatic marathon this week in Paris, hosting the international COP21 climate conference. However, despite renewed condolences from all sides, the limits of what Hollande can achieve were starkly apparent during his discussions with President Obamas and Putin on November 24 and 26: there will be...
Transforming the German Armed Forces for a European Future
Military power is back as a currency in world politics. A more European Bundeswehr is not a choice but a necessity. The Bundeswehr is turning 60. While individuals that age may focus on their retirement, the armed forces of Germany face an uncertain future of significant change and greater activity. The international landscape of multiple crises...
Success in Ukraine could Threaten Western Unity
Transatlantic TakeWASHINGTON—Today’s headlines about Syria obscure a major triumph for Western policy. Ukraine seems to be heading toward an informal settlement largely on European and U.S. terms. Yet this success could threaten the very Western unity that brought it about. Over the past three months, Ukraine has witnessed a stable cease...
Poland’s Balanced De-Europeanization and the ENP
WARSAW—Largely Eastern-oriented, Polish foreign policy has filled a gap in Brussels: Warsaw has been perceived as the spokesperson for the former Soviet republics striving to join the European family and it has built its foreign policy reputation in Europe around that role. This has also served its own transformation well as a recently joined...
New Policies Urgently Needed for EU Neighborhood
In the wake of the Paris attacks and the refugee crisis, Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and the European Commission, have issued a much-awaited revision of the “European Neighbourhood Policy” (ENP), which aims to strengthen stability, security, and prosperity in 16...
Germany’s Approach to ENP
BERLIN—Germany was never a champion of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and has traditionally been more engaged with Eastern Europe than the Southern Mediterranean. For historical, geopolitical and economic reasons, Germany was a strong supporter of EU enlargement toward Central and Eastern Europe, but its engagement with a coherent EU...
Making the Most of the European Neighbourhood Policy Toolbox
BRUSSELS—The review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, unveiled in Brussels on November 18 after a year-long process of reflection and consultation with a broader community of stakeholders in Europe and its neighboring countries, did not offer many surprises. While acknowledging many of the ENP’s flaws and the changed domestic and...
