The European Council on Foreign Relations

Iran: the year of living dangerously

2012-01-25T08:48:07+00:00

The European decision to tighten sanctions against Iran is correct. Careful, balanced and measured pressure on Tehran is necessary as we face a particularly dangerous year for relations with the Iranian regime.

It’s CSDP - or a world run by others

2011-09-13T12:26:32+00:00

In a response to an article by Jan Techau attacking Common Security and Defence Policy, Nick Witney argues that Europe can and must take on more shared responsibility for its own security in the multipolar 21st century.

Even Homer nods

2011-06-13T07:53:50+00:00

Robert Gates has rightly earned the admiration of many in the security community. But his recent criticism of European contributions to NATO fail to come to terms with changes in how European nations conceive of their own security and the role NATO has to play in defending it.

Manna from Heaven

2011-05-01T08:42:16+00:00

The latest Fatah/Hamas deal may get Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu out of an awkward spot on his upcoming visit to Washington. But a Palestinian reconciliation which holds should further increase the international pressure on Israel to make the compromises necessary for Middle East peace.

Libya: time to focus on the outcomes

2011-03-16T12:23:30+00:00

It is time to get real about Libya. All the huffing and puffing of Western leaders has yet to bring Gaddafi’s house crashing down. Instead, European leaders must think about what realistic outcomes they might be able to help achieve.

Europe and Tunisia: After complicity, complacency

2011-02-25T10:31:12+00:00

Tunisians see Europe as complicit with the old regime of President Ben Ali, and were disappointed by the slow reaction of European leaders to their revolution. But they are willing to forgive, if their neighbours to the north makes amends by offering prompt and generous help as they rebuild their country.

NATO self-cancelling summit

2010-11-23T12:40:35+00:00

The Lisbon summit has drawn a line under a fractious period for NATO. But as it reaches out to Russia and withdraws from Afghanistan, the alliance is still struggling to find a new purpose.

A STRATEGIC RUBICON

2010-11-01T09:12:00+00:00

The announcement of a Franco-British defence partnership will be a watershed in European security thinking. Once that Rubicon has been crossed it will raise questions for their EU partners, and perhaps this will have a profound bearing on whether Europe can keep a seat in the global game.

Eyes tight shut

2010-10-20T09:52:18+00:00

Britain's defence review is deeply flawed because it is based on a self-deluding picture of the world. It brings to mind the spectacle of the Viking King, Canute, who one thousand years ago commanded the tide to stop on an English beach.

Bringing good news from Ghent

2010-09-20T14:56:47+00:00

If there was ever a moment for defence ministers to pool their efforts and resources, then this is it. Defence budgets across the continent are being severely cut as austerity measures kick in. Ahead of the defence ministers' meeting in Ghent on 23-24 September, Nick Witney points out that the Lisbon Treaty offers defence ministers a ready-made ‘transnational defence cooperation’ device in the form of PESCO – and urges them to use it.

Sharing aircraft carriers

2010-09-14T09:11:22+00:00

Tight budgets mean hard choices. For instance, new aircraft carriers would be lovely but they cost a lot. As the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review reaches its final stages, Nick Witney argues that perhaps it’s time to start sharing with the French.

Witneyhedgehog1

2010-05-17T09:18:31+00:00

What is defence really for and what should Europe do after defence budgets have been ravaged by the economic crisis? In the second of a two part series of podcasts, Daniel Korski talks to Nick Witney about how European security will have to be rethought from the ground up after the economic crisis - and how the best option might be to become a spikey, hedgehog-like larger version of Switzerland.

A responsible government must re-examine Trident

2010-04-21T15:10:31+00:00

Tomorrow night?s foreign policy Leaders? Debate will cover a lot of ground, and Trident will no doubt be discussed. Nick Witney argues that a post-election defence review that does not include Trident is irresponsible and absurd.

WitneySTARTnotNOFUN

2010-04-12T10:16:50+00:00

Obama's moves over nuclear weapons need putting in context. The US no longer needs them to equalise the USSR's conventional forces, but others might need nuclear weapons to equalise the US military

Britain?s defence review: the real strategic questions witney

2010-02-11T09:54:56+00:00

Britain's defence review must take on board how much the world has changed since the late 1900s and focus on preserving Britain's power and influence, both in and through Europe.

tough snub witney

2010-02-08T14:50:13+00:00

Obama's snub of the May EU-US summit is tough, but fair. If it wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, the EU must stop complaining and learn from this and other recent disappointments

witny too many cooks

2010-02-01T09:29:09+00:00

After nearly a decade of effort, the Lisbon Treaty is finally in place ? and Europeans finally have the chance to develop the unified voice and combined weight in the world that we all now understand to be necessary. Yet Europe?s national leaders seem unable to curb the sort of self-indulgent behaviour that will sabotage this historic opportunity.

Europe?s troublesome neighbours witney

2010-01-15T11:43:44+00:00

Europe's southern and eastern border give cause for significant concern. It needs to wake up to where its real security interests lie.

How Europe can be heard in Washington shapiro witney

2009-11-16T09:21:49+00:00

Europeans must steel themselves to discuss, within the EU, the big issues on which Europe must engage the US.

progress witney get a grip transatlantic relations

2009-11-05T11:56:49+00:00

To avoid creeping irrelevance, Europe must find a collective voice on the international stage.

witney video transatlantic power audit

2009-11-02T17:52:08+00:00

Nick Witney talks about our transatlantic report in this video blog.

europe obama moment witney shapiro

2009-11-02T05:11:45+00:00

National governments in the EU must shake off illusions about the transatlantic relationship if they want to avoid irrelevance on the global stage.

witney europe’s world Nice location, shame about the neighbours

2009-10-23T16:01:02+00:00

Europe?s biggest challenge in coming decades is how it will get along with the Islamic world.

witney e!sharp missile defence

2009-10-01T08:41:53+00:00

In spite of Czech and Polish objections, the Obama administration was right to drop plans for radars and rocket interceptors in central Europe.

Obama?s Cairo Witney

2009-06-03T09:12:45+00:00

Obama's flagship Middle East speech in Cairo tomorrow will prove indicative of just how far he is willing to go in replacing the hostile Bush years.

British army the economist Witney

2009-02-05T14:14:56+00:00

As the British Army?s problems deepen, Nick Witney blames a defence policy too fixated on the US.

Nick Witney ECFR European defence summit

2008-12-19T10:43:53+00:00

Nick Witney assesses the outcome of the French Presidency's efforts on the 'new impetus? for European defence.

Witney the death of NATO

2008-11-20T12:15:56+00:00

Now in its 60th year, NATO no longer provides a healthy basis for the trans-Atlantic security relationship.

Georgian lessons for EU generals Witney

2008-11-04T09:20:40+00:00

As the dust of the August war in Georgia begins to settle, the EU is emerging as the nearest thing around to a winner. An article published in E-Sharp!.

witney european defence cooperation

2008-07-29T04:01:00+00:00

On ESDP, a decade of procrastination and missed opportunities has taught us some important lessons.