Languages: English, Russian, French, Romanian
Areas of Expertise: Russian domestic and foreign policies; Eastern Partnership countries and their relations with the EU; post-Soviet conflicts; cybersecurity
Nicu Popescu is the director of the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a senior policy fellow with ECFR's New European Security Initiative. His topics of focus include Russia and the Eastern Partnership, cybersecurity, and information warfare.
Popescu teaches at l’Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). Previously, he worked as a senior analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies (2013-2018); senior advisor on foreign policy and EU affairs to the prime minister of Moldova (2010, 2012-2013). Prior to this, he worked as head of programming and a senior research fellow at ECFR's London office (2007-2009, 2011-2012), and as a Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels (2005-2007). Popescu holds a PhD in International Relations from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. He is author of the EU foreign policy and post-Soviet conflicts: stealth intervention (Routledge 2010) and co-editor of Democratization in EU Foreign Policy (with Benedetta Berti and Kristina Mikulova), published in 2015.
Nicu Popescu - 23 February 2012
Young, liberal figures such as Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Milov are building bridges between democratic and nationalist wings of the protest movement. Will this marriage prove a mix that mobilises a nation against the Putin regime, or will it taint the legitimacy of both sides in years to come?
Nicu Popescu - 06 December 2011
Russia's election results are bad news for Putin for two reasons. Firstly United Russia did badly despite the election being biased in its favour, and secondly it shows that Putin can no longer rely on an apathetic population.
by Ben Judah & Jana Kobzova & Nicu Popescu - 30th November, 2011
Learning to deal with a changing Russia under a familiar leader
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Nicu Popescu - 25 November 2011
The economic crisis has huge implications for EU foreign policy. There is less time for it, less money available, and Europe's ability to project soft power is in a coma.
by Susi Dennison & José Ignacio Torreblanca & Nicu Popescu - 19th May, 2011
Helping Moroccan democracy through evolution not revolution
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by Nicu Popescu & Andrew Wilson - 09th May, 2011
The EU needs to be more influential in its eastern neighbourhood
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by Susi Dennison & Anthony Dworkin & Nicu Popescu & Nick Witney - 09th March, 2011
Tunisians need European help to turn their revolution into a democracy
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by Nicu Popescu - 25th September, 2012
How to defrost Moldova's frozen conflict
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by Ben Judah, Jana Kobzova , Nicu Popescu - 30th November, 2011
Learning to deal with a changing Russia under a familiar leader
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by Susi Dennison , José Ignacio Torreblanca, Nicu Popescu - 19th May, 2011
Helping Moroccan democracy through evolution not revolution
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by Nicu Popescu, Andrew Wilson - 09th May, 2011
The EU needs to be more influential in its eastern neighbourhood
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by Susi Dennison , Anthony Dworkin, Nicu Popescu, Nick Witney - 09th March, 2011
Tunisians need European help to turn their revolution into a democracy
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Nicu Popescu - 14 March 2019
For all the accepted wisdom to the contrary, Russia is largely failing to achieve its core foreign policy objectives
Piotr Buras & Josef Janning & Kadri Liik & Nicu Popescu - 20 December 2018
Nord Stream 2 is a contentious project - here, ECFR experts weigh in on the debate with an array of opinions on the topic
Carl Bildt, Nicu Popescu - 28 November 2018
There’s plenty Europe should do to push back against Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine
Nicu Popescu - 10 October 2018
Cyber-espionage is business as usual for most great-power governments - so why the growing storm of indignation directed at Russia's cyber activities?
Nicu Popescu - 11 March 2014
Following events in Crimea, three worrying scenarios are conveivable, including a future with more military interventions. To minismise the chance of this happening, Russia's actions have to be met more than just diplomatic signals.
Nicu Popescu - 01 October 2012
Azerbaijan has hydrocarbon riches and a strategic position, which means that all the great powers have an interest in good relations. But one family has dominated the political scene for many years, corruption is rampant and the economy needs diversifying. It’s time to open up.
Nicu Popescu - 15 March 2012
Vladimir Putin’s support machine was strong enough to guarantee him victory in the presidential election. But Putin’s strength is the weakness of the opposition and he should be worried by the divisions within his own government.
Nicu Popescu - 01 March 2012
Russia has changed and Vladimir Putin has run out of ideas. Although he will still win the Russian presidential election, Putin faces the biggest ever challenge to his power once he re-enters the Kremlin.
Mark Leonard speaks with Andrew Wilson, Kadri Liik and Nicu Popescu about the Kerch Strait ship capture, what this means and how the international community could react to the latest tensions. The podcast was recorded on 26 November 2018.
Bookshelf:
The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll
Why doctors hate their computers by Atul Gawande
Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President - What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know by Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Network Propaganda - Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts
Distant love by Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim
Podcast de notre BCM du 7 novembre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS): « Russian foreign policy in the cyber age » en présence d’Alina Polyakova, policy fellow à la Brookings Institution, Stanislav Secrieru, analyste senior à l’EUISS, et Nicu Popescu, directeur du programme Europe Elargie de l'ECFR.
Podcast de notre conférence du 1 octobre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) : « Russia and the Middle East » en présence de Nicu Popescu, directeur du programme Europe Elargie, Stanislav Secrieru, senior analyst à l’EUISS, Julien Barnes-Dacey, directeur du programme MENA et Timofey Borisov, chercheur au Centre de l'analyse des stratégies et technologies de Moscou (CAST).
Podcast du Black Coffee Morning "L’élection présidentielle française vue par les Européens" du 16/05, animé par Barbara Kunz, chercheur au Comité d'études des relations franco-allemandes (Cerfa) de l'Ifri, Nicu Popescu, analyste senior à l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS), et Tara Varma, coordinatrice du bureau de l’ECFR Paris.
A l’occasion de la sortie du nouveau China Analysis, Mathieu Duchâtel, Directeur adjoint du programme Asie et Chine de l’ECFR, Nicu Popescu, Senior analyste au European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), et Jérôme Doyon, Associate Fellow et éditeur du China Analysis, ont discuté, lors d'un BCM organisé à l'ECFR Paris, du jeu d'alliance entre la Chine et la Russie.
Séminaire du 9 juin à l'Académie Diplomatique Internationale avec:
Panel 1
- Andrew Wilson, Professeur en Etudes ukrainiennes au University College de Londores et Senior Policy Fellow de l’ECFR
- David Cadier, Visiting Senior Fellow au Finnish Institute of International Affairs et Chercheur Associé, LSE IDEAS (London School of Economics)
- Jean Radvanyi, professeur à l'INALCO et co-auteur du livre "La Russie entre peurs et défis" (Armand Colin 2016) avec Marlène Laruelle
- Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, directeur du bureau de l'ECFR Paris (modérateur)
Panel 2
- Pierre Lellouche, Député membre de la commission des affaires étrangères
- Nicu Pospescu, Analyste senior à l'Institut d'Etudes de Sécurité de l'Union européenne (EUISS)
- Michel Duclos, Directeur général de l'Académie Diplomatique Internationale (Modérateur)
Nicu Popescu participated in the radio programme "Affaires étrangères" of France culture regarding the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine.
Nicu Popescu is quoted by Le Monde regarding the 2019 Moldovan parliamentary election.
Nicu Popescu speaks to the Atlantic on upcoming elections in Moldova.
Nicu Popescu on the dynamic between France, reluctant to provoke Russia, and Georgia's new president, a former French diplomat.
Nicu Popescu is quoted by Le Monde regarding the relationship between Russia and the ex-republics of the Soviet Union.
Nicu Popescu participated in the program Affaires Etrangères of France Culture regarding Putin's foreign policy.
The Wider Europe Program's study trip to Ukraine is mentioned in Le Monde, regarding the Azov sea crisis.
Nicu Popescu and Carl Bildt's op-ed for Foreign Policy on the conflict in the Sea of Azov translated into Polish and reposted by Wyborcza.
Nicu Popescu is quoted in Sputnik News France regarding Moldovan President Igor Dodon visit to Paris.
Nicu Popescu is quoted by Le Monde regarding the relationship between Russia and Moldova.
Email: nicu.popescu@ecfr.eu