Experts Commentaries

Poland is rapidly increasing the size and capability of its Armed Forces. Uniformed personnel are one part of a Whole Force mix. Commander-led action will be needed urgently to turn the rhetoric of the ‘Whole Force’[1] into a military/industry reality

Navigating between the desire to join the European Union but not recognising Kosovo and not joining the sanctions against Russia, Aleksandar Vučić appears to be the choice of the majority of Serbs.

Time will of course show how events will unfold. Top priority is still about choosing the best candidate for the job – it trumps all other considerations. But I remain convinced that all 31 Allied governments have an interest in seriously considering a qualified (condition sine qua non) candidate from a CEE country.

At the end of the day, there is much that the international community should and can do to help. Strong political, geopolitical, economic, and moral reasons exist for offering it. But it is equally true that Armenia must first help itself.

United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1325, adopted unanimously on October 31, 2000, revolutionized peace and security efforts

The military in all 31 Allied nations (and Sweden) are right now implementing the unprecedented tasks (set to them by the July Vilnius summit) which go to the core of NATO’s raison d’etre: keeping Allied territory safe and secure during the time of the biggest aggression in Europe since 1945

Fascination with Russian culture and history has too many times been confused with having an understanding for Russia’s imperialist policies, disguised as justified interests in the so-called zone of influence.

The capital of Slovakia, even less so that of Moldova, is not used to the role of a location that produces big headlines on strategic issues of European politics. But this is exactly what happened in the last few days. President Macron chose the GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava to deliver a timely and important vision of political changes that he believes need to be applied in Europe. Then, almost fifty leaders met in Chisinau for the summit of the recently inaugurated European Political Community initiative.

Information on the principles and objectives of Poland’s foreign policy (the so-called exposé), delivered by Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on April 13th, points at the strategic vacuum that Warsaw has been in.

During the last summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Ankara on 16th of March 2023, president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed Armenia with a demand that the so-called “Western Azerbaijanis” must be guaranteed a safe return as a condition for the safety and rights of Karabakh Armenian population, on a basis of alleged reciprocity.

I was very excited about the invitation from the Polish Embassy in Tbilisi to attend a special conference in Georgia to mark the tragic anniversary of the new, full-size invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The gathering on 24 February, hosted by the respected Rondeli Foundation (the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies) and supported by the Ukrainian Embassy, turned out to be well-attended event, bringing together diplomats, experts and media. Even Georgian President, Salome Zourabichvili, made a brief appearance. Debates reflected strong unity of views on the international consequences of the war and confrontation started by the Putin regime.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has uncovered serious shortcomings when it comes to a broader understanding of security among most Central European countries and their governments.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine’s resistance has produced several stunning reversals in the fortunes of war, drastically limiting the territorial and political gains of its adversary.