Europe Inside Out

As Georgia approaches a critical election after the introduction of a controversial foreign agents law, the country’s future remains uncertain.

Thomas de Waal, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Natalie Sabanadze, senior research fellow at Chatham House, discuss how the election outcome could influence Georgia’s political landscape and international standing.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:43] Georgia's Political Landscape, [00:09:08] Georgia and the EU Candidate Status [00:14:39] Post-Election Scenarios

Thomas de Waal, June 6, 2024, “Opportunistic Georgia Joins Europe’s Illiberal Club,” The Financial Times.

Thomas de Waal, June 3, 2024, “Putin’s Hidden Game in the South Caucasus,” Foreing Affairs.

Thomas de Waal, May 21, 2024, “Georgian nightmare,” Engelsberg Ideas.

Thomas de Waal, May 16, 2024, “The End of the Near Abroad,” Carnegie Europe.

Natalie Sabanadze, March 7, 2024, “How geopolitical competition in the Black Sea is redefining regional order,” Chatham House.

Natalie Sabanadze, November 16, 2023, “EU-Georgia Relations: A Local Show of the Global Theater,” Carnegie Europe.

Natalie Sabanadze, May 17, 2023, “Who Is Afraid of Georgian Democracy?,”  Carnegie Europe.

Following his party’s election victory, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping for a fundamental reset of Britain’s relations with the rest of Europe.

Peter Kellner, nonresident scholar at Carnegie Europe, and Kim Darroch, member of the British House of Lords, assess the prospects of revitalizing EU-UK ties on trade, security, and international cooperation.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:24] EU-UK Relations After Brexit, [00:07:59] The Impact of Labour’s Victory, [00:16:36] What’s the Future for EU-UK Relations?

Kim Darroch, July 6, 2024, “In a fragile and dangerous era, strengthening ties with Europe is Britain’s most urgent challenge,” The Guardian.

Peter Kellner, June 27, 2024, “Brexit Has Fundamentally Damaged the Tories,” Prospect.

Peter Kellner, May 28, 2024, “The UK Braces for a Change of Direction,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Peter Kellner, March 9, 2023, “Trust and Compromise Return to EU-UK Relations,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

After twelve years at the helm of the “Strategic Europe”  blog, Judy Dempsey is stepping down as its editor in chief.

Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, sat down with Judy and Jan Techau, a former Carnegie Europe director, to analyze how Europe’s global role has evolved since 2012.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:30] How Did the Blog Begin?, [00:08:50] Has Europe Become More Strategic?

This year’s elections in Europe and the United States will significantly impact global climate action amid increasing global insecurity and contested green policies.

Olivia Lazard, fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Rod Schoonover, cofounder of the Ecosecurity Council, emphasize the need for more effective leadership and institutions to address climate change.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:23] The Climate Change-Security Nexus, [00:11:45] Will Elections Affect Climate Policies?, [00:20:47] The Need for Strategic Foresight.

Olivia Lazard, December 19, 2023, “The Day After COP28: The Heat Is On,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Olivia Lazard, June 1, 2023, “How the EU Can Use Mineral Supply Chains to Redesign Collective Security,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Olivia Lazard, April 6, 2023, “The EU’s Water Strategy Is Too Shallow,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Rod Schoonover and Dan Smith, April 2023, “Five Urgent Questions on Ecological Security,” SIPRI.

Rod Schoonover and Eilish Zembilci, October 26, 2021, “New National Intelligence Estimate on Climate Change Underplays the Role of Food Security,” Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Rod Schoonover, April 21, 2021, “Plant Diseases and Pests Are Oft-Ignored Climate-Linked National Security Risks,” Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The upcoming elections in the European Union and the United States are crucial tests for democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.

Richard Youngs, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Thomas Carothers, director of Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, discuss what is in store for the global democratic agenda and the current state of EU-U.S. cooperation on democracy support.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:02:14] The EU-U.S. Cooperation on Democracy, [00:11:59] The Global Democratic Recession, [00:18:43] The Future of the Transatlantic Democracy Agenda.

Thomas Carothers and Richard Youngs, May 2, 2024, “European and U.S. Democracy Support: The Limits of Convergence,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Thomas Carothers and Frances Brown, February 6, 2024, “Democracy Policy Under Biden: Confronting a Changed World,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Thomas Carothers, January 22, 2024, “The Democratic Price of Countering Authoritarianism,” Just Security, Reiss Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law.

Thomas Carothers, January 10, 2024, “Democracy and Geopolitics Are on the Ballot in 2024,” Emissary, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Thomas Carothers, December 18, 2023, “Protests in 2023: Widespread Citizen Anger Continues, With Sources Multiplying,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Thomas Carothers, May 30, 2023, “Is the Global Tide Turning in Favor of Democracy?,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Richard Youngs, April 16, 2024, “Geoliberal Europe and the Test of War,” Agenda Publishing.

Richard Youngs and Ricardo Farinha, April 24, 2024, “Securitization and European Democracy Policy,” Carnegie Europe.

Richard Youngs, April 2024, “Why the European Elections Will Test Democracy,” Journal of Democracy.

Richard Youngs, March 17, 2024, “The Defensive Turn in European Democracy Support,” Carnegie Europe.

Richard Youngs et al., February 5, 2024, “European Democracy Support Annual Review 2023,” Carnegie Europe.

Richard Youngs, Thomas Carothers, et al., April 17, 2023, “How Can Europe Help the Next Phase of the Summit for Democracy?,” Carnegie Europe.

Putin’s war against Ukraine has prompted states in Russia’s neighborhood to reconsider their affinity to Moscow.

Thomas de Waal, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, reflect on the future political direction of these countries.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:44] Russia’s Changing Relations With Its Neighbors, [00:12:08] Putin’s Goals in Russia’s Neighborhood, [00:22:09] The Future Political Trajectories of Russia’s Neighbors.

Fiona Hill, December 12, 2023, “‘We’ll Be at Each Others’ Throats’: Fiona Hill on What Happens If Putin Wins,” Q&A with Maura Reynolds, Politico.

Fiona Hill, Samuel Charap, and Andriy Zagorodnyuk, July 27, 2023, “How Does the War in Ukraine End?”, The Foreign Affairs Interview Podcast, Foreign Affairs.

Fiona Hill and Angela Stent, August 25, 2022, “The World Putin Wants: How Distortions About the Past Feed Illusions About the Future,” Foreign Affairs.

Fiona Hill, February 28, 2022, “‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes,” Q&A with Maura Reynolds, Politico.

Fiona Hill, October 2021, “There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century,” Mariner Books. 

Fiona Hill, September 12, 2016, “Putin: The One-Man Show the West Doesn’t Understand,” Taylor & Francis Online.

Thomas de Waal, February 13, 2024, “In the Caucasus, Another Year of War or Peace,” Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, September 26, 2023, “The EU and Azerbaijan: Time to Talk Tough” Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, September 22, 2023, “A Tragic Endgame in Karabakh,” Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, August 31, 2023, “The Orbanizing of Georgia,” Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, May 11, 2023, “Time to Get Serious About Moldova,” Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, January 25, 2023, “Russian weakness challenges EU to ease tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Financial Times.

Ahead of June’s European Parliament elections, radical right parties are gaining ground across the continent.

Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, and Stefan Lehne, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, unpack the causes of this trend and reflect on how it could shape the EU’s political future.

Carnegie Europe is grateful to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for their support of this work.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:28] Why the Rise of the Radical Right Matters, [00:11:18] Why the Radical Right Is on the Rise, [00:19:46] How the Radical Right Can Be Contained.

Rosa Balfour, September 12, 2023, “Ursula von der Leyen’s Three Tiers of Challenges,” Carnegie Europe.

Rosa Balfour, February 9, 2023, “The EU Must Reconcile Geopolitics and Democracy,” Carnegie Europe.

Rosa Balfour, September 29, 2022, “How a Far-Right Victory in Italy Might Ripple Through the EU,” Carnegie Europe.

Rosa Balfour, September 20, 2022, “A Meloni-led government need not spell disaster for Italy’s institutions,” Financial Times.

Rosa Balfour, March 1, 2022, “Russia through the European prism: populism, politics, and the Russian war on Ukraine,” Encompass Europe.

Rosa Balfour et al., 2016. “Europe’s Troublemakers – The populist challenge to foreign policy,” European Policy Centre.

Stefan Lehne et al., January 18, 2024, “Judy Asks: Can the Far Right in Europe Be Contained?”, Carnegie Europe.

Stefan Lehne, October 18, 2022, “The EU and the Creative and Destructive Impact of Crises,” Carnegie Europe.

Stefan Lehne, February 8, 2022, “Europe is Struggling, Thirty Years After the Maastricht Treaty,” Carnegie Europe.

Stefan Lehne, October 15, 2019, “Could an Illiberal Europe Work?”, Institute for Human Sciences.

Turkey’s 2023 was marked by the reelection of President Erdoğan and by a reorientation of the country’s economic policy—while old disagreements with the West over Ankara’s close relationship with Moscow and poor rule-of-law record persisted.

Marc Pierini and Sinan Ülgen, senior fellows at Carnegie Europe, discuss Turkey’s political and economic landscape ahead of the 2024 municipal elections and what the future holds for the country’s relations with Brussels and Washington.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:46] The Upcoming Local Elections in Turkey, [00:08:17] The Headlines From Turkey in 2023, [00:19:21] The Future of Turkey-EU Relations in 2024.

Marc Pierini and Francesco Siccardi, October 24, 2023, “Turkey at 100,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Marc Pierini, September 18, 2023, “Turkey’s European Goals: Prospects and Impediments as Seen From Brussels,” Carnegie Europe.

Marc Pierini et. al, July 24, 2023, “What does Erdoğan’s new term in office mean for EU-Turkey relations?,” Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) Network.

Marc Pierini, 2023, “Turkey’s Geopolitical Role. Between National Ambitions, Western Anchors and Russian Sway,” European Institute of the Mediterranean.

Marc Pierini, Alper Coşkun, Francesco Siccardi, June 14, 2023, “What to Expect From Erdoğan’s New Term,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Marc Pierini, May 19, 2023, “Turkey has to reassess its position between NATO and a disruptive Russia,” Le Monde.

Sinan Ülgen, November 20, 2023, “Europe needs a new framework for Turkey,” Financial Times.

Sinan Ülgen, Alper Coşkun, November 7, 2023, “A Reflection on Türkiye’s Centennial,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Sinan Ülgen et. al, October 13, 2023, “Arab Perspectives on the Middle East Crisis,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has given EU enlargement new impetus, but obstacles to the Western Balkan countries’ integration persist.

Dimitar Bechev, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Oana Popescu-Zamfir, director of the Bucharest-based think tank GlobalFocus Center, discuss the domestic dynamics in the region and how Brussels can encourage democratic reform.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:41] Where the Western Balkans Stand on the Road to the EU, [00:11:20] Obstacles to EU Enlargement, [00:18:35] Prospects for Western Balkan Countries’ EU Accession.

Dimitar Bechev, January 11, 2024, “Serbia’s Authoritarian (Re)turn,” Carnegie Europe.

Dimitar Bechev, December 5, 2023, “There Are No Quick Fixes for EU Enlargement,” Carnegie Europe.

Dimitar Bechev, September 28, 2023, “The EU Cannot Give Up on Serbia and Kosovo,” Carnegie Europe.

Dimitar Bechev, June 20, 2022, “What Has Stopped EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans?,” Carnegie Europe.

Oana Popescu-Zamfir, Nikola Dimitrov, et al., June 2, 2023, “It’s a Package Deal! Reforming and Enlarging the European Union in a Contested World,” Institute for Human Sciences.

Oana Popescu-Zamfir, Rosa Balfour, et al., June 22, 2022, “What is to be done? The war, the Western Balkans and the EU,” Institute for Human Sciences.

Oana Popescu-Zamfir and Zoran Nechev, May 3, 2022, “Time to Recognize Ukraine as European and Shake Up the EU Enlargement Process,” DGAP.

The Israel-Hamas war has exposed Europe’s declining diplomatic clout in the Middle East, where Arab countries and the United States are taking the lead to find durable solutions for the region’s peace and security.

Pierre Vimont, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Amr Hamzawy, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, take stock of Europe’s role in this troubled region and discuss the EU’s potential room for maneuver in the conflict.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:02:00] The EU and the Israel-Hamas War, [00:09:54] Rebooting the Peace Process [00:16:44] A New Role for the EU?

Amr Hamzawy, December 6, 2023, “The Political Impact of the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Amr Hamzawy, Nathan J. Brown, November 17, 2023, “Arab Peace Initiative II: How Arab Leadership Could Design a Peace Plan in Israel and Palestine,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Amr Hamzawy, November 1, 2023, “Pay Attention to the Arab Public Response to the Israel-Hamas War,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Amr Hamzawy, Rafiah Al Talei, Nathan J. Brown, Yasmine Farouk, Mohanad Hage Ali, Zaha Hassan, Marwan Muasher, Sinan Ülgen, Maha Yahya, Sarah Yerkes, October 13, 2023, “Arab Perspectives on the Middle East Crisis,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Pierre Vimont, October 10, 2023, “Europe’s Moment of Powerlessness in the Middle East,” Carnegie Europe.