The Jamestown Foundation
Global research and analysis
Analysis
19.02.2025
Poland Caught in the Middle of Diplomatic Maneuvers Affecting European Defense and Security
Poland has recently been caught in the middle of intense diplomatic maneuvers affecting European defense and security. As the largest front-line state facing Russia, Poland is navigating to maintain the unity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) while engaging in discussions over a European defense structure without the United States...
The Jamestown Foundation
Global research and analysis
Analysis
14.01.2025
Poland Seeks More Effective Regional Formats as the Visegrád Group Fractures
On January 1, Poland took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. Its stated priorities are to strengthen all dimensions of European security, including boosting military capabilities, supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, reinforcing EU borders, combating the “instrumentalization of migration,” and resisting foreign interference and disinformation...
The Jamestown Foundation
Global research and analysis
Analysis
13.05.2024
Serbia Bolsters Connections With Russia and China
The new Serbian government was sworn in on May 2. Its composition demonstrates Belgrade’s commitment to tighter ties with Moscow and Beijing. Although the parliamentary elections were held in December 2023 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Serbia, December 25, 2023), massive street protests against election fraud and international condemnation of voting irregularities delayed the formation of the new administration (European Parliament, February 8, 2024)...
The Jamestown Foundation
Global research and analysis
Analysis
05.02.2024
New Polish Government Bolsters Relations with Ukraine
In his first foreign trip following the formation of the new Polish government, Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Kyiv on January 22 to reaffirm that Ukraine remains Warsaw’s overarching security priority (Rzeczpospolita, January 23). His meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government were intended to demonstrate that relations between Warsaw and Kyiv were emerging from a downswing in the latter part of 2023 when Poland was embroiled in general elections and government formation...
The Jamestown Foundation
Global research and analysis
Analysis
19.01.2024
Moscow Defends Serbia’s Government Against Opposition Protests
Since the widely criticized parliamentary elections on December 17, 2023, mass demonstrations in Belgrade have revealed substantial opposition to the ruling Progressive Party and the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandr Vučić. The protests, led by the Serbia Against Violence coalition, have also exposed Moscow’s fear of losing Serbia as its key ally in the Balkans (Srbija Protiv Nasilja, December 17, 2023)...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
18.05.2020
Ethnic Echoes
In the midst of the pandemic and economic slump, Europe faces growing ethnic and regional divisions. As societies become increasingly frustrated and impoverished, in-group self-defense and out-group aggression is escalating. Such conflicts can assume several forms, from anti-immigrant xenophobia and minority scapegoating to inter-regional and inter-state disputes...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
04.05.2020
Balkan Grit
The Pandemic Has Hit South-Eastern Europe Hard but Opportunities Beckon. In poor regions like the Balkans, the economic impact of the pandemic will be far-reaching and acutely test social resilience. However, it will also provide opportunities for self-reliance and resourcefulness that could benefit Europe more widely. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) calculate that the economic contraction in the Balkans will range between 3% and 10%...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
10.04.2020
Mind the Gap
It is too early to forecast the long-term impact of the pandemic on Atlanticism but not too soon to pose some pertinent questions.
And Don’t Succumb to Transatlantic Fever. It is too early to forecast the long-term impact of the pandemic on Atlanticism but not too soon to pose some pertinent questions. Amid havoc and uncertainty it may seem rational to predict the collapse of existing international arrangements...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
30.03.2020
A Plague on All Their Houses
Balkan Politicians Are Exploiting the Pandemic for Political Purposes. The coronavirus spares nobody, but poorer regions with inadequate healthcare systems and deficient emergency planning will be most affected in the long term. That makes the Balkans look particularly vulnerable. Though by the end of March only 6,000 infections and over 120 virus-related deaths have been recorded in South Eastern Europe, the pandemic is projected to accelerate...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
04.03.2020
Vulnerable Europe. Europe Braces for New Refugee and Pandemic Crises
While the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continues to grow, a new wave of Middle Eastern refugees could spill over Europe’s southern borders. And the two threats can merge in public perceptions, thus amplifying radical rightist voices and opening new opportunities for the Kremlin’s disinformation and destabilization operations.
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
28.01.2020
The Balkan Great Game
The Great Game, a prolonged 19th century confrontation between the British and Russian empires in Central Asia, is often invoked as a prime example of the struggle for influence between major powers. But another Great Game was played out at that time in the Balkans between Russia and several European powers when the Ottoman empire began to retreat...
CEPA
The Center for European Policy Analysis
Analysis
14.01.2020
Subverting NATO From Within
Unable to Prevent NATO Enlargement, Moscow Is Intensifying Its Campaign to Subvert Alliance Members From Within. President Vladimir Putin views NATO as the main threat to Russia’s expansionism and has calculated that infiltration and disinformation are a cheaper and more effective means to undermine Western unity than a military confrontation that would expose Russia’s weaknesses...