Western Europe

Behind the scenes of the newest hot job in diplomacy: Tech ambassador

By Atlantic Council

Countries have begun appointing tech ambassadors in different forms to elevate technology as a national-security and foreign-policy priority. Here's what their roles mean not just for democracy and human rights in the digital age.

Europe’s future will be decided in Ukraine

By Oleksii Reznikov

The international community must urgently demonstrate its resolve to punish Russia in order to deter a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that would plunge Europe into chaos, warns Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

The new German government and Sweden: Implications for European security and defence

On December 2nd, The Atlantic Council’s Northern Europe office in Stockholm and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) held a breakfast roundtable entitled, “The new German government: Implications for European security and defence.” The discussion was held shortly after the Swedish parliament voted in its first female prime minister and Germany was awaiting the “traffic […]

Is the new German government good news for Ukraine?

By Bohdan Nahaylo

The sun is finally setting on Germany’s Merkel era and a new coalition government is poised to take over. What will this change mean for Germany’s policies towards Russia, Ukraine and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline?

Nord Stream 2 will test new German government’s European solidarity

By Olga Bielkova

If the new German government does not block Vladimir Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline weapon, Ukraine will be irreversibly weakened while Germany and Europe as a whole will be sleepwalking into a perpetual gas crunch.  

EU regulations may yet disarm Vladimir Putin’s pipeline weapon

By Diane Francis

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing hard to secure fast track certification for his Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but these efforts will likely prove no match for the EU’s anti-trust laws and regulatory system.

Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine obsession could spark a major European war

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Alexander Khara

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Ukraine obsession could spark the largest European conflict since WWII. With Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, Western leaders must demonstrate their readiness to back Ukraine and impose crushing costs on the Kremlin.

FAST THINKING: Germany finally gets a (colorful) new government

By Atlantic Council

Nearly two months after they handed a narrow victory to the Social Democratic Party (SPD)‚ German voters finally have their next chancellor.