Georgia is on the path to author­i­tarian consol­i­dation of power. The systematic restriction of civil society, political compe­tition, and freedom of assembly goes hand in hand with a foreign policy shift away from the EU. An analysis by Nino Chachava and Saba Bachveli (both: Civil Society Foundation, Georgia).

Almost four years after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, historian Jan Claas Behrends (ZZF/​​European University Viadrina) takes a histor­i­cally informed look back—and warns against illusions about quick negotiated solutions. He shows how imperial tradi­tions, violent politics, and the structure of Putin’s regime are shaping the war and why conces­sions to Moscow encourage escalation.

On November 12, 2025, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Academy hosted the inter­na­tional conference “Geopo­litical turning point? Ukraine and the Future of the EU,” organized by the Center for Liberal Modernity in cooper­ation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Numerous high-profile panelists debated the future of the EU and a possible geopo­litical turning point.

The Dutch elections brought a historic victory for the left-liberal D66 party – but behind this lies a country caught between nativist tendencies, a weakened left, and a center under pressure. Eric Schliesser analyzes what Jetten’s triumph really means – and what lessons Europe’s liberals can learn from it.

On 10 and 11 November, the Middle East Network of the Centre for Liberal Modernity organized two polit­i­cally signif­icant events in Israel and the Pales­tinian terri­tories of the West Bank, creating space for an open dialogue between Israelis and Pales­tinians. Despite the tense situation on the ground, more than 100 partic­i­pants came together to discuss prospects for peace, regional cooper­ation, and the future of diplo­matic initiatives.

No one in Gaza is under the illusion that peace is fully here. The cease-fire agreement announced on Wednesday in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, repre­sents the first phase of a U.S.-brokered plan: Hostil­ities are to pause, the Israeli military will pull back to agreed-on positions and Hamas is to release all hostages in exchange for Pales­tinian prisoners. Human­i­tarian access is expected to increase, and more detailed arrange­ments for recon­struction, gover­nance and security will be negotiated in subse­quent phases. While these steps are signif­icant, the hard work now begins — turning promises into realities, and ensuring that rebuilding does not stop at concrete and steel but extends to trust and coexistence.

The Centre for Liberal Modernity together with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation cordially invite you to attend our inter­na­tional conference ‘Geopo­litical Zeiten­wende? Ukraine and the Future of the EU’ on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Academy.

A year of dialogue: Israelis, Pales­tinians, and regional actors are working together in the Middle East Network to discuss ways out of the war in Gaza, the release of hostages, and a peaceful future. On September 15 and 16, the network success­fully concluded its fifth round of dialogue. Organized by the Center for Liberal Modernity, the exchange builds trust, generates new ideas, and, for the first time, brings together voices from politics, civil society, and academia.

When President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Israel’s Channel 12, he declared that appointing a vice president to the Pales­tinian Authority was a suffi­cient reform step to justify France’s recog­nition of a Pales­tinian state. With those words, Macron handed Mahmoud Abbas a free pass—applauding a cosmetic gesture while ignoring the single reform Pales­tinians have been demanding for nearly two decades: the right to vote in free presi­dential and legislative elections.