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The Middle East Network consists of a small group of political experts, activists, and repre­sen­ta­tives from think tanks and NGOs from Israel, the Pales­tinian Terri­tories, as well as regional actors from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In this short video, several members share what motivates them to work toward changing the dynamics of the conflict and what oppor­tu­nities they see in the crisis.

The Center for Liberal Modernity cordially invites you to a panel discussion entitled “Russia and the West” in Berlin on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

Inter­na­tional Expert Network Russia Annual Conference RUSSIA AND THE WEST: Rethinking Europe’s Security – Key Elements of a New Russia Strategy

In an appeal to the German government and its European partners, numerous public figures from Germany and Europe are calling for a joint effort by European democ­racies to enable Ukraine to success­fully defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression. Any success for Russia’s politics of violence would be a blow to European security. The European democ­ratic project would also be struck at its core.

The future of Europe is at stake in the face of Russian aggression. Germany and Poland should undertake a joint effort for a new European Russia policy, finding common ground despite their entrenched differ­ences. A new start can arise from shared insight and interests, if there is political will.

Since 28 November, hundreds of thousands of people in Georgia have been demon­strating every day for democracy and closer ties with Europe – and have been beaten and harassed with massive violence in response. Georgia is at a historic turning point: Will it become Russia’s backyard or a member of free Europe?

Death can be merciless. Our friend and colleague Iryna Solonenko was torn from life. She died after a short, severe illness, against which all the art of medicine could do nothing. We cannot believe it.

The Center for Liberal Modernity cordially invites you to the inter­na­tional conference “What Kind of Peace? Ukraine and Us” on October 16, 2024.

As a result of Russia’s constant attacks on its energy sector, Ukraine suffers an ongoing severe energy shortage. Power outages are a daily occur­rence. This makes life difficult for the population, endangers...

July 9–10: Center for Liberal Modernity in Tbilisi — inter­na­tional conference with our partner organi­za­tions aims at fostering collab­o­ration among civil society organi­za­tions from the eastern partner­ships and the Western Balkans and strenghten them on EU accession issues. Partic­i­pants will share their paths to EU membership, exchange best practices and develop joint initiatives.

Ideas matter! That is why LibMod launched a new format: The European Book Club. The second discussion will be devoted to “The Blind­sided” by Sylvie Kauffmann.

In our public discussion «Russia and the West — What is at stake» on 15 May in Berlin we will discuss policy options for the West versus Moscow and what Germany’s allies expect from Berlin. Find the programme and details how to register offline and/​or online here.

On 20 March, LibMod organised two expert discus­sions on carbon management and negative emissions in Brussels. Many decisions that are also crucial for Germany are currently being made there. All the more reason to open our eyes to the EU perspective.

On February 28th LibMod organised a workshop on the Green energy transition in Ukrainian commu­nities to discuss current legislative frame­works and practical local experi­ences of small distributed gener­ation in munic­i­pal­ities with lawmakers and experts from Ukraine and the EU. Decen­tralized energy can benefit commu­nities through strength­ening their resilience and security, reducing electricity costs, and increasing invest­ments and local ownership. Since the Russian war of aggression, municipal owned enter­prises and local ownership of renewable energy have become highly important. 

For many years, Poland and Germany pursued different policies regarding Russia and Ukraine. While Warsaw advocated harsher sanctions against Moscow and more support for Kyiv, Berlin was tradi­tionally more reluctant. Despite Zeiten­wende, differ­ences linger. Can the two countries synchronize their approach?

A conver­sation between Kerstin Müller, former Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, and Iran specialist Kasra Aarabi about 7 October, Iran as a sponsor of terrorist organi­za­tions in the Middle East, cooper­ation with Russia and the special role of the Iranian Revolu­tionary Guards. The EU should classify them as a terrorist organization.

How have relations between Ukraine and the EU developed one and a half years after Ukraine was granted the EU candidate country status? What are the prospects for 2024? A policy paper by Miriam Kosmehl, Iryna Solonenko, Susan Stewart, Liubov Akulenko, Piotr Buras and Snizhana Diachenko.

In view of the threat of aggression from violent powers and attacks on inter­na­tional law, to what extent should the war against Ukraine be seen as a “turning point” for Europe? And what conclu­sions must European policy­makers draw? After a contri­bution from Timothy Garton Ash, the panel of Olha Stefan­ishyna, Robin Wagener, Karolina Wigura and Andrius Kubilius explored these questions.

The second panel was made up of four members of the Bundestag, Thomas Hacker, Anton Hofreiter, Tilmann Kuban, and Christian Petry, and the Ukrainian Ambas­sador Oleksii Makeiev. They discussed the EU accession of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. In December 2023, the EU Member States will decide what steps these three countries must take in order to join the EU.

“Are we doing enough for Ukraine to win?” was the question addressed by the panel with Justyna Gotkowska, Christian Mölling, Maryna Vorotniuk, Alex Vidman and Nico Lange. The partic­i­pants agreed that the West’s support is not enough and discussed what needs to be done specif­i­cally to support Ukraine.

How can those respon­sible for war crimes and crimes under inter­na­tional law be held accountable? Christoph Heusgen, Tania Freiin von Uslar-Gleichen, Anton Korynevych and Frank Hoffmeister discussed questions of inter­na­tional criminal law.

Olaksandra Azarkhina, Maria Repko, Torsten Wöllert, Ulrike Hopp-Nishanka, Artem Nekrasov and Rebecca Harms discussed how Ukrainian society is preparing for the next winter, what support Ukraine needs and whether a green trans­for­mation is possible despite the war.

On the panel, Georg Milbradt, Olga Skrypnyk, Jean P. Froehly, Tetyana Gavrysh and Oksana Myronko discussed the challenges and oppor­tu­nities that Ukraine is facing now and will face after the war.

What impact is the Russian war of annihi­lation having on neigh­bouring countries? And what expec­ta­tions does civil society in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have of the EU? Leonid Litra, Ivane Chkhik­vadze, Natalia Stercul and Dirk Schübel discussed these issues.

What conclu­sions can be drawn with regard to European security policy and the security order? Pavlo Klimkin, Agnieszka Brugger, Ulrich Speck and Roderich Kiesewetter agreed that the European security order is in a deep crisis.

On 11 October 2023, an inter­na­tional conference organised by the Centre for Liberal Modernity shed light on the signif­i­cance of the Russian war of aggression for Europe. What can we do to ensure that a free and united Ukraine emerges from the war? How can war criminals be held accountable? How do we shape the European security order of the future?

Inter­na­tional Expert Network Russia Network Meeting “How Fragile is the Putin System?”

What oppor­tu­nities, problems and solutions do Ukrainian energy experts see for the sustainable recon­struction of their country’s energy system? The policy paper “Ukraine’s Path Towards a Sustainable Energy Sector” summarises the results of our survey study and describes policy recommendations.

Center for Liberal Modernity together with our Ukrainian partners from Clean Energy Lab would like to invite you to an online discussion on “Small distributed gener­ation and reforming the energy system of Ukraine” June 28th 14–15:30 CET.

In this policy paper, Alisa Muzergues and Pavel Havlíček analyse the multi­lateral formats and cooper­a­tions in Central and Eastern Europe in which Ukraine partic­i­pates — or aspires to participate.

What are the EU’s options regarding Ukraine’s integration into the European Defence Union? What measures are relevant for security on the ground? Iulian Romanyshyn explores these questions in the new LibMod policy paper.

Welcome to the regis­tration page for our conference Russia & the West „Lessons Learned? Western Policy versus Russia“.

What future for Russia should we strive for? Our authors Vladimir Milov and Maria Domanska strongly argue that the West must not fear a collapse of the regime. Positive change in...

Russia Policies and Zeiten­wende: The Change We Need

What is the economic and ecological future of Russia and what are the climate policy conse­quences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? We invite you to a public discussion on 15 December 2022 with German and Russian economic, energy and climate experts.

Appeal by more than 70 writers, histo­rians, security experts and scholars on Eastern Europe

Do Russian war crimes constitute genocide? What oblig­a­tions does this impose on the inter­na­tional community? Experts from politics, academia and civil society discussed these questions at the inter­na­tional conference “Inter­na­tional Law against Genocide”.

Our new project “Expert Network Russia” kicked on October 31 with an inaugural meeting in Vilnius. Network members will gather in the Lithuanian Seimas to discuss how the West should deal with an increas­ingly total­i­tarian and neo-imperial Russia.

Liberal democracy is under pressure worldwide. At our conference “Rethinking Liber­alism, Renewing Democracy” on 24 November in Berlin and online, we discussed with inter­na­tional guests from academia, politics, think tanks and business how liber­alism and liberal democracy must evolve in order to sustain. 

The granting of candidate status does not mean accession: it is above all a recog­nition of the progress Ukraine has made in reforms and a great symbolic gesture to a people who are...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus” we publish a series of input papers on the topic: Per­spec­tives and Path­ways to EU Can­di­date Status for Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus” we publish a series of input papers on the topic: Per­spec­tives and Path­ways to EU Can­di­date Status for Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic...

On 31 May, we discussed the future of the Russian economy after the war in Ukraine with Dr Vladislav Inozemtsev, Angelina Davydova, Dr Janis Kluge and Michael Harms.

The Ukrainian TV channel “1plus1” broad­casted live on May 8th from Berlin. During the interview with Marieluise Beck one of the topics was the role of NATO in the war...

After the Bundestag’s decision to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, a contro­versial debate has flared up about Germany’s attitude towards the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.  The signa­tories call on Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the German government to ...

More than 80 scholars, politi­cians, business­people and civil society repre­sen­ta­tives have signed an appeal to the German government to stop oil and gas imports from Russia. Remarkably, the coalition of...

Moldova, a country in the heart of Europe, its current leadership and first and foremost its people, opened not only its borders but also their homes for the suffering neigh­bours. The...

On 22 March, at 2 pm, the Center for Liberal Modernity in cooper­ation with Naftogaz Ukraine and the Ukrainian Feder­ation of Employers of the Oil and Gas Industry invites you to...

Based on six criteria of the United Nations Convention against Genocide, Russia is committing genocide in Mariupol, says Inter­na­tional law expert Otto Luchterhandt.

How should we deal with a repressive and confronta­tional Russia? Join our annual discussion “Russia and the West” on 24 March, which will be held jointly with the Munich Security Conference...

Political scientist Oleksandra Keudel warns of European and global conse­quences in the case of Russian attacks on Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Ukraine has a high potential for the production of “green” hydrogen. DiXi Group’s infographic explains what condi­tions must be met for hydrogen export.

After failing to agree on exclusive spheres of influence in Europe with the Trump admin­is­tration, the Kremlin is challenging Washing­ton’s ability to keep unity among Euro-Atlantic allies and protect European...

As 2021 draws to a close, we look back on this year’s important events. Among them is the Crimea Platform, which was launched in August at Ukraine’s initiative to shore up...

On 22 October, the foundation stone for a new memorial to the 1941 massacre was laid in Odesa. The future memorial is the result of an initiative of the Centre for...

  On October 5, 2021, the Center Liberal Modernity held the public discussion on prior­ities for cooper­ation with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova under the Eastern Partnership Plus project. The discussion...

In the LibMod-Policy-Paper: Towards a European Climate Diplomacy, Dr. Georg Zachmann analyses the extension of the European Green Deal to the three associated states of the EU (Ukraine, Georgia and the...

A commentary by Ralf Fücks on Putin’s latest historical policy manifesto, published by the Kremlin.

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­ities European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­ities European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­ities European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

An answer to Wladimir Putin’s fine tuned op-ed in the German weekly Die Zeit by Ralf Fücks, Center for Liberal Modernity.

As part of our project “Eastern Partnership Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

As part of our project “Eastern Partnership Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

As part of our project “Eastern Partnership Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

When? June 23rd, 10am — 5.30pm (CEST) Where? Digital via Zoom and analogous in Berlin if possible (regis­tration required) The world is changing rapidly. Digital­ization, the conversion towards a climate neutral economy, the corona...

Statement by Ralf Fücks und Marieluise Beck: The Russian Prose­cutor General’s decision to brandmark the Center for Liberal Modernity together with the German-Russian Exchange (DRA) and a Russian exile organi­zation as “undesirable...

Climate change and its conse­quences are viewed differ­ently in Russia than is the case in the West. The issue is under­stood as “part of a political game”. This difference in outlook has ramifi­ca­tions for both political and economic cooper­ation. The interview study “Russian Experts’ Opinions on Global Climate Change”, conducted by Russia’s Levada-Center and commis­sioned by the Center for Liberal Modernity, affords in-depth insight into the Russian elites’ perspective on climate change and its societal and economic consequences.

In late March 2021 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revoked a decree made by runaway president Viktor Yanukovych appointing Oleksandr Tupytsky and Oleksandr Kasminin to the Consti­tu­tional Court. This raised eyebrows in...

The analytical paper “Investment plans of the EU: oppor­tu­nities for Ukraine in the area of the European Green Deal imple­men­tation” identifies the most important spheres of involvement for the Ukrainian...

The Roadmap „Towards Climate-Neutral Aviation“ by Ralf Fücks (Zentrum Libe­rale Moderne), Mat­thias von Randow (Chief Exe­cu­tive of the BDL) and Volker Thum (Chief Exe­cu­tive of the BDLI) sum­ma­ri­zes the results...

Liberal democracy has come under pressure from various quarters: from the outside by author­i­tarian regimes, from within by populist movements and parties. In this dossier, we want to combine ideas of a new liberalism.

Wednesday October 14. 7 pm‑8.30 pm – via Zoom

Online-Panel Discussion on October 6, 2020, with Gunther Krichbaum, Johannes Schraps, Renata Alt, Manuel Sarrazin und others.

Current infor­mation on confer­ences, expert talks, panel discus­sions, readings and lectures.

Lessons learned from Covid-19: Ralf Fuecks discusses with Anthony Giddens

Panel and online dis­cus­sion with Marie­luise Beck, Vla­di­mir Kara-Murza und Michael McFaul on 9 Sep­tem­ber 2020, 7 pm CET

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

With its “Eastern Partnership 2.0” project, LibMod is bringing perspec­tives from Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine to Berlin’s and Brussels’ policy circles.

Ukraine is under­going profound trans­for­mation. One click will take you to the website www.ukraineverstehen.de, where you will find infor­mation, analyses and reports on the latest devel­op­ments in the country. With a dedicated...

The Russian Government is trying to get access to the internet – perhaps the most important refuge for freedom of speech. Cyber­space is increas­ingly restricted through state censorship: state pressure...

This aim of LibMod’s “Liberal Democracy and Its Adver­saries” project is to examine the “long lines” of antiliberal thought and discuss its relevance for the debate of today. The project’s...

An interview with Dr. Ulana Suprun, former acting minister of Health of Ukraine (2016–2019) on the government’s response to COVID-19, including an erratic commu­ni­cation strategy, a lack of trans­parency and corruption...

Eco-innova­­tions, economic oppor­tu­nities and social partic­i­pation in times of climate change are the subjects of this book, edited by Ralf Fücks and Thomas Köhler, in which widely acclaimed authors discuss...

An Open Letter to the Parlia­mentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: Please don’t deprive yourself of the right to impose sanctions on member states that are violating the statutes...

With the annex­ation of Crimea and the undeclared war in Eastern Ukraine, the Russian leadership gravely violates the principles of the European peace order. In response, the Parlia­mentary Assembly of...

The EU as we knew it does not exist anymore. This is Ivan Krastev’s point of departure. The optimistic belief in the idea of progress that was widely held during...

What’s the Center for Liberal Modernity is about.

About the motives for founding a Center for Liberal Modernity.