As a result of the Russian war of aggres­sion against Ukraine, Eastern European countries are stepping up their efforts to join the EU. At our inter­na­tional confer­ence on 13 November, we will be discussing the oppor­tu­ni­ties and chal­lenges of the current EU enlarge­ment policy with inter­na­tional experts.

Given the level of violence and hostility since 7 October, a political solution to the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict seems a long way off. At the same time, it is more urgent than ever. Together with experts from the region, a new LibMod project aims to explore the oppor­tu­ni­ties for a two-state solution and for security and coop­er­a­tion in the Middle East. 

In the face of multiple crises and a depressing world situation, it is not surprising that many non-fiction books from this fall are deeply pessimistic. Unlike “On Freedom” by US historian Timothy Snyder. Our author Till Schmidt spoke with him about his latest book. 

“What peace? Ukraine and Us” — two questions that could not be more funda­mental were the focus of our inter­na­tional confer­ence, the third since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022: What does the war in Ukraine mean for the West, and what goals must a future peace order fulfill?

Invi­ta­tion to the 4th edition of the European Book Club on 07.11.2024: Karolina Wigura, Stefan Kolev, Ewa Atanassow and Jaroslaw Kuisz in conver­sa­tion with Alan S. Kahan about his new book ‘Freedom from Fear: A History of Liberalism’. 

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.

Hongkong-born political scientist and historian Steve Tsang is director of the SOAS China Institute at London Univer­sity. His expertise includes gover­nance and security policies in China, Taiwan and Hongkong. In his latest book, he examines the Xi Jinping system. Interview: Till Schmidt.

Following the achieve­ments of the AfD — and the equally xeno­phobic and Russia-friendly BSW — in the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, commen­ta­tors are outdoing them­selves in alarmism. Writing on the day after the election, Alan Posener takes a critical look at these developments.

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

The situation in the Middle East is at the brink of esca­la­tion. While observers are waiting for Iran and its proxies to start their announced attack on Israel, diplo­matic crisis inter­ven­tion is running at full speed in order to prevent a full-blown regional confla­gra­tion. In his interview with Till Schmidt, Ali Vaez analyzes the current situation.

On 9 and 10 July, the Center for Liberal Modernity organized the inter­na­tional confer­ence “EU Enlarge­ment — a geopo­lit­ical necessity and the next steps for the EU candidate states” with its partner orga­ni­za­tions in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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...

The Ukrainian energy system is at the brink of collapse. Expert Oleksandr Vizir makes concrete proposals and outlines a plan to save the energy infra­struc­ture of the country. Measures include rapid devel­op­ment of new gener­a­tion capac­i­ties as well as control­ling state energy companies.

In Gaza, the Israeli army is currently fighting Hamas, while at the same time the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in the north is at the brink of esca­la­tion. Is there a two-fronts war ahead for Israel? Till Schmidt talks with political scientist Matthew Levitt.

Despite clear polls and massive protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in office. Richard C. Schneider on the exhaus­tion of the people in Israel, possible scenarios for the end of the governing coalition — and why Netanyahu is playing for time. 

Despite Chan­cellor Scholz’ Zeit­en­wende, Germany’s actions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been dominated by hesitancy. The govern­ment often acts only when the situation on the battle­field is dramatic – or waits for decisions from Wash­ington. Berlin seemingly hopes for an eventual ceasefire. But this only raises the threat of an “eternal provi­sional arrange­ment”, similar to the Cold War-era division of Germany, writes Nico Lange.

While Russia is preparing for a long war, the West remains hesitant and divided. At this year’s confer­ence Russia and the West, partic­i­pants urgently called for a new European policy versus Moscow....

How does Ukraine view the Ukraine Recovery Confer­ence and the results of EU elections? Why did Mustafa Nayyem resign as head of the State Agency for Restora­tion and Infra­struc­ture? Marieluise Beck in conver­sa­tion with Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, member of the Verkhovna Rada and Chair of the Committee of Ukraine’s inte­gra­tion into the European Union.

Despite the far-right’s gains, the overall picture remains mixed: signif­i­cant losses on the one hand, record results on the other — including for new far-right parties. Europe expert Nicolas Startin on difficult alliances, the voting behaviour of young people and the future of the Green Deal.

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.

Germany’s foot-dragging over military aid to Ukraine and the half-hearted imple­men­ta­tion of Chan­cellor Scholz’ Zeit­en­wende were subjected to sharp criticism at the Center for Liberal Modernity’s recent public discus­sion “Russia...

The war in Ukraine is a test for liberal democ­ra­cies’ resolve and for their capacity to act. There is still time to turn the tide. Otherwise, future histo­rians will mark this...

Despite the ongoing war Ukraine is deter­mined to rebuild its aviation industry and enable its citizens to travel by air again. On 8 May, the Centre for Liberal Modernity discussed the future of the Ukrainian aviation industry with European and Ukrainian experts. The most urgent needs are: trainings for staff, funds (loans or direct aid) as well as air defence systems and munition. Lukas Daubner summarised the results of the discus­sion here.

Ukraine and some of her allies have been campaigning to use the frozen 200 billion dollars of Russian Central Bank money held at Euroclear in Belgium for aid to Kyiv,...

In April 2014, Russia began a covert armed invasion of the Ukrainian Donets Basin. However, many politi­cians, jour­nal­ists and even some academics still follow the Russian propa­ganda narrative of an alleged “civil war” in eastern Ukraine at the time. An analysis by Julia Kazdobina, Jakob Hedenskog and Andreas Umland.

As Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, the question about the efficacy of sanctions is more pressing than ever: Have they been effective and what more can be done? Maria Shagina argues that it is best to focus on the Russian energy sector.

Former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius has been a member of the European Parlia­ment since 2019. As the parliament’s rappor­teur on relations with Russia, he is a point man for promoting and...

The Russian war of aggres­sion against Ukraine also has far-reaching conse­quences for Moldova. Security expert Dumitru Minzarari analyzes the effects of Russian propa­ganda, political impli­ca­tions of the war in the run-up to the pres­i­den­tial elections, and the obstacles on the path to EU integration.

France’s position towards Russia has been ambiva­lent for decades, based in part on myths, projec­tions and unre­al­istic ambitions. Emmanuel Macron’s policies vis-à-vis Moscow seem to embody this. At the beginning...

Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, Russian propa­ganda in the West and in Germany has taken on a different dimension. It is aimed at under­mining Western democracy, stirring up fear and weakening support for Ukraine. An article by Khatia Kikalishvili for GEOpolitics.

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.

Chan­cellor Olaf Scholz is putting Germans and all Europeans in danger. His current policy seriously risks defeat in Ukraine, which would embolden Moscow and raise the like­li­hood of a wider war with Russia in which the missiles could be falling on Cologne rather than Kyiv – An Open Letter to Germany’s Leaders from Inter­na­tional and German Experts.

Yossi Klein Halevi in an interview about the goals and motives of the far right in Israel’s govern­ment – and why the decision whether to exempt the ultra-Orthodox from military service could lead to the fall of the coalition.

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. 

On February 28th, the Zentrum Liberale Moderne hosted its kick-off European Book Club event, featuring a thought-provoking discus­sion on the essay “Post­trau­matic Sover­eignty” by our Program Directors and Senior Fellows Karolina Wigura and Jaroslaw Kuisz. 

Donald Trump’s recent invi­ta­tion to Russia to attack European allies shook NATO countries. How was this received in Asia? Security expert Chen-Yi Tu in an interview from Taiwan about reactions...

In December 2024, the EU made a geopo­lit­ical decision and granted Georgia EU candidate status. In his policy brief, Sergi Kapanadze analyses what leverage the EU has to promote EU inte­gra­tion in Georgia and what signif­i­cance the upcoming parlia­men­tary elections have in this regard.

Ukraine’s new law “On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine with Regard to the Recon­struc­tion and Green Trans­for­ma­tion of the Energy System of Ukraine” opens up many oppor­tu­ni­ties for the expansion of decen­tralised energy gener­a­tion and contributes to greater energy security. In his policy paper, Ukrainian energy law expert Oleksandr Vizir describes what this means for munic­i­pal­i­ties and what regu­la­tory changes are needed to realise this potential.

What does Russia’s war against Ukraine mean for German-Polish relations? Inter­na­tional experts, academics, jour­nal­ists and diplomats from Poland and Germany, Ukraine, Belarus and the USA discussed these and other questions at the fifth German-Polish Round Table in Wojnowice.

With its over­ar­ching theme “How fragile is the Putin system?” the recent meeting of LibMod’s Expert Network Russia at the Eastern Studies Centre in Warsaw sent a clear message: A fragile Russia...

Vladimir Putin’s brutal attack on Ukraine has changed Germany’s perspec­tive of Russia by high­lighting the country’s impe­ri­alism and Ukraine’s central role as the empire’s crown jewel.

Biomethane is an important element on the path to climate neutrality — thus the demand is great in Germany. This paper describes the potential that lies in the German-Ukrainian biomethane coop­er­a­tion — and how existing hurdles can be overcome.

Gershon Baskin is one of the leading voices on the Middle East peace process and one of the few Israelis with direct contact to Hamas. For almost two decades, he was in contact with Ghazi Hamad, one of organisation’s senior political leaders. In this interview, Baskin provides insights into Hamas’ ideology, its often presumed will­ing­ness to sign ceasefire agree­ments and into ways to combat the organization’s cult of death.

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.

Russia’s war of aggres­sion against Ukraine and its attempt to destroy Europe’s post-Cold War security order have triggered a series of crises that consti­tute the continent’s most severe upheavals in more...

It is remark­able that Ukraine is making progress in imple­menting 7 EU Commis­sion prior­i­ties despite Russia’s ongoing war of aggres­sion. In his policy brief, Leonid Litra empha­sises why the EU enlarge­ment and deepening process should take place simul­ta­ne­ously and argues why the EU should start accession nego­ti­a­tions with Ukraine this year.

On the 8th of November the European Commis­sion will for the first time ever present an enlarge­ment report with recom­men­da­tions on Georgia. A few weeks later, the European Council will take a political decision on whether Georgia will be granted candidate status or will have to wait until autumn 2024. In his policy brief, Ivane Chkhik­vadze analyses the current state of EU reforms and makes concrete recom­men­da­tions for action.

The Moldovan expert, Denis Cenusa, analyses in his polcy brief that the Republic of Moldova has made progress in imple­menting the 9 prior­i­ties of the EU Commis­sion, but also points out the obstacles and short­com­ings, espe­cially in the area of the judiciary and the fight against corrup­tion. Never­the­less, he recom­mends that, given the geopo­lit­ical and strategic reasons, the EU should start accession nego­ti­a­tions with Ukraine and Moldova as well as with Georgia in December 2023.

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.

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?

Arkady Mil-Man was Israeli ambas­sador to Russia and now heads the Russia program at think tank Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv. In an interview with Till Schmidt, Mil-Man explains the role Russia played in Hamas’s attack on Israel and the rela­tion­ship between the Russian and Iranian regimes.

Many Western observers seem to assume that the Polish opposition’s victory in the parlia­men­tary elections will mean a return to the pre-populist era before the PiS came to power. In their minds, Donald Tusk will quickly reverse eight years of right-wing policies, realign Warsaw with its Western partners, and bring Poland back into the happy fold of the European family.Five reasons why these expec­ta­tions are overblown. 

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.

“Poland was Ukraine’s staunchest ally. Why is it now turning into a bitter rival? War fatigue has set in – and nation­alist populists are stoking cross-border enmity in a brutal campaign for re-election.” An Op-Ed for The Guardian from Karolina Wigura und Jaroslaw Kuisz.

One year after Ukraine was granted EU candidate status, we invited high-ranking repre­sen­ta­tives of the EU and Germany as well as experts from leading European think tanks to take stock of devel­op­ments so far. The discus­sion in Berlin on 18/​19 September also looked at the prospects for 2024 and tried to identify necessary reforms.

Ukraine is fighting for its national survival and for its future as part of a united Europe, the transat­lantic alliance and the Free World. Europe and the United States must help...

Ecology and freedom: how can we reconcile the two? What does a liberal climate policy look like and what funda­mental questions will it have to answer? We will discuss these questions at our confer­ence “Ecology & Freedom” on 29 November in Berlin. Among others with: Robert Habeck, Ursula Weiden­feld, Claus Leggewie, Michael Zürn, Ralf Fücks, Lukas Köhler, Andreas Jung and many others. 

Our major inter­na­tional confer­ence “Ukraine and Us” in the Repre­sen­ta­tion of the State of Hesse in Berlin generated a great deal of interest. More than 30 invited experts discussed the question “What does Russian aggres­sion mean for Europe” in 7 panels in front of an audience of more than 160 people.

Israel and Iran: Iranian-Israeli author Meir Javendafar in an interview with Till Schmidt about the mutual percep­tion of the two countries, the current situation of protests and Russia’s influence on the nuclear agreement.

Russia is unlikely to disin­te­grate soon, but its current lead­er­ship can no longer guarantee stability. The war against Ukraine and the Wagner mutiny have shown that Putin’s regime is both...

In an Op-Ed for spiegel.de, Ralf Fücks and Marieluise Beck present 10 propo­si­tions about what is at stake in Russia’s war against Ukraine and what needs to be done.

In the light of Vladimir Putin’s military failures in Ukraine and discus­sions about Russia’s possible future after Putin, there has been much discus­sion recently about Russia “disin­te­grating” or “falling apart”...

On the 24th of August Ukraine cele­brates its Inde­pen­dence Day. An inde­pen­dence for which the country pays a high price. In his commen­tary, Vitaly Sych, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian media house NV, explains why it will still be a day of hope.

Ukraine must rely on its partners for funding to win the war and rebuild the country. This year’s Ukraine Recovery Confer­ence (URC) was an oppor­tu­nity for Ukraine to build trust and trans­parency regarding its plans and goals for the funding. Now Ukraine should address its long-term chal­lenges and its commit­ment to build a stable business envi­ron­ment, while preparing for the URC 2024. Despite or even because of the ongoing war Ukraine should make reforms its priority next to fighting Russia and liber­ating its territories.

Karolina Wigura at the LAMPA Conver­sa­tion Festival in Cēsis, Latvia on “Democracy and its enemies: How Not to Lose the Battle”. Putin’s war of aggres­sion in Ukraine has created new geopo­lit­ical and security realities that no longer leave Europe in peace. We are facing a decade of turbu­lence — how can we weather this storm? What are the threats to our democracies?

The failed Wagner rebellion has dras­ti­cally revealed the weakness of the Putin regime. Supporting Ukraine is now the West’s most effective lever to promote political change in Russia, argue Maria...

On June 15th, LibMod organized a Round Table on the prospects of a German-Ukrainian biomethane coop­er­a­tion where the repre­sen­ta­tives from politics and business as well as experts from both countries discussed the potential of biomethane produc­tion in Ukraine, its role in facil­i­tating a green tran­si­tion, and economic and legisla­tive chal­lenges for the trade development.

After granting Moldova EU candidate status, the EU now expects serious reforms — espe­cially in the areas of de-oligarchiza­tion and anti-corrup­tion. In a policy brief, Moldovan expert Denis Cenusa evaluates Moldova’s progress in meeting these requirements.

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 response to the Russian invasion and the attacks on the energy infra­struc­ture, Ukraine’s govern­ment has priori­tised energy decen­tral­i­sa­tion as one of the direc­tions for improving energy security and resilience. The author of the brief, Oleksii Romanov, covers the current state of the industry and the stim­u­la­tion system, analyses the plans for reforming this system, drafts the prin­ci­ples to guide future policy and the potential areas of German-Ukrainian coop­er­a­tion for the decen­tral­i­sa­tion of Ukraine’s energy system.

Blowing up of the Kachowka Dam repre­sents a crime against humanity. The people in the flooded areas are literally faced with nothing — and yet want to keep fighting. Marieluise Beck was in Kherson with Ukrainian aid organizations.

Another Russia is possible: On 5/​6 June, repre­sen­ta­tives of the Russian oppo­si­tion and the EU discussed the perspec­tives of a post-imperial and demo­c­ratic Russia. LibMod Director Ralf Fücks summa­rizes the four key takeaways.

The geostrategic potential of the Black Sea region has often been over­looked. Natalia Stercul analyses why this is changing in the face of the war, what economic perspec­tives are open to the EU and what part the Republic of Moldova plays in this.

More than 120 experts from a dozen countries attended the fifth edition of our confer­ence “Russia and the West” on 20 April in Berlin. The partic­i­pants, including prominent Russian oppo­si­tion figures in exile, discussed future policy towards Moscow and post-Putin scenarios.

Der russische Kernen­ergiemo­nop­o­list Rosatom scheint von Sank­tionen verschont zu bleiben – trotz seiner Rolle bei der Besetzung des Kernkraftwerks Sapor­ischschja und der faktis­chen Erpres­sung Europas. Wie die Lage in Sapor­ischschja und anderen AKWs in der Ukraine ist, welche Sank­tionen gegen Rosatom verhängt werden sollten und wie sich der Westen von der russis­chen Atom­in­dus­trie unab­hängig machen kann – darüber disku­tierten bei LibMod am 27. April Anton Hofreiter, Victoria Voit­sitska und Rebecca Harms. 

This policy brief gives an overview of the current state of the Ukrainian energy system and the chal­lenges that emerged because of the war, but also the chances for the sustain­able recon­struc­tion of the energy sector. In order to modernise the economy on a sustain­able basis Ukraine needs signif­i­cant private invest­ments. At the same time, the large-scale recon­struc­tion of the energy sector offers oppor­tu­ni­ties for German and EU companies to partic­i­pate in the “green” devel­op­ment of the Ukrainian economy.

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.

The EU wants to promote the rule of law in Ukraine, but what external measures are needed to achieve this and what are the Ukrainian realities? This is analyzed by Maryna Rabi­novych in the LibMod policy paper.

The West must consis­tently punish sanction viola­tions, lower the price ceiling for Russian oil and make itself inde­pen­dent of the Russian nuclear industry — Sergiy Petukhov on the effect and future of sanctions against Russia.

During an online discus­sion, Polish expert Maria Domanska and Russian oppo­si­tion leader Vladimir Milov presented their policy papers about future scenarios for Russia. Here is what they had to say.

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

PUBLIC CALL Demon­stra­tion and rally on the anniver­sary of the Russian invasion

The EU must become an autonomous foreign policy actor and use its enlarge­ment policy to address the chal­lenges posed by Russia’s aggres­sion. A Policy Paper by Laure Delcour and Kataryna Wolczuk.

The war in Ukraine is putting the future of Russia more and more in our hands. A decisive victory of Ukraine makes an end to the Putin regime more likely. The West needs to prepare for this moment because it may offer a short oppor­tu­nity to encourage the country to embark on a more demo­c­ratic and law-abinding path, writes Maria Domanska.

Putin has turned Russia into a dicta­tor­ship, but the country is by no means destined to be a dark impe­ri­al­istic power. The Free World needs to support Russia’s next attempt for demo­c­ratic change instead of snubbing it, writes Vladimir Milov.

Lukaschenka präsen­tiert sich seinem Volk als Garant des Friedens, sein Regime scheint gefestigt – solange Russland den Krieg in der Ukraine nicht verliert. 

Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has changed the geopo­lit­ical realities in Europe, spelling the end to Russia’s position as Europe’s most important energy supplier. As a result, today Russia has the dubious distinc­tion of being the most sanc­tioned nation in the world’s history.

During an Inspiring Round­table last week, we discussed the West’s future Russia policy on the basis of four key countries’ approach — Poland, France, Germany and the US. Some short takeaways:

French policy towards Russia was based on self-serving delusions that led to dangerous failures and exac­er­bated Putin’s paranoia. The West needs to overhaul its policies and build a strong security system in Europe and beyond.

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

Russia’s war against Ukraine has upended not just relations with the West but is testing the inter­na­tional system as a whole. The urgent need for new thinking has prompted the Center of Liberal Modernity to set up its Expert Network Russia, which met in Vilnius under the headline “Rethinking Russia” for the first time on 31 October.

“Rethinking Russia”: On 31 October, we opened our new project “Expert Network Russia” with a confer­ence in Vilnius. Here is a selection of photographs from the event.

The Center for Liberal Modernity’s Expert Network Russia kicked off last week with a one-day meeting in Vilnius. In his opening remarks, Ralf Fücks reminded everyone why we need to Rethink Russia.

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”.

What’s at stake for the US and what impact of the outcome of the midterms will have – an Interview with Clay Risen

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.

Poland’s complex rela­tion­ship with Russia is deeply inter­twined with Germany and Ukraine, Janusz Reiter writes.

Germany’s decades-long policy of political part­ner­ship with Russia is in tatters — instead of a friendly demo­c­ratic country it got an aggres­sive dicta­tor­ship. To avoid future failures, we need strength and resilience, writes Ulrich Speck.

It is time to think about a Russia after Putin. If defeated in Ukraine, condi­tions in the country will also change. Whether for the better or the worse is an open question. Without a departure from the imperial delusion, Russia will remain in the eternal vicious circle of war politics and author­i­tarian rule.

The US tried to integrate Russia with the liberal inter­na­tional order, but Putin destroyed the basis for coop­er­a­tion by disman­teling democracy and seeking domi­na­tion of his neighbors, writes Dan Fried.

Half a year after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion, the West should continue to support Ukraine with further arms deliveries.

Under Orbán’s pressure, the EU-Commis­sion has removed the Russian Patriarch Kirill from the sanctions list – a fatal under­es­ti­ma­tion of the powerful role of the Russian-Orthodox Church in the war against Ukraine.

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 tensions between Taipei and Beijing are also the result of an US non-commit­­ment, according to Bonnie Glaser, Director of the German Marshall Fund’s Asia Programme.

China reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan with military exercises. Christina Sadeler spoke to I‑Chung Lai, a senior adviser to the Taiwan Thinktank about Taiwanese perspec­tives on the visit and...

Since the protests in August 2020, the ille­git­i­mate lead­er­ship of the Republic of Belarus sees itself at war against the “collec­tive West”, but it is waging the battle against its...

The war in Ukraine will throw Russia into an economic crisis, which it will try to combat through fossil fuels reversing the started green transition

Marieluise Beck is asked if she changed her mind about German foreign policy after recent arms deliv­eries. She also speaks about mistakes made by previous govern­ments and former Chan­cellor Schröders...

The Tehran-Moscow axis seems threat­ening, but it was born out of necessity and does not change much for Israel and the Middle East. However, the Russia-Israel rela­tion­ship has already deteriorated...

In the once secular US, religious funda­men­tal­ists are increas­ingly gaining influence, as most recently shown by the abortion ruling. Trump has appointed 120 conser­v­a­tive judges during his term in office...

In Sri Lanka, demon­stra­tors have taken over the pres­i­den­tial palace, partly because the prices of wheat and petrol have risen immea­sur­ably as a result of the war in Ukraine. Russia is...

In Israel, Chinese invest­ments are increas­ingly viewed crit­i­cally, partly because of China’s relations with Iran. On the other hand, China offers enormous economic oppor­tu­ni­ties, according to Galia Lavi of the...

Chan­cellor Scholz supports Ukraine only so much that it can defend itself with diffi­culty, but cannot launch a coun­ter­at­tack. But if Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, there will be no...

What happened in Srebrenica 27 years ago is now occurring in Bucha, Mariupol and other areas of Ukraine conquered by Russia. An essay by Marieluise Beck

Oil and gas revenues continue to fill the Russian war chest. In order to damage the Russian economy severely, a drop in the supply of products for the IT sector would...

Open letter to the German Govern­ment and the Bundestag: Russian warfare fulfils the central char­ac­ter­is­tics of genocide. Germany must fulfil its “Respon­si­bility to Protect”.

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...

EU research has shown that a credible member­ship perspec­tive is an effective means of anchoring liberal democracy from the outside. That is why Ukraine must now be granted candidate status.

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...

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...

Hong Kong’s free society is being destroyed by China’s National Security Laws. With the election of John Lee as Chief Executive, a nightmare has come true for Hong Kong’s democracy movement....

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 ...

Just a day after the first videos of the Bucha massacre were posted to social media, on 3 April 2022, Hungary’s FIDESZ-Christian Demo­c­ratic alliance won its fourth consec­u­tive landslide victory with 54,10%,...

Russia’s war of aggres­sion against Ukraine is a turning point for Europe and the whole world. What are its policy impli­ca­tions? Are the sanctions imposed so far suffi­cient to contain the...

So far, the people of Ukraine have borne the burden of the war all alone. For the German precept of “never again”, this is a reality shock, comments Marieluise Beck.

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...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reaching a perilous stage. The West needs to step up efforts to make Putin’s war unwinnable. Conces­sions will only prolong his regime and increase Moscow’s appetite...

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...

Military expert Gustav C. Gressel on the war in Ukraine: The outcome will depend in part on whether the West supplies Ukraine with the weapons it needs. It is also...

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.

By waging a war against Ukraine, Putin has badly miscal­cu­lated. The Russian leader has become victim of his own propa­gan­distic visions and failed to antic­i­pate the Western respo­nse, writes Vladislav Inozemtsev.

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...

We must stop funding Putin’s war with our energy imports

French election campaigns are usually desper­ately navel-gazing. Foreign policy issues are all but absent from the debate. And even in ‘ordinary’ times, all main­stream evening news programmes consider inter­na­tional news...

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

Statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Two prominent members of the Ukrainian parlia­ment appeal to their colleagues in the German Bundestag to stand by Ukraine in the face of Russian threats of war.

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...

Finally: Here are the Insights and High­lights of our Inter­na­tional Confer­ence “Rethinking Liber­alism, Renewing Democracy”!

How should the West counter Russian threats of war? We document Ralf Fücks’ OP ED at DIE WELT, 21.12.2021.

This Wednesday, the Eastern Part­ner­ship Summit will take place for the first time in four years. On this occasion, Iryna Solonenko, Senior Fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity, sheds...

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...

The political crisis in Georgia continues after the municipal runoff elections. The close election result exac­er­bates the polar­iza­tion between the supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition...

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...

The consid­er­able break­throughs in the EU-Ukraine economic agenda have been harmed by sluggish political devel­op­ment, partic­u­larly concerning the rule of law. The judicial reform, anti-corrup­­tion efforts, inde­pen­dent and efficient law-enforcement...

  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...

Europe is suffering from high gas prices. At some gas hubs, they increased more than 250% since January, and already have impact on the retail prices for house­holds in many...

In the LibMod Policy Paper: Assess­ment of progress in the fight against corrup­tion in the EU-asso­­ci­ated states of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, our author Dr. Khatia Kikalishvili argues that insufficient...

When Angela Merkel took office as German Chan­cellor in 2005, she was better prepared for the chal­lenges on the EU’s eastern border than any other West European head of government....

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...

The reactions in Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recent visit to the United States vary widely and are often politi­cized. They range from state­ments that the visit lifted relations to...

A year ago protests began against electoral fraud in Belarus. Dictator Lukashenko responded with a wave of harsh state violence, which led to the country being further isolated and sanc­tioned internationally....

The impact of the Biden-Merkel-Agreement on Nord Stream 2 in Ukraine is simply disas­trous. Espe­cially among western oriented, reform-minded people trust in Germany and the US fell at a record low. China...

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

In this analyses Dmytro Shulga argues for the EU and specif­i­cally Germany to consider it’s own strategic gains in offering Ukraine a way to full EU member­ship over an extended amount...

Digi­tal­iza­tion repre­sents one of the major chal­lenges of our time. Hence, it is crucial to obtain a profound under­standing of the digital trans­for­ma­tion in order to be able to design and steer it.

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

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...

The recent visit of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv has generated some interest in Ukraine and beyond. This face-to-face meeting was a good oppor­tu­nity for the United...

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.

The protests in Belarus in 2020 did not lead to a change in gov­ern­ment. But Lukashenko’s chosen way of brutal suppres­sion will not gain him any popular support — and is...

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...

Since January 2021 there has been growing military esca­la­tion in conflict-affected areas of Donbas. Russia has built up military equipment deploy­ment along the Russian-Ukrainian border, repo­si­tioned its army and strengthened...

Lukas Daubner argues that the liberal forces of all stripes should once again take a positive view of the future.

Slovakia is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in Europe. After MP Matovic and several ministers resigned, liberal oppo­si­tion politi­cian Michal Simecka demands a fast solution to the...

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...

Anna Donath, MEP, comments on Orban’s FIDESZ Party leaving the European People Party’s (EPP) faction in the European Parlia­ment and a new alliance of the Hungarian oppo­si­tion gainst the anti-european Prime...

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is facing protests and requests to resign after Armenia lost the war with Azer­baijan for Nagorno Karabakh. Richard Giragosian, Director of the inde­pen­dent Think­tanks Regional...

Only temporarily, says Michael Zürn, Director at the Berlin Social Science Center. 

Only temporarily, says Michael Zürn, Director at the Berlin Social Science Center. 

While violence thrives in silence, it has no chance to persist if brought to public attention. Inter­na­tional attention and support to the people in Belarus are now more crucial than...

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...

A four-month stand-off between Belaru­sian strongman Alexander Lukashenko and the pro-demo­c­ratic protesters posed a serious challenge for the EU. The block that had announced its ambition to become a geopo­lit­ical actor, has...

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.

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

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

In Germany, a majority favour closer ties with Russia despite new autho­ri­anism under Putin, military aggres­sion against Ukraine and bombing in Syria. Where does the desire for a special rela­tion­ship with Russia...

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

Ahead to the Past – The World in the Mind of Putin Эту статью можно читать и на русском

The paper ‘From status quo to status reform: Account­able Gover­nance in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova’ argues that greater priority should be attached to the rule of law and demo­c­ratic governance...

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

Tradi­tional oppo­si­tion parties and movements has long seized to be a polit­i­cally mean­ingful force in Belarus. It is time for Western decision-makers to finally admit this unpleasant reality and shift its...

In the LibMod policy paper: “The Eastern Partnership’s Missing Security Dimension” Gustav C. Gressel analyses the precar­ious security situation in the three EU associate countries and sheds light on EU...

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...

An intro­duc­tion to our report and a summary of our results.

Fly less! Eat less meat! In the struggle against climate change, there is one thing in partic­ular we should do: moderate our lifestyles. Indi­vidual respon­si­bility defi­nitely matters. Will renun­ci­a­tion and...

On this date 74 years ago, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau exter­mi­na­tion camp. The 27th of January became the Day of Remem­brance for the Victims of National Socialism. Much has...

On January 17 the Centre for Liberal Modernity held its second inter­na­tional Russia confer­ence. This year’s topic was if Germany’s policy of detente of the 1970s can offer any guidance...

The book discussed below (Why we need peace and freedom with Russia) explic­itly presents itself as an appeal for a change in Germany’s policy towards Russia. It brings together authors from...