Repression is inten­si­fying in Georgia: following an attempt to introduce a Russian-inspired foreign agents law, targeted attacks on civil society, protesters, and independent media have ensued. Civic space is increas­ingly being restricted – through surveil­lance, legal crack­downs, and the targeted perse­cution of critical voices. To withstand this crucial fight for democracy, Georgian civil society now urgently needs clear and decisive support from Europe. Ivane Chkhik­vadze from the Civil Society Foundation analyzes this escalation and outlines concrete expec­ta­tions towards the EU.

Ukraine’s membership bid taken on real momentum since the country applied for EU membership in the early days of the full-scale invasion. Though Ukraine’s track record is generally positive, the devil is in the details. Difficult reforms, especially in the judiciary, require the attention and support of the EU and its member states.

Georgia’s democracy is on the brink of collapse following the fraud­ulent parlia­mentary elections in October 2024 and the violent crackdown by the ruling regime under the Georgian Dream party. In his policy brief, Sergi Kapanadze analyses how the country’s pro-European course has been derailed by systematic election manip­u­lation and repression. His analysis includes concrete recom­men­da­tions for the inter­na­tional community and a call to act now.

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.

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.

On 14–15 December 2023, the European Council decided to open accession negoti­a­tions with the Republic of Moldova if progress can be made in imple­menting EU reforms, partic­u­larly in the Rule of Law. Since then, the Moldovan government has been contin­u­ously imple­menting the EU reforms. How should Moldova’s progress towards EU accession negoti­a­tions be assessed? What are the next steps in the EU integration process for Moldova? How can the EU and Germany support and accompany Moldova on its European path? 

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...

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.

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...

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.

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 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.

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.

The danger of Russian aggression in the Republic of Moldova is real, comments Dymutru Minzarari. He proposes concrete steps for Germany and the EU to ensure effective support in the field of security policy.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine raises questions about the security of Eastern European countries seeking membership in the EU and NATO — especially Ukraine. Mykhailo Samus analyses the missing security dimension and necessary changes in Western security policy.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows Russia’s imperi­alist expan­sionist strategies, Georgia became a primary target of this power politics in 2008. Sergi Kapanadze describes what steps the West should take for a new and robust security strategy within the Eastern Partnership.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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

Statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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...

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

Der belarusian President leaves it to orthodox priests und the KGB to fight the epidemic. The people are getting more and more upset because the government can no longer hide...

Many EU capitals regard Belarus as an extension of Russia and take little interest in it. EU leaders are also uncom­fortable dealing with its long-time autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenka. Such...

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...

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...

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...

What will be at stake when Moscow and Beijing begin to share their lessons?

Are Russia’s inter­ven­tions in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria merely a reaction against the expansion of NATO? Facts and arguments concerning a propa­ganda myth.

The elections on April 8, 2018 gave Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party another two-thirds majority in parliament. Attila Juhasz explains why this does not imply a broad support for the concept of ‘illib­erale democracy’. The hungarian...

On March 13 the Center Liberal Modernity held its first inter­na­tional conference on Russia. The event’s main intention was gaining a deeper under­standing of the Putin System and to find out...

A Russian agent who switched sides is attacked with a military-grade nerve agent in a provincial English town. Prime Minister May holds Moscow respon­sible for the attack. Are we back in the...

Recapit­u­lation of a faltering peace process: the second Minsk Agreement of February 2015, intended to put an end to the war in eastern Ukraine and to set a political process in motion,...