The Black Sea is geopolitically significant as both a theater of trade and a theater of war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shifted the traditional balance between Moscow and Ankara in the region and has led to an increased NATO presence there. Can the EU leverage its economic and foreign policy tools to expand its influence in the Black Sea?Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe, and Dimitar Bechev, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, discuss why the Black Sea is once again at the center of world events and what the future holds for the region.[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:50] The Black Sea Today, [00:07:45] The Russian-Turkish Cohabitation [00.17.58] What Future for the Black Sea Region.Neal Ascherson, "Black Sea," Hill and Wang, Cambridge University Press, 1995Dimitar Bechev, February 28, 2023, “Sailing Through the Storm: Türkiye’s Black Sea Strategy Amidst the Russian-Ukrainian War,” European Union Institute for Security Studies.Dimitar Bechev, February 27, 2023, “Facing tragedy, Turkey mends ties with Greece and Armenia,” Al Jazeera.Dimitar Bechev, April 13, 2022, “Russia, Turkey and the Spectre of Regional Instability,” Al Sharq Strategic Research.Dimitar Bechev, March 30, 2022, “Turkey’s Response to the War in Ukraine,” Maple Institute.Thomas de Waal, July 07, 2022, “How Georgia Stumbled on the Road to Europe,” Foreign Policy.Thomas de Waal, June 09, 2022, “Georgia, Europe’s Problem Child,” Carnegie Europe.Thomas de Waal, May 10, 2022, “A Fragile Stability in Moldova,” Carnegie Europe.Thomas de Waal, March 03, 2022, “Darkness Looms Over Ukraine’s Neighborhood,” Carnegie Europe.Charles King, "The Black Sea: A History," Oxford University Press, 2005.

Iranians are revolting against a regime built on the systematic oppression of women, marginalized groups, and civil society. Against this background, as well as Tehran’s ties with authoritarian powers and the risk of escalating the nuclear file, the EU must reorient its approach by placing human rights and security at the center of its policy. Only then can it play a greater role in ensuring a brighter future for all Iranians and securing nuclear non-proliferation.Cornelius Adebahr, a nonresident fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Barbara Mittelhammer, a political analyst and consultant, discuss how the feminist nature of the protests can transform the country and lead to a re-think of the EU’s relations with Tehran.[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:46] Iran in Present Day, [00:10:06] 30 years of EU Engagement with Iran, [00:15:38] A New Approach Toward Iran.Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, March 31, 2023, “Half a year of feminist revolt in Iran,” Delegation of Die LINKE in the European Parliament.Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, December 5, 2022, “Sketching a Feminist EU Response to the Revolt in Iran,” Carnegie Europe.Cornelius Adebahr, January 17, 2023, “Europe Needs a New Iran Strategy,” Carnegie Europe.Cornelius Adebahr, September 8, 2021, “Looking Beyond Iran to the Persian Gulf,” German Council on Foreign Relations. Cornelius Adebahr and Olivia Lazard, July 7, 2023, “How the EU Can Help Iran Tackle Water Scarcity,”, Carnegie Europe.Cornelius Adebahr, October 11, 2022, “Can Protests in Iran Topple the Regime?,” Carnegie Europe.Cornelius Adebahr et al., January 20, 2022, “How the Transatlantic Relationship Has Evolved, One Year Into the Biden Administration,” Carnegie Europe. Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, January 2, 2023, “’Women, Life, Freedom’: A German feminist foreign policy towards Iran,” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.Cornelius Adebahr, March 21, 2023, “What Germany’s turning point means for its feminist foreign policy,” Politico.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Zeitenwende speech in February 2022 laid the groundwork for a transformation of Germany’s foreign and security policy. One year in, how much has Berlin’s positioning on Russia, energy, and defense changed?  Judy Dempsey, a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Sophia Besch, a fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, sit down to unpack Germany’s traditional approach toward the military, current security and defense policies, and future relations with the United States, Russia, and China.  [00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:45] Present State of German Defense, [00:12:29] German Defense Prior to 2022, [00:23:02] German Security Relations in the FutureSophia Besch, December 21, 2022, “EU Defense and the War in Ukraine”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  Judy Dempsey, January 10, 2023, “Germany Must Move Past the Crossroads,” Carnegie Europe.  Sophia Besch and Sarah Brockmeier, March 9, 2022, “Waking a Sleeping Giant: What’s Next for German Security Policy,” War on the Rocks.Sophia Besch, January 2023, “To really modernize its armed forces, Germany needs a long-term increase of its defence budget,” 49Security.  Sophia Besch and Liana Fix, November 21, 2022, “Don’t let Zeitenwende get derailed,” War on the Rocks.Sophia Besch, “Ukraine’s Silver Tank? | The World Unpacked,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  Judy Dempsey, January 24, 2023, “Europe Waits for German Leadership,” Carnegie Europe.  Judy Dempsey, January 26, 2023, “Scholz’s Tank Decision Upends Germany’s Long Affair with Russia,” Carnegie Europe.

Nearly a decade has passed since Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine. This tumultuous period has left a profound mark on Ukrainian society and cultivated a culture of resilience.Gwendolyn Sasse, a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Yuliya Bidenko, an associate professor of political science at Karazin Kharkiv National University, discuss Ukraine’s recent history, the perseverance of its people, and its hopes for the future.Yuliya Bidenko, “How Ukraine Was Underestimated: Decentralization, EU Integration and Digitalization.” ZOiS Lecture Series in cooperation with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, July 14, 2022.Yuliya Bidenko, “(De)Structuring of the Civil Society in the Political Process in Ukraine and Belarus,” in The Nonprofit Sector in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia: Civil Society Advances and Challenges, ed. D.H. Smith, A.V. Moldavanova, and S. Krasynska, (Leiden, Netherlands, and Boston, MA: Brill Publishers, 2018). Gwendolyn Sasse and Alice Lackner, “War and State-Making in Ukraine: Forging a Civic Identity from Below?,”Ideology and Politics 1, no. 12, 2019.Gwendolyn Sasse, “Public Perceptions in Flux: Identities, War, and Transnational Linkages in Ukraine,” June 12, 2018, ZOiS.“What Ukrainians Think About Ukraine’s Movement Towards EU Membership – Survey,” last modified January 10, 2023, New Europe Center.“Social Screening of Ukrainian Society During the Russian Invasion,” last modified October 7, 2022, Gradus.“Results-2022: Under the blue-yellow flag of freedom!,” last modified January 5, 2023, Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.Sergiy Solodkyy and Gwendolyn Sasse. “The Link Between Decentralization and EU Integration,” New Europe Center and Centre for East European and International Studies.Rosa Balfour and Thomas de Waal, “How Russia Shattered Europe’s Post-Cold War Illusions,” September 14, 2022, Carnegie Europe.Gwendolyn Sasse, “The Risks of Negotiating an End to the War in Ukraine,” December 6, 2022, Carnegie Europe.Gwendolyn Sasse, “Der Krieg Gegen Die Ukraine” (Munich, Germany: C.H. Beck) 2022.

Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, the results of which will have significant repercussions for the country’s economic and foreign policies.  Sinan Ülgen and Marc Pierini, senior fellows at Carnegie Europe, analyze the current state of affairs in Turkey and lay out the implications of new leadership in Ankara for Europe and the world.Marc Pierini (November 17, 2022), Understanding Turkey’s Geostrategic Posture, Carnegie Europe.Marc Pierini and Sinan Ülgen (May 19, 2022), Two Turkey Experts on Why Erdoğan Is Rejecting NATO Expansion, Carnegie Europe.Marc Pierini, (August 30, 2022), Understanding the Erdoğan-Putin Duet, Carnegie Europe.Alper Coşkun and Sinan Ülgen (November 14, 2022), Political Change and Turkey’s Foreign Policy, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.