Foreign policy & defence
As a former diplomat to the US, I know how Britain needs to respond to Trump after his Iran deal decision with realism
10 May 2018
The Independent
European leaders have to deal with the president they have, not the one they wish they had.
CER podcast: Defence co-operation after Brexit: A positive sum game?
26 April 2018
Beth Oppenheim talks to Sophia Besch about the difficulties the UK and the EU face as they try to negotiate the conditions for European military co-operation and defence industrial policy after Brexit.
European Parliament: The UK's EU defence relationship post-Brexit
26 April 2018
The UK has often been an obstacle to EU defence integration, but it wants a closer defence relationship after Brexit, Ian Bond of the CER told the European Parliament, SEDE Committee Meeting (from 53.00 mins).
Voice of America: Macron, Merkel US visits highlight policy tensions with Trump
25 April 2018
Sophia Besch a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to Voice of America about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Washington later this week.
Germany's arms exports have spiked, despite domestic opposition and public scrutiny
19 April 2018
World Politics Review
Between 2014 and 2017, Germany’s government approved some $31 billion in weapons sales, including almost $18 billion to countries outside the European Union and the NATO alliance.
LBC: How will Russia react to allied strike on Syria
14 April 2018
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform speaks to LBC about how Russia will react or retaliate to the allied strikes on Syria.
Don't be a stranger! EU-UK foreign policy co-operation after Brexit
13 April 2018
E!Sharp
The world feels a dangerous place at present. Relations between the West and Russia are at their most confrontational since the Cold War.
CER Bulletin podcast: EU reform; Brexit and foreign policy; Europe and cyber security
11 April 2018
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Europäische Verteidigungspolitik: Jetzt geht’s um Resultate!
27 March 2018
Peace Lab
Ob die Gemeinsame Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik der EU wirklich vorankommt, hängt von der neuen Bundesregierung ab.
Ukraine is no blueprint for Brexit success
23 March 2018
EurActiv
As European leaders gather once again in Brussels, the European Parliament has recommended the UK consider an association agreement with the EU after Brexit.
CER podcast: Security after Brexit
14 March 2018
Sophia Besch asks Camino Mortera-Martinez about future UK-EU justice and home affairs co-operation.
Trump is no ally on trade for post-Brexit Britain
09 March 2018
EurActiv
If there were any faint hopes that the deep cultural and commercial ties between the UK and the US would secure a sweetheart free trade deal for the smaller UK after it leaves the European Union, they are now surely dashed.
Why Germany must spend more on defence
06 March 2018
CNN
Now that Germany has a new government, investing in defense and the transatlantic relationship has to be a priority for Angela Merkel.
How to think about Britain's post Brexit foreign policy
05 March 2018
E!Sharp
What impact will Brexit have on the UK’s foreign and security policy? While many Brexiteers argue it will lead to a global Britain, for many others it is clear it will result in a substantial loss of international influence.
Judy Asks: Is Central Europe damaging EU enlargement?
28 February 2018
Carnegie Europe
The EU’s big bang enlargement has always generated mixed feelings.
Waiting for Putin and Assad to run out of people to kill. Is that our plan?
25 February 2018
The Observer
It has been a quieter than average week in Syria. More than 400 people were killed in the unimaginably awful siege of eastern Ghouta, most of them civilians.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change - Podcast: A Germany special - politics and defence
19 February 2018
Shashank Joshi and Simon Tilford of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change sit down with the Centre for European Reform's Sophia Besch to discuss the twists and turns of Germany's coalition talks, and the state of Germany's military.
What defence policy for the next German government?
19 February 2018
E!Sharp
As they try to form a coalition government after last September’s inconclusive elections, Germany’s politicians are debating Germany's role in protecting Europe.
PESCO unlikely to deliver much in the short term
13 February 2018
The Progressive Post
PESCO, or permanent structured co-operation, is a political framework that aims to help EU countries develop military capabilities together and improve their ability to deploy them.
BBC Radio 4 - A very British battle
12 February 2018
Sophia Besch, a research fellow at the CER speaks to Caroline Wyatt about the UK’s future defence relationship with Europe after Brexit (from 12:40 mins).