Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the current Belarusian opposition leader, speaks with Belfer Center Fellow Svenja Kirsch on Belarusian Freedom and the War in Ukraine.

To support the commission, CSIS convened a series of working groups to address a range of issue-specific areas that are critical for reconstruction and modernization of the Ukrainian economy, including agriculture, energy, and transportation and logistics, as well as addressing the impact of corruption on private sector investment.

Experience has shown that countries should begin planning for the postwar period before the end of a war. The geostrategic stakes in Ukraine are such that failure could have disastrous consequences not just for Ukraine but also for the broader region. The war has already caused repercussions around the world through global food insecurity, a growing energy crisis, and disruptions of the broader global supply chains. It is in the national security interest of the G7 and European Union for Ukraine to become a modernized economy and remain a secure democracy.

The United States, European Union, and G7 should do everything possible to realize this vision after Ukraine wins the war with Russia. However, there will not be enough foreign assistance to rebuild Ukraine. Therefore, Ukraine and its allies need to create an environment within which businesses and companies have the confidence to invest and deliver the reconstruction the country critically needs.

This report is made possible by general support to CSIS and the support of the Royal Danish Embassy. 

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky serves as Co-Chair of the Commission tasked with creating the report.

From Afghanistan to the AUKUS alliance, the brief honeymoon between the European Union and U.S. President Joe Biden’s America looks to be over. But it’s important to remember, after the overinflated optimism that followed the end of the Trump years, that transatlantic relations have always had their frictions and frustrations, their ups and their downs — and we’re ready for a rebound once again.

Please join the Future of Diplomacy Project's Fisher Family Fellow, Ambassador Peter Wittig, for a virtual study group that explores how and to what extent the first 100 days of the Biden presidency has reset the transatlantic partnership.

What will Angela Merkel and Joe Biden discuss during the Chancellor's visit to the USA? Listen in for more. [translated from German; interview in German]

Chancellor Merkel visits the White House in what is likely to be her last such meeting after 16 years in power. U.S.-German relations have improved since the Trump era, but there are differences.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany will meet President Biden for talks at the White House during what will most likely be her final trip to Washington before leaving office.

What is the significance of Angela Merkel’s upcoming White House for the future of U.S.-German relations? Cathryn Clüver and Jeff Rathke join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the most important aspects of the July 15 meeting and how the U.S. and Germany can work together on a range of issues going forward.

This year marks the end of an era in German and European politics: Angela Merkel, the ever "reluctant leader of the West," will end her historic tenure as Chancellor. During the past 16 years, Chancellor Merkel has symbolised continuity, predictability, and stability for many European and international partners. But the world has become a less predictable and stable place during her tenure: Germany now faces a watershed moment for its European and international policy. Against this backdrop, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook reflects on how changing transatlantic ties, a challenging economic and political relationship with China, the recovering economy in Europe and the Eurozone and the weakening of the democratic fabric across Europe will dictate foreign policy options for the next German Chancellor.

President Joe Biden heads to Europe this week for his first foreign trip as president, intent on soldering back together the trans-Atlantic ties that were splintered by his predecessor.

But the Biden administration’s ability to renew Europeans’ faith in the long-term U.S. commitment to internationalism and the post-World War II democratic order is constrained by European concerns about recent domestic events, notably the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and Republican efforts to sow doubt about the integrity of elections and to restrict access to the ballot.