Russia’s military actions in 2014 and 2015, particularly in Crimea, Ukraine, and Syria, have upended expectations among NATO members about their security and the future course of NATO-Russian relations. In response, many of the NATO states bordering Russia have argued for reinvigorating NATO’s deterrent capabilities after two decades of drawing down conventional and nuclear forces in the immediate post-Cold War era. At its 2014 summit in Wales, NATO agreed to a number of short-term measures to bolster the alliance’s conventional deterrent, dubbed the Readiness Action Plan. But as the standoff with Russia has continued, some analysts—particularly in the United States—have argued for additional deterrence measures, including in the nuclear realm.

In response, researchers from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey travelled to the NATO front-line states of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Turkey to assess the perceptions of governmental and nongovernmental experts regarding how NATO should respond to Russian actions, with an emphasis on how nuclear issues should be addressed. The research was conducted with the aim of providing analysis and recommendations to NATO states in advance of the July 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw. The report highlights the key findings of this research, provides analysis on a country-by-country basis, and concludes with recommendations for consideration in Warsaw.

Date                 Monday, 7 March  at 14.30

Venue              University Foundation, 11 rue d’Egmont, 1000 Brussels

Moderator      Klaus Linsenmeier,Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union

Speakers     

• Miles Pomper, Senior Fellow, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey
• Prof. Dr. Sven Biscop, Director, Europe in the World Programme, Egmont, Royal Institute for International Relations

No admittance without confirmed registration.  E-Mail registration only.  Please send the attached reply form to: julia.berghofer@eu.boell.org

The meeting is held under Chatham House Rule

Conference language English – no translation