Beyond Deterrence, Defence and Diplomacy: Possible Futures for the Eurasian Security Order

Geopolitical rivalries and high levels of conflict and tension characterize the contemporary European and global security order, in a period of radical global uncertainty. The ongoing war in Ukraine has exposed European vulnerabilities, arms control and disarmament treaties have been almost fully dismantled, and existing formal and informal institutions, security arrangements and treaties are no longer “fit for purpose” to meet these challenges. The broader European security order built after 1990, anchored around the concept of cooperative security and institutions such as the OSCE, is in tatters.

In this context, Europe’s place in the international security order has to be re-imagined and renegotiated, as European leaders attempt to provide security for their citizens from a variety of threats while balancing pressing and competing domestic challenges.

This two-day conference, and the broader project of which it is a part, will focus on thinking “forward” to what could be the central elements of a renewed “Europe and its neighbourhood” security architecture, the role that could be played by different institutions and arrangements, and the scope of arms control and disarmament and confidence and security-building arrangements, in the medium-term future. The objective is to identify entry points for “geopolitically informed peace promoting” ideas, policies and security arrangements.