European Leadership Network
European Leadership Network (ELN) is a pan-European think-tank focusing on European foreign, defence and security issues based in London, United Kingdom.[1] The ELN's Director is Sir Adam Thomson,[2] former UK Permanent Representative to NATO.
History and Organisation
[edit]The ELN was founded as part of a project by the Nuclear Security Project in an effort to "help create the political space for dialogue, education and action on the vision and steps toward a world without nuclear weapons".[3] At the end of 2013 the ELN broadened its focus and remit of work to address a much wider range of foreign and security policy challenges facing Europe.
The ELN is currently chaired by former UK Defence Secretary Des Browne and is directed by Sir Adam Thomson.[4] In March 2015, Lord Browne and former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, both won the prestigious Nunn-Lugar Award for Promoting Nuclear Security, in part for their work with the European Leadership Network.[5]
The ELN specialises on security issues.[6]
On 27 March 2015, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced that it was funding the European Leadership Network for 24 months, as part of its philanthropic efforts.[7]
Activities
[edit]The ELN operates through a network of former European political, military, and diplomatic leaders and supports this network with in-house research and events.[8] The network itself contains members not just from the EU but also Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Albania, Norway, and Serbia.[9] Such a scope has as its basis a conception of a Greater Europe similar to that of the OSCE.
In 2014 the European Leadership Network has expanded to tackle broader European and global security issues, including the Ebola crisis,[10] near-misses between Russian and Western militaries,[11] and the expanding Russo-Chinese relationship[12]
A report published by the European Leadership Network in 2015, title Dangerous Brinkmanship: closer military encounters between Russia and the West in 2015[13] generated considerable attention around the world.[11][14][15][16] At the 2015 Munich Security Conference in February 2015, conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, also a member of the European Leadership Network, publicly questioned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the findings of the ELN report.[citation needed] In May 2015, 68 members of the European Leadership Members signed a global statement in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ahead of its Review Conference in New York.[17] The statement was also signed by senior figures from Latin America, the United States and Asia-Pacific.
The European Leadership Network administers the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (TLG)[18]
Partners
[edit]Supporters
[edit]- Carnegie Corporation of New York
- Nuclear Threat Initiative[8][19]
- Ploughshares Fund[8][20]
- Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT)[8][21]
- Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation (PPCF)[8]
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dereliction of Duty". The Times. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Adam Thomson". www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org.
- ^ "Leadership Networks - About - Nuclear Security Project". nuclearsecurityproject.org. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Trident is no longer key to Britain's security". Telegraph.co.uk. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Carnegie Corporation of New York: Lord Desmond Browne and Ambassador Igor Ivanov Honored with Nunn-Lugar Award for Promoting Nuclear Security". Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- ^ Castle, Stephen (May 10, 2015). "Russia Tests Distant Waters, Resurfacing Cold War Fears". The New York Times.
- ^ "Carnegie Corporation of New York: CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK BOARD APPROVES 24 GRANTS TOTALING $15,831,400". carnegie.org. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f White October Ltd. "About". europeanleadershipnetwork.org. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ White October Ltd. "Network Participants". europeanleadershipnetwork.org. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "The great Ebola catastrophe: when will the world wake up?". The Independent. October 3, 2014.
- ^ a b Cowell, Alan (November 10, 2014). "Researchers Detail a Spike in NATO-Russia Close Calls". The New York Times.
- ^ "Guest post: Russia and China – Friends or 'frenemies'?". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Dangerous Brinkmanship: Close Military Encounters Between Russia and the West in 2014". www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org.
- ^ "Nato-Russia incidents came close to conflict, says think-tank". Financial Times. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Russia's 'close military encounters' with Europe documented". BBC News. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Russian military aircraft posing threat by turning off communication devices". South China Morning Post. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "More than 100 Current and Former Senior Leaders Issue Urgent Call for Successful 2015 NPT Review Conference & Outline Key Steps for Progress | NTI News More than 100 Current and Former Senior Leaders Issue Urgent Call for Successful 2015 NPT Review Conference & Outline Key Steps for Progress | NTI". www.nti.org. 3 May 2015.
- ^ "About". Top Level Group. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Partner Organizations". NTI: Nuclear Threat Initiative. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "European Leadership Network Visits Washington". ploughshares.org. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust - Database of funded projects". jrct.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2015.