Ukraine and beyond: Shaping Europe’s security future

Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended Europe’s security order, exposing vulnerabilities that continue to shape trans-Atlantic strategy. By early 2025, Russia is advancing slowly in Ukraine’s east, while Kyiv faces resource and manpower strains, and U.S. policy under a new Trump administration introduces uncertainty. Neither side has a clear path to achieving its objectives, and prospects for a ceasefire remain slim. Still, U.S. leverage—sanctions capacity, military weight, and alliance leadership—offers a narrow window to test Moscow’s willingness to negotiate.

Populism and Resource Rents in International Relations

Recent IR literature suggests that populist ideology, while primarily a domestic phenomenon, has distinct foreign policy implications, as populist leaders reject Western hegemony, transnational elites, and liberal international institutions. Yet how impactful is this stance, given the potential costs of defying the liberal order? This paper argues that populist leaders can pursue more radical foreign policies only when shielded from international economic constraints – most notably through natural resource rents.
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