Events

On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia formally acceded to NATO in what was the biggest enlargement round in the history of the Alliance. Since then, the seven countries, which represent much of NATO‘s eastern flank, have contributed extensively to the implementation of NATO‘s core tasks and policy priorities, and to this day remain among the most active and supportive members of the Alliance. Since Lithuania hosted the NATO Summit in 2023 and the Netherlands are poised to host one in 2025, this event will provide a unique opportunity to combine an anniversary celebration and a focused discussion on the past, present and future of the North Atlantic Alliance. This event, therefore, will focus both on highlighting the impact of the 2004 enlargement, as well as the challenges NATO faces on its eastern flank and how the Alliance can face those.

Abkhaz, Armenians, Azerbaijani and Georgians have long co-existed in a region framed as the South Caucasus. These different ethnic categories result from socio-political constructions that are rarely questioned. Playing a pivotal role in the wars that have unfolded in the region, ethnic categorization is particularly central in shaping current antagonizations. Since the late 1980s, the coexistence of differently ethnicised populations in the South Caucasus has been deeply challenged by a series of conflicts, wars and pogroms. Since 24 February 2022, the co-existence of Abkhaz, Armenians, Azerbaijani and Georgians has been unfolding against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bringing an additional layer of complexity.

During the lecture, the speaker Dr. Kseniya Oksamytna (City University of London) will present her article “Imperialism, supremacy, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine” published in Contemporary Security Policy in 2023.

Namens de Rusland & Oost-Europa Kennis Alliantie (REKA) nodigen wij u graag uit voor het symposium Oekraïne in de EU: geopolitieke en economische kansen op maandag 4 maart aanstaande van 12:30 uur tot 16:30 uur in Internationaal Perscentrum Nieuwspoort in Den Haag.

Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war continues to cause extreme civilian harm and military casualties and has changed Ukrainian society to the core. Two years of war in Europe also changed perceptions of NATO and the defence policies of European countries, whilst the EU decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. Yet, war in the Middle East and rising tensions in Asia have also directed international attention away from Ukraine. Promised weapon deliveries materialise slower than foreseen, and public support for Ukraine is not as self-evident as it was just after the invasion.

This JIRD Special Forum Discussion by UKRAINE-PLUS will aim to critically reflect on individual, institutional and disciplinary stratification and authority in debates of and about war.

Poetin stortte Europa in de grootste oorlog sinds de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Nog steeds fascineert de vraag waarom hij eigenhandig het pad van de vernietiging koos. Hoe radicaliseerde Poetin? En op welke historische en religieuze gronden rechtvaardigt hij de oorlog?

Lecture series on Decolonial and Postcolonial perspectives on the Eastern (of) Europe. Keynote by Prof Dr. Madina Tlostanova (Linköping University).

Lecture series on Decolonial and Postcolonial perspectives on the Eastern (of) Europe. Keynote by Prof Dr. Dace Dzenovska (University of Oxford).

Op 6 juli vindt de jaarlijkse REKA-conferentie plaats. Tijdens deze besloten bijeenkomst gaan experts, beleidsmakers, ondernemers en journalisten in gesprek over het Nederlandse Oost-Europa beleid en welke kansen dit biedt.

From limited interactions in the early 1990s, the EU and Central Asia now consider each other to be increasingly important. During this roundtable, the speakers will discuss the many aspects of these interactions.

What is the history and consequences of NATO’s post-Cold War enlargement into Central and Eastern Europe?