European Defense Policy on the Eastern Flank: Perspectives from France, Germany, and Latvia
The French Institute in Latvia and the Embassy of France in Latvia are pleased to invite you to a public dialogue “European Defense Policy on the Eastern Flank: Perspectives from France, Germany, and Latvia”, in collaboration with LATOand with the support of theKonrad Adenauer Foundation and the Embassy of Germany in Latvia.
Experts Dr. Elie Tenenbaum from France, Dr. Kai-Olaf Langfrom Germany, and representatives from LATO in Latvia will discuss their countries’ defense policies and the strategic importance of the Eastern Flank in the context of European security. Each speaker will present their latest research, offering a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities for strengthening defense cooperation in this key region. The event aims to foster a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives on how Europe can collectively address security issues along its Eastern border.
The public dialogue will take place on the 21st of January 2025 at 18:00 at the French Institute in Latvia, Raiņa bulvāris 9.
The language of the event will be English.
The discussion will be moderated by Jānis Karlsbergs, LATO
Dr. Elie Tenenbaum is the director ofIfri's Security Studies Center. After years of focusing on irregular warfare, counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism, his research now leads him to cover more general strategic and military issues, in particular European security and defense policy.
He holds PhD (2015) in History and graduated from Sciences Po (2010), he has been a visiting fellow at Columbia University (2013-2014) and spent a year at the War Studies Department, at King's College London (2006). He teaches international security at Sciences Po as an adjunct professor. Elie Tenenbaum is on the editorial board of Politique Etrangère, French lead journal in foreign policy. In 2023, he was part of an independent group of experts appointed by NATO Secretary General to produce a report on NATO’s approach to its Southern neighborhood.
He is the author of numerous articles and books on history and strategy, including The Twenty-Year War: Jihadism & Counter-Terrorism in the 21st Century, with Marc Hecker (Robert Laffont: 2021) which was awarded the Best Geopolitical Book in France. His most recent publications include Return to the East: the Russian Threat and the French Pivot to Europe's Eastern Flank with Amelie Zima (Ifri report, June 2024) and “Ukraine’s Security Now Depends on Europe” with Leo Litra (Foreign Affairs, December 2024).
Dr. Kai-Olaf Langis a Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, a foreign-policy think-tank based in Berlin. He holds a diploma in public administration and a PhD in Political Sciences. Previously, he worked as a research fellow at the Federal Institute for Eastern and International Studies (Bundesinstitut für internationale und ostwissenschaftliche Studien, BIOst) in Cologne.
His fields of specialization include: countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), including their transformation, domestic political developments, foreign and security policy, bilateral relations with Germany; EU enlargement and implications; security issues in CEE and European Neighbourhood Policy. He is a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde, of the Council of the German-Czech Discussion Forum, of the Editorial Board of Przegląd Zachodni (Poznań), of the Advisory Board of Aspen Review Central Europe (Prague) and of the Scientific Council of Nowa Res Publica (Warsaw).
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