International Centre for Defence and Security

Featured

Commentary | August 7, 2026

Iceland’s small referendum with big consequences for the EU

Although the Icelandic vote does not concern EU membership itself, its implications extend well beyond the mid-Atlantic island.

Steven Blockmans

Featured

Report | July 31, 2026

Connecting the Ends: A Baltic–Indo-Pacific Agenda for Undersea Infrastructure Security

Critical undersea infrastructure — including communications cables, electricity interconnectors, gas pipelines, landing stations, and associated control systems — forms a largely invisible but indispensable foundation of modern societies.

Marek Kohv

Henrik Praks

Shin Kawashima

Keizo Kitagawa

Featured

Commentary | July 14, 2026

NATO After Ankara

NATO's Ankara summit showcased an alliance in transition. The European Allies and Canada are spending more to rebuild military capability and fill gaps left by a declining US role. NATO must now develop the political, military, and institutional arrangements that a genuinely Europeanised Alliance will need.

Tony Lawrence

Featured

Commentary | July 9, 2026

Defence Spending: Who Is Doing What? July 2026

NATO Allies met in Ankara, Türkiye, where they were expected to present credible plans to reach the spending targets approved at the summit in The Hague last year. According to NATO’s latest figures, Allies were again able to increase their budgets; nevertheless, some still face obstacles to doing so.

Felix Gasper

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Brief | June 17, 2026

NB8 Series. Protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure: Enhancing NB8 Maritime Security Cooperation

Critical undersea infrastructure encompassing various energy and data connections underpins economic cooperation among the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8).

Nele Loorents

Eoin Micheál McNamara

Featured

Conferences | April 29, 2026

Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum 2026

The Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum 2026, organised by the Japan Chair at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) will take place on Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 in Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel in Tallinn, Estonia

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Brief | June 15, 2026

Legality and Reality: The Eastern Flank and the Ottawa Convention

Russia’s aggression has reignited a debate long thought settled in Europe: whether anti-personnel mines (APMs) still have a place in deterrence and defence. The war in Ukraine demonstrates their continuing military utility, while also exposing the legal constraints and humanitarian repercussions states may face in the event of armed conflict if they remain bound by the Ottawa Convention.

Théa Delval

Luca Rogers

Featured

Report | June 11, 2026

Spinning the Globe: Russian Information Warfare and Its Reach into the Global South

While concentrated on Europe, and especially on Ukraine, Moscow’s drive to challenge the world order has a global dimension. A tool of Russia’s aggressive foreign policy with worldwide impact is information operations.

Ivan U. K. Klyszcz

Kristel Potsepp

Featured

Conferences | May 4, 2026

LMC 2026: Fortune Favours the Brave

The 19th annual Lennart Meri Conference will take place on 15-17 May 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.

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Brief | June 3, 2026

Germany’s New Military Concept: Responsibility for Europe

Germany has published its first-ever comprehensive military concept, which envisions the Bundeswehr becoming the strongest conventional army in Europe. But Germany's struggles with implementing its Zeitenwende illustrate the difficulty it sometimes has in turning vision into reality.

Luca Rogers

Felix Gasper

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Commentary | May 13, 2026

The (In)dispensable Ally: How to Recraft the Pillars of Estonia’s and Europe’s Security

The world order is undergoing an upheaval at least as radical as the end of the Cold War. Back then, Estonia made crucial choices regarding the restoration of independence and return to the western world, which served the country well for more than three decades.

Kristi Raik

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Report | April 29, 2026

The Ties That Bind: Energy Connectivity in the Age of Geopolitical Turbulence

Europe's energy system is undergoing a profound transformation driven by geopolitics, security concerns, and climate objectives.

Tomas Jermalavičius

Javad Keypour

François-Xavier Chevallerau

Koen Claessen

Kristel Potsepp

Henrik Praks

Emil Sondaj Hansen

Nolan Theisen

Izabela Surwillo

Tomas Janeliūnas