Weekly Insights | February 14, 2025
The race to weaponize space, a new era of Baltic military cooperation, and the start of the Munich Security Conference.
Brilliant Pebbles All Over Again: The Race to Weaponize Space
Aaron Stein - Behind the Front
“On January 27, 2025, President Donald Trump decided to make what was once old new again. He signed the “Iron Dome for America,” which dusted off the dormant, but never quite bureaucratically dead proposal to develop and deploy (among many other things) “proliferated space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept.”
Three Decades of Baltic Military Cooperation and the Way Ahead
Māris Andžāns - Baltic Initiative
“While the Baltic collaborative spirit and idealism invite similar aspirations as in the 1990s, realities have changed, and so should the perspective on Baltic trilateral military cooperation.”
The Munich Security Conference kicked off today in the wake of President Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and US Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks about Ukraine’s prospects for reclaiming territory and joining NATO. For more context about the Trump administration’s view of the transatlantic alliance we revisit Senior Fellow’s Rick Landgraf’s conversation with Sara Moller on The Ties That Bind podcast.
This week FPRI hosted Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarunas for a discussion on Russia's hybrid warfare, the future of security cooperation in the Baltic Sea, and the prospects for a peace settlement in the Russo-Ukrainian war in light of recent developments.
Virtual Event | Russian Influence Operations in the Black Sea: Georgia, Moldova, and Romania
February 19, 2025 | 10:00 am to 11:00 am
While much attention has been focused on Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin also continues to sow chaos and disruption elsewhere in Europe. In the Black Sea region, Russia has attempted to co-opt governments and, when that proves impossible, has attempted to disrupt, discredit, or manipulate democratic elections. Join an expert panel of scholars from Georgia, Moldova, and Romania as we discuss the implications of Russia's interference in democratic processes there and the lessons to be learned for democratic societies.
Explore more FPRI Projects
Baltic Initiative | Bear Market Brief | Behind the Front | The Ties That Bind