European Security and Defence

As a foreign and security policy think tank, the continuous analysis of the European Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is of central importance for the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy. The further development of the CSDP, as well as security policy cooperation between the EU and NATO have a direct influence on the security and stability of the European neighbourhood as well as on European unity and, therefore, represent essential aspects of our activities. In the course of its intensive analytical work, the AIES regularly organises background discussions with international experts and makes its research recommendations available to the general public as well as to Austrian decision-makers.
Current AIES activities on the topic. Research also in the database.
Events
Comprehensive Security in the Age of Complex Threats
11.06.2025 / A workshop on the Scandinavian perspective on the current European security situation
Europe and Ukraine caught between the stools
03.04.2025 / AIES Research Fellow Dr Livia Benko as guest at the National Defence Academy
AIES Keynote at the EU Working Group on Disinformation
28.03.2025 / AIES Director Michael Zinkanell held a presentation at the National Defence Academy
AIES Presentation at the Scientific Commission of the Austrian Ministry of Defence
21.03.2025 / presented by AIES Director Michael Zinkanell
European Security and Global Challenges
13.03.2025 / AIES Director Michael Zinkanell gave a workshop for CET Prague Global Security Studies students
Common European Security and Defence Policy - Austria's Contribution
21.01.2025 / Presentation of the results of the FFG project: PINPOINT
Trump 2.0., NATO and Europe's Security
20.01.2025 / A discussion with leading security policy experts on Trump's inauguration day
In the media
15.03.2024 / Defense News
Sweden and Finland have dropped neutrality. Austria still fetes it.
Statements by AIES Research Fellow Christoph Schwarz
19.02.2024 / Al Jazeera English
Two years into Russia’s war in Ukraine, how strong is NATO’s unity?
Statements by AIES Research Fellow Chistoph Schwarz
27.06.2022 / NRC (The Netherlands)
Poetins invasie is het begin van een nieuwe Koude Oorlog
Interview Velina Tchakarova
20.01.2022 / CNN
Biden reveals an uncomfortable truth about NATO's divide on Russian aggression in Ukraine
Statement by Velina Tchakarova
20.11.2021 / CNN
The EU realizes it can't rely on America for protection
Statement by Velina Tchakarova
14.06.2021 / The Probe
The Biden-Putin meet in Geneva is a spill-words summit
Statements by Velina Tchakarova
13.04.2021 / Raisina Files 2021
Is A Cold War 2.0 Inevitable?
Article by Velina Tchakarova
13.09.2020 / AP News
Greece, Turkey signal willingness to talk about sea dispute
Statements by Dr. Michaël Tanchum
Publications
AIES-Alpbach Security Track Report No. 2: Moment of Truth for Europe
Ulf M Steindl: AIES-Alpbach Security Track Report No. 2: Moment of Truth for Europe. AIES Comment 2025/4
Geopolitical Shifts in the 21st Century
Dr. Werner Fasslabend: Geopolitical Shifts in the 21st Century. AIES Comment 2025/3.
Die Partnernationen der NATO nach dem Washington Gipfel: Ihre zukünftige Rolle und Bedeutung
Ulf M Steindl: Die Partnernationen der NATO nach dem Washington Gipfel: Ihre zukünftige Rolle und Bedeutung. AIES Studies 4/2024.
Ukraine’s Defiance: Between Ceasefire and Victory
Lesia Ogryzko: Ukraine’s Defiance: Between Ceasefire and Victory. AIES Comment 2025/1.
Podcast
11.12.24 / Episode 24 / Special Transatlantic Talks Series
Countering Foreign Information Manipulation
In this last episode of the Special Transatlantic Talks series, we explore approaches to counter foreign information manipulation, the different approaches in the US and the Europe, as well as specific tools such as the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard.
Moderated by AIES Director Michael Zinkanell, this discussion features Bret Schafer, Senior Fellow for Media and Digital Disinformation at the Alliance for Securing Democracy and creator of Hamilton 2.0, a tool tracking Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state media. The session focuses on foreign interference, emphasizing how disinformation, distinct from misinformation, involves deliberate efforts to mislead. Bret explores tools like the Hamilton 2.0 Dashboard and Information Laundromat that expose state-sponsored narratives and promote transparency. The discussion also addresses how global coordination, media literacy, and individual responsibility are essential to counter disinformation, while contrasting the U.S. and EU approaches to regulation and platform accountability.
This special series is conducted in partnership with YATA Austria, the Young Transatlantic Initiative, and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.
Videos
Artificial Intelligence as a game changer for cyber policies?
20.06.24 / AIES moderation at the Cyber Summit in Paris