CALENDAR RELATIONSHIPS

“The unprecedented environment in which Ukraine has been preparing for EU membership, reminds that the fight for Ukraine’s future goes beyond the battlefield and security guarantees, including its reconstruction and integration with the European Union. This accession is not only about the benefits of membership for Ukraine, it is also...

“What makes Chinese disinformation different is that it rarely looks like disinformation at all. Instead of pushing Latin falsehood, it works by reshaping the conceptual language through which people interpret reality. Ideas like stability, peace, sovereignty or development. Once those concepts are subtly redefined, individual facts become less important, because...

“Across Europe, a quiet but escalating shadow war is unfolding. A series of sabotage attempts, mysterious fires, drone incursions and hybrid operations—linked by investigators to Russian intelligence networks— has unsettled capitals from Brussels to Copenhagen, Tallinn and Warsaw. What once seemed like isolated anomalies now forms a coherent pattern: a sustained campaign...

“Antonio Gramsci, writing from a fascist prison cell in the 1930s, famously observed that “the crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born.” In such an interregnum, he warned, “a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.” Few descriptions capture the present moment more accurately....

“The history of the European budget demonstrates that traditionally the European Union has measured its ambitions and strategic goals against financial possibilities and the political will to shift activities from the national level to the level of common public goods. Over decades the 1% limit for the common budget has...

Europe is entering its most dangerous moment in decades. Dr Małgorzata Bonikowska, President of the Centre for International Relations (CIR-CSM), speaks with stark clarity: Russia has declared war on Europe, and the American security umbrella is no longer functioning as it has in recent years. Can Poland and Europe continue...

On December 3, CIR expert Eugeniusz Smolar spoke at the annual meeting of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracy. He focused not on procedures or international political structures such as the Community of Democracies, the Council of Europe, or the European Union, as they can only play a...

“The Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee (20–23 October, 2025) did not produce any breakthrough decisions. What it delivered instead was something far less tangible but more revealing: a change in tone. In the official communiqué, the word “security” appears twenty-seven times, while “innovation” is mentioned just three times. The ratio...

On air at Trójka – Polish Radio 3, Dr Bruno Surdel, analyst at the Centre for International Relations, said: “The corruption scandal in Ukraine has been revealed at an exceptionally difficult moment – just as the fighting around Pokrovsk grows more intense and war fatigue across the West becomes increasingly...

Dr Bruno Surdel, a senior fellow at CIR, writes in the Orissa Post, India: “From New Delhi’s perspective, Europe’s contest over Russia diplomacy carries several lessons and potential leverage points. First, Europe’s determination to maintain sanctions and deterrence, sometimes despite US diplomacy, shows that soft power and economic tools matter....

Dr Małgorzata Bonikowska, President of the Centre for International Relations (CSM), said on Newsroom WP: “We do not really know what is going on inside Putin’s mind. I believe he constantly fears potential coups, especially since the Prigozhin affair, which certainly shocked the world — but first and foremost, it...

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Annual Forum is one of the largest regional cooperation events in the Baltic Sea area. It focuses on key issues such as security, resilience, and sustainable development. Dr Małgorzata Bonikowska, President of the Centre for International Relations (CSM), took part in...

On the occasion of World Food Day, Club Demeter organised in Paris the third edition of its forum “À la Table du Monde”, in partnership with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy.This year’s theme — “Europe: Between Food Fictions and Agricultural Realities”...

“The prolonged war is not working in Putin’s favour – most of Russia’s resources are engaged in military operations, and the Russian economy is bleeding out,” said Dr Małgorzata Bonikowska, President of the Centre for International Relations (CSM), in an interview with Wirtualna Polska News. “The war is slowly exhausting...

Warsaw Security Forum 2025 – Europe and the Indo-Pacific: A Shared Security Horizon The Warsaw Security Forum (WSF) is one of Europe’s leading conferences on transatlantic and Central and Eastern European (CEE) security. Since 2014, it has gathered over 2,500 global leaders – representatives of governments, international organizations, armed forces,...

International fora have become arenas of systemic rivalry, with the erosion of their neutrality and effectiveness—from the UN Security Council to the WTO and WHO—weakening Western influence over the rules of the game. This environment favors actors able to act swiftly and cohesively and they are not necessarily the democratic...

“The EU-US Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade, announced on 21 August 2025, establishes new parameters for transatlantic economic relations. It addresses tariffs, energy and technology, investment initiatives, defense procurement and regulatory cooperation. While concerns have been raised about possible asymmetries, the agreement provides tangible commitments that justify...

On 2 September 2025, at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Hà Hoàng Hải, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Centre for International Relations had the honour to take part in the celebrations held in Warsaw to mark the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s declaration of independence....

Dr Bruno Surdel – Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Relations – in conversation with Olivier Sorgho of Notes from Poland discussed how Karol Nawrocki’s presidency might unfold and predicted a significantly more assertive approach, including in foreign policy. Dr Surdel also commented on Poland’s role in European security: “Poland is indeed beginning to position...

“It has been over three years since this war began. We are all hoping there are countries like China, incredibly powerful countries, members of G20 for example, will step in and help us finish this war. We are looking for those countries who have leverage on Russia. China definitely has....