Centre for Eastern Studies

Centre for Eastern Studies
Name	Centre for Eastern Studies
Established	1990s
Type	Research institute
Location	Warsaw, Poland

Centre for Eastern Studies

The Centre for Eastern Studies is an independent Warsaw-based policy research institute focused on Eurasian affairs, providing analysis on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the wider Indo-Pacific region. It produces strategic studies for policymakers in Poland, the European Union, NATO, and international organizations, engaging with counterparts in United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Canada.

History

Founded in the post-Cold War environment of the early 1990s, the institute emerged amid debates following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, Poland's transition to democracy, and enlargement discussions linked to North Atlantic Treaty Organization enlargement and European Union enlargement. Early work engaged with issues stemming from the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, the Chechen Wars, the Colour Revolutions including the Rose Revolution and the Orange Revolution, as well as bilateral relations after the Polish–Soviet relations transformation. Directors and senior fellows have engaged with policy debates during crises such as the Russo-Georgian War (2008), the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation (2014), and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022), collaborating with experts connected to Warsaw Pact legacies, Visegrád Group, and transatlantic dialogues involving figures associated with NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament.

Organization and Governance

The institute is structured with thematic programs led by senior researchers, supported by administrative units, advisory boards, and an external council that includes academics and former officials from institutions such as Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the President of Poland, Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, Sejm of the Republic of Poland, and delegations to United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, European External Action Service, European Commission, Bundestag, Congress of the United States, and parliamentary delegations from Lithuania and Ukraine. Governance follows nonprofit statutes seen in think tanks like Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chatham House, Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic and International Studies, RAND Corporation, German Council on Foreign Relations, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Bruegel, Atlantic Council, Royal United Services Institute, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, International Crisis Group, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and European Council on Foreign Relations.

Research Areas and Programs

Programs cover strategic studies on Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Greater Middle East, and Indo-Pacific intersections involving People's Republic of China, Republic of India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and ASEAN. The institute researches energy and security links tied to Nord Stream, Yamal-Europe pipeline, South Caucasus Pipeline, and global supply chains involving Gazprom, Rosneft, Lukoil, BP, Shell, and state actors like Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Security Service of Ukraine, Federal Security Service (Russia), and regional bodies such as the Commonwealth of Independent States. Other programs examine sanctions regimes referencing the Crimea sanctions, trade measures adopted by the European Union, United States Department of the Treasury, and multilateral responses within G7 and G20. Research draws on comparative case studies including the 1998 Russian financial crisis, the Arab Spring, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Taliban insurgency, and post-conflict reconstruction examples like Marshall Plan adaptations and EU integration of Central European Free Trade Agreement participants.

Publications and Media

Output includes policy briefs, analytical reports, situation maps, commentaries, and briefing notes cited by outlets such as The Economist, Financial Times, The New York Times, Le Monde, Die Zeit, El País, Corriere della Sera, Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, BBC News, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, and Bloomberg News. The institute produces regular series comparable to publications from Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Quarterly, Survival (journal), Journal of Strategic Studies, and policy monographs akin to those by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. Multimedia output includes podcasts, webinars, and televised briefings that have featured guests from NATO Secretary General, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy, Minister of Defence (Poland), former ambassadors to Russia and Ukraine, scholars from University of Oxford, Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, London School of Economics, European University Institute, Sciences Po, University of Toronto, and think tanks such as Atlantic Council and Chatham House.

Events and Outreach

The institute organizes conferences, workshops, and track-two dialogues involving delegations from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Presidential Administration of Russia (before 2014), Embassy of the United States, Warsaw, and missions from European Union Delegation to Poland, as well as seminars with research centers like Kennan Institute, Carnegie Europe, Henry Jackson Society, Clingendael Institute, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Kommersant Business Conference counterparts, and academic partnerships with Jagiellonian University, University of Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz University, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, National Defence University (Poland), and regional NGOs. Public outreach includes briefings for diplomats, legislative staffers in the Sejm, civil society workshops with Agora Foundation, and educational programs for students engaged with competitions like Model United Nations and exchanges such as ERASMUS.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources combine government grants, project-based contracts with entities including European Commission, NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, United Nations Development Programme, foundations like Open Society Foundations, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Krupp Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, German Marshall Fund of the United States, corporate sponsorships from energy and consultancy firms, and research grants from universities including University College London and Columbia University. Partnerships span bilateral and multilateral institutions such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Poland), Embassy of the United Kingdom, Warsaw, Embassy of France in Poland, Embassy of Germany in Warsaw, United States Agency for International Development, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and collaborations with regional think tanks like Institute of International Relations Prague, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta), Moscow State Institute of International Relations (pre-2014 collaborations), Tbilisi State University, and Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies.

Category:Think tanks in Poland