Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)

02/27/2026

Biotech innovation isn’t just about scientific breakthrough — it is a geopolitical asset.

Alina Polyakova sits down with Kiana Aran, inventor, entrepreneur, and bioengineering professor at UC San Diego, to unpack how AI is reshaping the future of biotechnology.

Aran dives into why AI isn’t just accelerating research, but fundamentally changing how biology is measured, modeled, and understood. In her lab, AI is embedded into every measurement, enabling researchers to read biological processes in real time and unlock new capabilities at the intersection of AI, semiconductors, and living systems.

As Aran puts it: “With advances in AI, semiconductors, and biology, we can start tapping into capabilities that were unimaginable before.”

Listen to the full conversation on the CEPA Podcast.

02/20/2026

What does the future of Ukraine look like?🇺🇦
 
“Ukraine 2036” is not a prediction. It is an organizing principle for decisions that must be taken now and a much-needed reminder that expedience in the present can come with a high cost in the future.
 
➡️ Allies and partners also have a key role to play in Ukraine’s future. The West must not only invest in ending the war but also commit to securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The path to a better 2036 runs through choices that can be made today.
 
futureof Ukraine us europe allies europeansecurity report cepa thinktank transatlantic

02/18/2026

Ukraine is at an inflection point, and Europe must decide its future now. By 2036, either Ukraine will be an integrated part of a European economic space and a secured Eastern flank, or, alternatively, Europe must contend with a gray-zone frontier that hardens at the EU’s border, draining budgets and stretching political bandwidth. In Ukraine 2036, Kseniya Sotnikova, Uliana Movchan, Volodymyr Dubovyk, and Samuel Greene plot a roadmap for Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to ensure Ukraine’s reconstruction and deterrence capacity.

In 2036, decisions made now will be remembered either as the moment the West understood the challenge or the point it chose to abdicate. If Kyiv consolidates clean, inclusive institutions, if Europe assumes visible responsibility for a credible deterrent while financing reform, and if the United States supplies steadiness and risk-sharing, Ukraine can emerge by the early 2030s as a secure European democracy.

Read the full report to learn about the critical measures that must be taken now to secure just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

Ukraine is at an inflection point, and its future will be decided now. Ukraine, Europe, and the US must look toward 2036.

02/16/2026

Europe’s push for “digital sovereignty” and tech de-risking from the United States could unintentionally weaken long-term security. Dr Alina Polyakova emphasizes to that Europe currently lacks the market scale and infrastructure to replace US hyperscalers on its own. If Europe reduces reliance on US providers without building real domestic capacity, it risks shifting dependency toward Chinese state-controlled systems that offer less transparency, accountability, and rule-of-law protection.

02/15/2026

“Some preemptive action could save lives,” Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone explains that while NATO allies adhere to democratic norms, and authoritarian aggressors like Russia do not, it does not mean that the alliance cannot push back against shadow war attacks before they happen.

02/15/2026

Countering Russia’s shadow war attacks requires 3⃣ steps.

1⃣Find the pattern
2⃣Attribute attacks
3⃣Establish & enforce conseqences

“We should much more often prove that we would be able to do very similar things to make the other side also feel the pain.” Martin Jäger

02/15/2026

“In the case of Moldova, we have experienced probably all the elements of the hybrid war, and not all of them are going to be used in your countries, but the most important one is the cognitive war.” .sandu

02/15/2026

Russia has used the Baltic Sea as an arena for its shadow war, sabotaging pipelines & cables that connect Europe, while attempting deny these incidents as accidents. explains that Sweden is not naïve about this sudden increase in “bad seamanship.”

02/14/2026

In the past, Russia’s hybrid war has focused on cyber and information operations. The Kremlin’s shadow war is now kinetic — targeting critical infrastructure & harming civilians across Europe. CEPA President & CEO Dr. Alina Polyakova explains why needs a new theory about deterring Russian aggression.

02/12/2026

Kyiv Battles to Shelter Ports From Russian Onslaught | "Moscow’s increase in attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and shipping is draining resources and threatening wheat exports." Volodymyr Dubovyk https://cepa.org/article/kyiv-battles-to-shelter-ports-from-russian-onslaught/

02/12/2026

Hard Return: Reintegrating Ukraine’s Veterans | "Ukrainian veterans are struggling to reintegrate as they battle with broken bodies, damaged minds and war-ravaged public services." Kateryna Odarchenko

Ukrainian veterans are struggling to reintegrate as they battle with broken bodies, damaged minds and war-ravaged public services.

02/12/2026

Kremlin Shivers as US Enters the South Caucasus | "Vice President Vance’s visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan signals a shifting balance of power in the region, and it’s not in Russia’s favor." Emil Avdaliani

Vice President Vance’s visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan signals a shifting balance of power in the region, and it’s not in Russia’s favor.