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Dr Jonathan Eyal
Position: Senior Research Fellow / Director, International Studies
Dr Eyal is the Director of International Security Studies at RUSI and Editor of the RUSI Newsbrief . He was born in Romania, but has lived most of his life in Britain. Educated at Oxford and London Universities, his initial training was in international law and relations, in which he obtained both his first degree and his Master's with a Distinction. His Doctorate, completed at Oxford in 1987, analysed relations between ethnic minorities in Eastern Europe since the end of the First World War.
After teaching at Oxford for three years, Dr Eyal was appointed a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies in London. Since 1990, Dr Eyal has been Director of Studies at the Institute.
Dr Eyal has completed books on military expenditure in the former Warsaw Pact and a published study on military relations in the Balkans during the time of Communism. He is a regular commentator on East European affairs for The Guardian, The Independent, The Times dailies and the Observer newspaper on Sundays. He has also given evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on the conduct of British foreign policy in Eastern Europe, and the teams of experts which contributed to the peace plans for the former Yugoslavia. He has acted as an adviser to the European Union's studies on the process of dividing the assets of the former Yugoslav state, and has published two studies on the errors committed by the West in handling the Balkan conflict since 1991. He is fluent in French, Romanian, Italian, Hungarian and German.
RUSI Publications
Russia's Political Rumblings
31 May 2011
Medvedev has recently taken firm control of Russian foreign policy, but Putin is still looking over his shoulder. How will the Russian presidential elections play out?
The Shape of Europe to Come
1 Nov 2011
Last week saw European leaders agree to a mega-deal with the aim of abating the huge crisis engulfing the continent. Yet much of the details appear to be smoke and mirrors with Europe inevitably facing decades of misery and decline.
Europe's Stunted Baby Boomers
31 May 2011
Europeans are having more children. Has Europe defused the demographic time bomb?
VIDEO - Assessing the Legal Implications of Anwar al-Awlaki's Assassination
10 Oct 2011
Was the United States right to target one of its own citizens? What are are the implications for future drone attacks?
China and Europe: A Dialogue of the Deaf
31 May 2011
China and Europe's financial interests may seem well-matched on the surface. But is it an unrequited affair?
VIDEO: The Arrest of Ratko Mladic
26 May 2011
Dr Jonathan Eyal, Director of International Security Studies, assesses the impact of the arrest of Ratko Mladic, the Serbian general accused of war crimes in the Balkans. WHat will this mean for the region and for Serbia's hopes for accession to the European Union?
Death of a Criminal
31 May 2011
America's most wanted man has been killed just months before the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Will his legacy live on?
Assessing British Diplomacy in Libya and the Middle East
10 Mar 2011
Dr Jonathan Eyal on the UK's 'jerky policy' towards unrest in the Middle East, the complete lack of any contingency planning within the FCO, and the importance of accepting that there is no such thing as 'the Arab exceptionalism'.
Revolutions in the Arab World: Myths, Cliches and Uncertainties
17 Mar 2011
As the spirit of revolution spreads, the West must not fall prey to simplified myths and comparisons
The Moscow Bombings: Cause and Effect
31 Jan 2011
The Director of RUSI's International Security Studies programme assesses the likely causes and probably consequences of last week's attack on Moscow's Domodedovo airport
Terrorism Strikes Heart of Modern Moscow
26 Jan 2011
The motives likely to have informed Monday's suicide bombing are not new - and if such attacks are to stop, Moscow needs to urgently rethink its counter-terror strategy
Russia, the US and the old business of spying
29 Jun 2010
The unravelling of a Russian spy network in the United States could well destabilise the rapprochement between the two countries which began after the election of President Obama.
Terrorism Returns to Moscow
29 Mar 2010
Apart from the human tragedy, the political consequences of the attack are likely to be severe.
The European Union and Russia: A Halting Relationship
21 May 2009
The European Union’s summit with Russia, which begins today, will achieve nothing substantial. The relationship between Moscow and the rest of the continent is stuck in a time-warp, largely of Russia’s making. And, until European leaders are prepared to rebuff Russia’s old imperial inspirations, no serious dialogue can be expected.
US-Russia summit: a meeting of minds, but not of souls
9 Jul 2009
A breakthrough on arms control was achieved at the first summit between US president Barack Obama and the Russian leadership. However, the ‘reset button’ has yet to be pressed on the relations between the two countries. What the Russians really want the US is not prepared to grant, and what the US expects, Moscow is not willing to provide either.
US missile defence: right decision, wrong presentation
18 Sep 2009
Scrapping the European missile defence system may well have been the right decision for American security. But this terribly-timed move will undermine future relationships with long-suffering Eastern European allies for very little benefit from the Russian bear.
Dr Jonathan Eyal assesses NATO Secretary General's maiden speech
20 Sep 2009
Dr Jonathan Eyal, Director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, is interviewed on Channel 4's More4 News on NATO and the West's relations with Russia. He is responding to the first speech of the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
A war report short on facts and weak on findings
5 Oct 2009
The long-awaited European Union investigation into last year's war between Russia and Georgia ignored the real context of the conflict - resulting in a banal and simplistic report that has failed to fulfil its intended purpose.
Russia’s Government Reshuffle: Changing in order to Make No Change
14 Sep 2007
Putin has appointed a prime-minister with no power-base, perhaps in order to maintain his own power when he leaves office.
A Question of Security: 
