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Some current and former officials, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, call for Western powers to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine. This Q&A explains what a no-fly zone would entail, where similar zones have been established before and the dangers of that option in Ukraine.

This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood hosts a two-part episode on the Ukraine war, talking to Crisis Group’s Europe/Central Asia director Olga Oliker about the fighting and Western policy and then to UN director, Richard Gowan, about dynamics at the UN and how the world has reacted.

The overwhelming support for a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion shows that countries around the world see it as attacking global norms. Yet policymakers also view the crisis in terms of their own national interest. Crisis Group experts assess the war from thirteen vantage points.

The UN General Assembly begins an Emergency Special Session on the war in Ukraine. UN members, and especially those from Africa, Asia and Latin America, should use this opportunity to condemn Russia's aggression and take steps to contain and de-escalate the conflict.

This week on The Horn, guest host Elissa Jobson is joined by Dr Solomon Ayele Dersso to discuss the challenges facing the African Union (AU), as a wave of unconstitutional takeovers sweeps through the continent, threatening the AU’s long-held commitment to democracy. 

This week on War & Peace, Olga Oliker is joined by Crisis Group EU experts Lisa Musiol and Giuseppe Famà to talk about eleven countries where the EU could take action to help prevent conflicts and save lives.

Islamabad must tread carefully with its long-time Taliban allies back in power in Kabul. Pitfalls lie ahead for Pakistan’s domestic security and its foreign relations. The Pakistani government should encourage Afghanistan’s new authorities down the path of compromise with international demands regarding rights and counter-terrorism.

This week on War & Peace, Olya Oliker and Hugh Pope are joined by Hilde Hardeman, former head of the EU’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, to talk about the foreign policy toolkit the EU uses to ward off threats over its borders and encourage peacebuilding across the globe.

The African Union’s twentieth anniversary in the coming year gives it a chance to assess its achievements as well as reinvigorate its work to safeguard peace and security on the continent. This briefing points to eight conflict situations needing the organisation’s urgent attention.

Crisis Group’s Watch List identifies ten countries or regions at risk of deadly conflict or escalation thereof in 2022. In these places, early action, driven or supported by the EU and its member states, could enhance prospects for peace and stability.