Since 2019, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)¹ has been navigating a markedly changed geopolitical landscape, in which partnerships with non-EU actors are evaluated not only for their economic potential but also for their implications for security, political resilience, and long-term dependencies, particularly in the economic and technological spheres.

For the past three decades, since the decision to join NATO, the core of Lithuania’s national security outlook has been based on the strategic security partnership with the United States. For Lithuania, the United States has never been just another ally; it has been the ultimate security guarantor without which neither NATO’s Article 5 nor the broader deterrence architecture in the Baltic region (and Europe, in a broader geopolitical picture) would be credible.

For the fourth consecutive year, we present the Democracy Sustainability Barometer, aiming to systematically measure, evaluate, and compare the attitudes of Lithuanian residents toward democracy and their resilience to propaganda from authoritarian states in the East.

Moldova has made notable progress in its relations with the European Union (EU). In just three years, from 2022 to 2025, the EU’s smallest eastern neighbour advanced from being an associated partner to a candidate country ready to begin accession negotiations.

Dr. Lee Sungwon and Dr. Konstantinas Andrijauskas analyse how Russia’s war against Ukraine, Europe’s rearmament, and the tightening Russia–China–North Korea triangle are reshaping security links between Europe and South Korea, arguing that deeper cooperation – from defence industry ties to cyber and critical infrastructure protection – is becoming a strategic necessity for both regions.

Tomoyuki Yoshida examines why Japan is doubling its defence spending, how it is strengthening deterrence together with the United States and regional partners, and how Chinese and North Korean threats - as well as the war in Ukraine - shape Japan’s view of the security link between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.

Colonel Linas Idzelis analyzes the role of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union in Lithuania’s total defence and societal resilience, highlighting key challenges such as rapid membership growth, limited training and infrastructure, and equipment gaps, and explains why Lithuania needs a clearer vision of citizens’ roles in both armed and unarmed resistance in times of crisis or military threat.