Susan Stewart

Dr. Susan Stewart serves as a Senior Fellow in the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Research Group at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), where she has conducted research since 2007. Her work focuses on the domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine, EU-Russia relations, civil society development in Eastern Europe, democracy promotion, and human rights in foreign policy. She currently co-leads research on the Redesign of the European Security Order.

Her research interests encompass:

• European security architecture transformation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• Ukraine's integration path into European political and security structures
• Geopolitical realignment in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space
• Civil society resilience and democratic development in conflict-affected regions
• EU enlargement dynamics and Eastern Partnership evolution

Dr. Stewart's recent publications demonstrate a concentrated focus on how the war in Ukraine is fundamentally reshaping European security architecture, with particular attention to Ukraine's potential institutional integration into European structures while Russia faces exclusion. Her work spans policy-relevant research papers, academic journal articles, and media commentary that analyzes geopolitical dynamics, institutional development, and civil society perspectives through multiple methodological approaches.

Notable recent contributions include:

• 'Indispensable: Why Ukraine is becoming a fundamental part of the future European security architecture' (2025)
• 'The Tipping Point: An Emerging Model of European Security with Ukraine and without Russia' (2025)
• 'Military and patriotic education in Russia' (2025, co-authored with Margarete Klein)

Dr. Stewart maintains active research collaborations across Europe, including her 2022 research stay at Warsaw's Centre for Eastern Studies. Her work directly informs German and European foreign policy through SWP's institutional role as a policy advisory body, bridging academic research with practical policy relevance in the rapidly evolving context of European security.