The crisis over Greenland marks the greatest possibility of rupture in trans-Atlantic relations since NATO’s foundation. Ian Davis considers how European states might respond to US sanctions and potential annexation of Greenland, arguing that planning should start now for a post-NATO security architecture in Europe and the Arctic. On 17 January, US President Donald Trump … Continue reading How Europe should respond to Trump’s threats over Greenland
CSBMs not shoot-downs are required to take the heat out of the escalating airspace violations
A series of violations of NATO airspace by Russian crewed and uncrewed aircraft in September significantly escalated the rhetoric and potential for deadly violence between European adversaries beyond Ukraine. Ian Davis suggests four ways in which the alliance can deter Russia while reducing the risk of miscalculation and the dangers of escalation. NATO member states … Continue reading CSBMs not shoot-downs are required to take the heat out of the escalating airspace violations
“Other, more benevolent things”: Revisiting Helsinki to prevent the final act of nuclear war
The Helsinki Accords that helped define the European security order for nearly half-a-century emerged not from the victory or the collapse of one state or bloc, but from compromise amid heightened Cold War tensions. On the 50th anniversary of the Accords, as part of our series ‘Stories of People- and Planet-centred Cooperation’, Sean Howard explores … Continue reading “Other, more benevolent things”: Revisiting Helsinki to prevent the final act of nuclear war
Lessons from the Anti-nuclear Movement of the 1980s
In an era of polycrisis and realignment, what can we learn from the successes of the European peace movement in the 1980s? Martin Shaw argues for a new security politics of the left that mobilises citizens, civil society and parties to link peace, politics and democracy for a Europe whole, free and equal.
Europe needs a new Nuclear Forces Reduction Treaty rather than a Eurobomb
With huge uncertainties in the relationship between the United States, Russia and NATO, Europe is awash with proposals to share, ‘extend’ or procure nuclear weapons. To avoid further proliferation and the inevitable catastrophic failure of ‘deterrence’, Ian Davis and Paul Ingram argue for an urgent revival of nuclear disarmament between Europe and Russia.
Bridge to Nowhere: UK security strategy in the ruins of Atlantis
As Western security alliances fragment, Richard Reeve charts the implications for the UK’s most fundamental strategic assumptions, and makes the case for ‘thinking beyond the unthinkable’ in the government’s next National Security Strategy.
A Cuckoo in the Nest: Eight ways NATO states can respond to Trump 2.0
February 2025 looks like being a defining month for European security and the eight-decade transatlantic alliance. With European leaders unsure whether the Trump administration identifies more with Putin’s Russia than EU democracies, Ian Davis proposes eight ways in which European security might be rethought and reclaimed, within NATO or beyond it.
Do we really need a NATO bank to ‘Trump-proof’ European security?
The prospect of NATO-sceptic Donald Trump returning to the US presidency after next month’s election has stimulated much discussion of how to ‘Trump-proof’ European collective security. Ian Davis argues that the solution lies in funding global demobilization, not rearmament.