Reports of Professor Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen
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Options for European defense
After three decades of continuous decline, European defense budgets are again on the rise. What kind of military capabilities will these investments provide? Money will only go so far without the right strategic choices.
The militarization of Northern Europe
The Baltic Sea and northern Scandinavia is rapidly turning into the most likely area of armed conflict between NATO and Russia. Northern Europe is to today’s confrontation with Russia what Central Europe once was during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. And that might be the good news.
The European Union’s stillborn army
The plan for a European Union army appears to be an idea doomed to fail. Its failure, however, could pave the way for closer European defense cooperation centered on Germany. More likely, the push for an integrated European army will lead, somewhat paradoxically, to a renationalization of defense. Any such ...
NATO balances east and south
As NATO leaders gather in Warsaw, they must balance a serious threat to the alliance’s eastern flank against multiple and complex challenges in the south. Their task is complicated by Brexit, which weakens the Anglo-American partnership at the heart of NATO. The result may be a bigger security role for ...
How Brexit transforms European defense
The United Kingdom just opted out of the European Union, not NATO. But its departure will accelerate a drift by the European members of the alliance away from its Atlanticist origins. And according to Jean-Claude Juncker's top defense advisor, this comes with Washington's blessing.
NATO’s Baltic options
Determination is growing for NATO to put more boots on the ground in the Baltics as its July summit in Warsaw approaches. But turning forward deployments of Western troops from a “trip wire” into a ‘speed bump” may not be the best way to ward off nuclear escalation.
European rearmament: three scenarios
Defense spending in Europe is on the rise again after experiencing severe reductions during the global financial crisis. A combination of pressure from the United States, fear of Russia and improving public finances is behind this trend. Having cut their forces to the bone, European countries must now decide how ...
