Tom O'Connor | Newsweek
February 21, 2025
"The risk they run are twofold," SSP's Barry Posen, stated. "There is the very probable and imminent risk of losing much say over their own fate. There is the less probable and less imminent, but still extremely dangerous threat that they will need to fight, and fight largely on their own, and fight successfully."
French President Emmanuel Macron has long sought to position himself at the forefront of a major shift in Europe's security outlook, one that would see the continent invest significantly more in defense spending and assume greater autonomy from the United States.
Now, as President Donald Trump signals a dramatic geopolitical shift by aligning more closely with Russia after three years of growing U.S. military support for Ukraine in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, the French leader's repeated calls for a more powerful, integrated and independent European military appear to have been vindicated.
But even in light of newfound urgency, uncertainties remain as to how quickly a deeply bureaucratic and politically fractured European Union will move toward this long-stated goal. Failing to do so could have severe consequences for the fate of the continent.
"The leadership, political cooperation, and management tasks are demanding," Posen told Newsweek. "Historically states mobilize and cooperate when they are pretty scared, and not until then. The Europeans seem presently more hurt than scared. When they get scared, they will probably do more. But perhaps not enough and perhaps too late."
From Newsweek