A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Donald Trump’s election will have significant implications for European security — including, but certainly not limited to, the war in Ukraine. While Trump’s 2016 election surprised many Europeans, they have had time to prepare for a second Trump administration. We asked four experts to consider how different European leaders are reacting and what it might mean for governments’ investments in European security going forward.Alexander Lanoszka Associate Professor Department of Political Science, University of WaterlooOne might be forgiven for thinking that European leaders would meet the new Trump presidency with alarm. Yet some of them were already becoming frustrated with the outgoing Biden administration, whether over its economic protectionism or its middling political and military support for Ukraine. Setting aside those who have an ideological affinity for Trump, like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the general tone being struck by European leaders is one of caution. Trump’s national security picks are at best a mixed bag. Some, like those on NATO’s eastern flank, may welcome the hawkishness represented by Senator Marco Rubio, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to be secretary of state, but most would be nervous about former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, nominated as director of national intelligence, and her apparent pro-Russian sympathies. Regardless, most European countries have been ratcheting up investments in their own security over the last several years, not least because they have already had concerns about U.S. alliance reliability. The construction of fortifications along the eastern frontier aims to boost denial capabilities. Ammunition production is improving, and joint acquisition projects are growing in number across Europe. These investments perhaps have come too slowly, but they
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Donald Trump’s election will have significant implications for European security — including, but certainly not limited to, the war in Ukraine. While Trump’s 2016 election surprised many Europeans, they have had time to prepare for a second Trump administration. We asked four experts to consider how different European leaders are reacting and what it might mean for governments’ investments in European security going
