IPQ Frontpage

As long as President Vladimir Putin is in the Kremlin, Russia will pose a threat to European security. The EU should become more active in countering Russian influence in its neighborhood and in Central Asia.

Europe has never had so few alternatives as it does today. But that is exactly why Europe will succeed.

Only 4 percent of Europeans, on average, consider China to be an “ally,” while over a third regard it as a “rival” or an “adversary.” Still, the temptation to see it as a “strategic hedge” is there.

Incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz has already lost a lot of trust in Germany. Meanwhile, his EU partners are hoping he will use German money to underpin European leadership ambitions. They are in danger of losing sight of the domestic political risks.

In the new geopolitical situation, German public opinion is changing fast, leaving old military and fiscal taboos behind. Germans could even be convinced of EU debt issuance to finance a European defense build-up, a DGAP-Forsa poll shows.

China wanted a post-US world, but as President Donald Trump takes a wrecking ball to the global order, it may not be ready for one.

For the first time, the end of the EU is a realistic scenario. The foundations of integration are crumbling while centrifugal forces are reinforcing the disintegration.

Securing the future defense of the Euro-Atlantic in an Indo-Pacific era will be critical for Europe. A robust strategy is needed to keep the CRINK states―China, Russia, Iran, North Korea―in check.

The threat posed by Russia has spurred NATO and EU members to start rebuilding their military capabilities. Maintaining policy attention will be key.