The future of the European security order

In recent years numerous new threats have emerged in Europe and across its neighborhood. Several of these represent a resurgence of traditional security threats—from Russia’s annexation of Crimea and destabilization of Western Ukraine, to the rise of Islamic extremism and turmoil in the Middle East, and the terrorism it has bred. Other challenges confronting Europe are of a very different nature. Amid ever-increasing globalization, European societies face new vulnerabilities, including massive waves of migration, the threat of cyberattacks, and coordinated disinformation and anti-establishment campaigns orchestrated by foreign powers. The West’s one truly existential danger, however, may be itself. With a new U.S. president that questions the value of NATO and other international alliances and has expressed an aim to re-engage with Russia, doubts are growing about Washington’s commitment to safeguard Europe’s security. European Council President Donald Tusk has even gone so far as to label the Trump administration a potential threat to Europe’s stability.

On March 1, the Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE) at Brookings hosted a discussion to explore the range of evolving threats to the European security order. Featuring security experts from both sides of the Atlantic, the two panels assessed Europe’s capacity to respond through the existing security architecture, and considered whether the trans-Atlantic alliance is headed for reconsideration and a break from its long-standing role as the guarantor of Western security.