Five strands of work, connected by one recurring concern: how Europeans can think and act more strategically in a world increasingly shaped by power, coercion and geopolitical competition.
From latent strength to strategic initiative.
Europe is not weak, but it suffers from a psychology of weakness. The challenge is to convert considerable resources into actual influence - and recover the strategic initiative.
Resources. Readiness. Resolve.
Deterrence requires more than spending. Europe needs usable military capability, forces that are ready, greater integration and the political resolve to act.
The war is in Ukraine, but the fight is with Russia.
Supporting Ukraine and confronting Russia are two sides of the same strategy: help Ukraine prevail while reducing Moscow’s capacity for aggression and coercion.
A stronger alliance through greater European strength.
Europe needs a strong transatlantic relationship, but one in which it can cooperate where interests align, stand its ground where they do not and reduce strategic dependencies.
Beyond binary choices and spheres of influence.
Europe should build partnerships with countries seeking room for manoeuvre and a shared interest in a world where power is constrained by agreed rules.
Since 1989, I have written and worked on Europe’s place in the world. The context has changed profoundly, and so has my thinking.