Sophia Besch and Anna Bartoux
Why the surge of interest in a European nuclear force?
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, after only a few weeks in office, has raised serious doubts among its European allies about America’s commitment to their security and the NATO alliance. Recent leaks confirm the antagonism leading members of the administration feel toward Europe. This has led Europeans to seriously worry about whether Washington will continue to extend nuclear deterrence—sometimes referred to as a nuclear “umbrella”—to the continent. Some leaders have begun to discuss their nuclear options.
Allied doubts about U.S. extended deterrence commitments are an inherent feature of the relationship, not just a Trump effect. In the 1950s, the belief that a U.S. president would never sacrifice “New York for Paris” became a justification for France’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability independent of the United States. What’s more, selective releases of intelligence throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine indicate that, despite its threats, Moscow has not yet taken any concrete actions to increase the risks of nuclear war. It has not, for instance, moved nuclear weapons out of storage or raised the alert level of its nuclear forces, contrary to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims. Consequently, not all Europeans agree that there is a greater need than in the past to bolster European nuclear options to deter Russian threats.
No comments:
Post a Comment