15 January 2026
“It’s Geoeconomics, Stupid”
“It’s the economy, stupid”, the famous catchphrase in the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign, emphasized the importance of economic growth and stability for US voters. The economic argument was also decisive for Trump’s second win. While he promised the return of a US golden age, the US economy has so far been riding on a rollercoaster. As world economies remain interconnected – even in a postliberal view – the Greenland crisis puts geoeconomics centre stage, with the United States using economic and coercive instruments to achieve strategic geopolitical goals. Continue reading >>
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14 January 2026
Grabbing Greenland
The US have doubled down on their threats to seize Greenland, oscillating between long-standing demands that Denmark sell the island to more recent allusions that force may be used if it doesn’t. Trump’s antics over Greenland have politically divided allies and left NATO and the EU de facto and de jure compromised. In this situation, willing, able and trusted states would be well advised to strengthen a European pillar which is complementary to NATO, i.e. one that can plug and play with the US in the Alliance where it can, and autonomously where it must. Continue reading >>
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13 January 2026
European Solidarity and Union Citizens in Greenland
While the EU and its Member States have consistently signalled solidarity with Denmark and Greenland since Trump’s inauguration in early 2025, Europe’s strategy so far has been cautious and may no longer be sufficient. The current situation will test whether European solidarity can evolve beyond rhetoric into a form of “defence solidarity”, ultimately requiring Member States to share military burdens in defence of both Greenlandic Union citizens and European sovereignty. Continue reading >>
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05 March 2025
Funding Europe’s Defence
History is on the move. In just a couple of weeks, Europe has seen its security architecture tested as never before since World War II. Now, the European Union must demonstrate its ability to take control of its own destiny and turn the vision of a common European defence into reality. With ReArm Europe, the Union wants to “meet the moment” and affirm that it is “ready to assume its responsibilities”. While the plan represents a crucial first step towards strengthening European defence, it does not introduce any groundbreaking measures. Its predominant reliance on national defence spending constitutes an important limitation. Continue reading >>
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29 October 2024
On the Way to a European Defence Union
Is the EU on the path to a European Defence Union? Previously seen as militarily insignificant, the EU’s defence landscape is rapidly evolving in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This post explores how EU defence is changing in terms of aims, actors, and activities. It shows that the EU has left its comfort zone as a normative power to get ready for the geostrategic challenges of our time. Continue reading >>
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23 April 2024
A Proposal Towards a European Defence Union
In the context of profound (geo-)political changes, and following the Conference on the Future of Europe, the European Parliament (EP) adopted proposals for a Treaty reform for the area of defence. This blog post analyses the proposed formation of the European Defence Union (EDU) and the introduction of qualified majority voting (QMV) while concluding that the new framework would likely create contradictory outcomes and undesirably challenge the current constitutional balance. Continue reading >>
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