Hedgehog Europe?
What is defence really for and what should Europe do after defence budgets have been ravaged by the economic crisis? In the second of a two part series of podcasts, Daniel Korski talks to Nick Witney about how European security will have to be rethought from the ground up after the economic crisis – and how the best option might be to become a spikey, hedgehog-like larger version of Switzerland
What is defence really
for? Across Europe, defence budgets are falling off a cliff thanks to the economic crisis — whilst
the case for spending on the military seems progressively harder to make. The
Russian bear no longer terrifies as it did, and Afghanistan has blunted appetites
for more far-flung adventures. Perhaps it’s time for Europe to think about becoming more like a hedgehog — inward looking and prickly.
In the second of a two part series of podcasts, Daniel Korski talks to Nick Witney about how European security will have to be rethought from the ground up after the economic crisis – and how the best option might be to become a spikey, hedgehog-like larger version of Switzerland. Click here for the audio.
You can listen to the audio of Part One here.
Richard Gowan explains why he thinks Europe cannot afford to ignore security risks beyond the horizon, no matter how bad the financial situation, here.
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The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.
