What ‘deal’ for Europe? How the return of Donald Trump to the White House may affect transatlantic relations.

What ‘deal’ for Europe? How the return of Donald Trump to the White House may affect transatlantic relations.

by Dr Elisabeth Johansson-Nogués, inRESPONSE Principal Investigator The return of Donald Trump to the White House, after his clear victory in the 2024 United States presidential election, has caused some trepidation in various European capitals. The strident campaign rhetoric by the President-elect gives an indication  that Trump is set on picking up right where he left…

Retooling partnerships? NATO and Cooperative Security before and after 2022

Retooling partnerships? NATO and Cooperative Security before and after 2022

Dr Nicolò Fasola, Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the University of Bologna In response to the perceived challenges of the new international environment, NATO is exploring new ways to secure an edge over near competitors, while retooling pre-existing policies and instruments. Partnerships are one such instrument. They consist of joint activities at the politico-strategic…

Reshaping Security: The Impact of Russia’s Invasion into Ukraine on Military Expenditures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Reshaping Security: The Impact of Russia’s Invasion into Ukraine on Military Expenditures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

by Cecilia Duncan, inRESPONSE Researcher The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upset the security order across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February 2022 to expand Russian territorial gains and sever Ukraine’s ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This “special military operation” is in contravention of…

Finnish and Swedish membership in NATO brings the two countries even closer together

Finnish and Swedish membership in NATO brings the two countries even closer together

by Hanna Ojanen, Research Director, Tampere University & inRESPONSE Researcher Finland’s newly elected President Alexander Stubb recently paid his first state visit to Stockholm, as per tradition for Finnish presidents. This time a lot has changed: now the two countries are in NATO. Understandably, NATO was one of the central topics during the visit. In his…

The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): Indispensable security institutions in the eyes of Ukrainians

The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): Indispensable security institutions in the eyes of Ukrainians

by Francesca Leso, PhD Candidate at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona & inRESPONSE Researcher When Russia invaded Ukraine at the dawn of February 24, 2022, one of the Kremlin’s main strategic goals was to secure Ukraine’s notorious ‘neutrality status’. Two years into the war, it would appear that Russia has achieved exactly the opposite. Public support…

Hybrid deterrence: The EU’s security and defense assistance shifts approach in Moldova

Hybrid deterrence: The EU’s security and defense assistance shifts approach in Moldova

by Elena Simanschi, PhD Candidate at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona & inRESPONSE Researcher Moldova’s security landscape underwent a drastic transformation following Russia’s full-scale military aggression against its neighbor Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in 850,000 Ukrainian refugees crossing the border from 24 February 2022 to July 2023. Additionally, missile and drone incidents on Moldovan land…

Will the European Union Become Militarily Independent by 2030?

Will the European Union Become Militarily Independent by 2030?

by Henrique Monteiro, PhD Candidate at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona & inRESPONSE Researcher Europe is at a crossroads. The post-Cold War overlapping institutional set-up that created the identity of the European Union and safeguarded its collective security for multiple decades is being exceptionally challenged. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine raised security concerns that have…