Europe’s New Role in U.S. Strategy
The future of U.S.-European relations is emerging as one of the most significant factors that will shape the global system. NATO’s celebration of its 75th anniversary at the bloc’s summit in Washington next week will be overshadowed not only by Russia’s war on Ukraine but by uncertainty over the future of the alliance itself—not least because of the possibility that NATO-bashing former U.S. President Donald Trump could return to power next year. The U.S.-European relationship will have several practical benefits for Washington’s rivalry with Beijing. In this op-ed, Jon Inge Bekkevold considers Europe's new role in U.S. strategy, the transatlantic relationship and U.S.-Chinese rivalry.
The Cost of Ignoring Geopolitics
Like Napoleon and the Ming dynasty, Europe is paying the price for strategic blindness. Europe finds itself in the greatest peril since the 1940s. As Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the Trump administration’s policy shifts mean that Europe suddenly faces the possibility of war with Russia without the United States’ full backing. Washington is now negotiating a possible peace directly with Moscow and Kyiv, without the participation of other Europeans. It also seems willing to reach a deal largely on Russia’s terms. In this article, Jo Inge Bekkevold examines current geopolitical developments in Europe through a historical lens, highlighting both parallels and key differences with the past.
Lars H. Gulbrandsen
Lars H. Gulbrandsen er assisterende direktør og forskningsleder for klima og energi ved Fridtjof Nansens Institutt. Hans forskningsinteresser er g...
Critical Raw Materials: Interests of China and the European Union in the Arctic
In this Essay, we examine a potential avenue of future contestation in the Arctic – namely, the development of critical raw materials (CRMs) – with a particular focus on two actors with a growing interest in exploiting those materials in the Arctic region: China and the European Union (EU). CRMs increasingly play an essential role in the geopolitics of the global energy transition. In comes the Arctic region – a broad geographic area encompassing eight States that is rich in critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and REEs. However, mining in the Arctic poses significant risks, particularly to the region’s fragile ecosystem, and would require significant investments, often also involving public-private partnerships. And yet, as demand for critical minerals grows, the Arctic’s role in the global supply chain will likely become more prominent, particularly from a Chinese and EU perspective. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a watershed in relations between the West and the Russian Federation, including in the Arctic region. Once hailed as an exceptional space of regional governance, cooperation and peaceful co-existence between the Arctic States, that notion lost meaning over the past two – almost three – years.
Andreas Raspotnik
Andreas Raspotnik conducts research on the European Union’s policies and interests in the Arctic, with a particular emphasis on EU foreign and sec...
Anna Lisa Ahlers
Anna Lisa Ahlers is a sinologist and political scientist, and Professor II of China Studies at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Midd...
Alf Håkon Hoel
Alf Håkon Hoel is professor of ocean law and policy at the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science at the UiT – the Arctic University of Norway. He...
Steinar Andresen
Steinar Andresen is a Senior Research Fellow Emeritus at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI). His research focuses on international agreements, re...
Navigating the Era of Indicators (Navigator)
The European Research Council funded Navigator project (2025-2030) explores how public and private bodies, civil society and the state, navigate the era of indicators in global governa...