Europe’s new watchfulness
Sauli Niinistö wanted to shake Europe awake. The former president of Finland submitted a report to the leaders of the European Union last October, imploring them to think differently about defense.
Post-World War II peace had allowed Europe the space to build nations based on rule of law and the protection of individual rights. But it also led to a lack of vigilance, he said.
“Security is the foundation of everything we hold dear,” his report stated. “A change in mindset is needed to build the trust that allows us to [defend ourselves better] as the whole of society.”
In recent weeks, Europe is showing signs of listening.
On Thursday, dozens of European military leaders willing to commit troops to a potential Ukraine peacekeeping force will meet in Britain to iron out details. In a related step, the German parliament on Tuesday approved an ambitious defense spending plan, passed by the huge margin of 513-207.
Earlier this month, Poland’s prime minister announced plans to more than double the army to 500,000 soldiers. He has noted the illogic that “500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them against 140 million Russians.”
As Mr. Niinistö insists, the goal is not war but watchfulness and a commitment to defend the values that need defending. His Finnish homeland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, has not been afforded the luxury of complacence. While other European nations have built more expeditionary forces, Finland has focused on defending itself. It also has a large, well-trained reserve, a result of staying outside NATO until 2023.
“Essentially, Finland’s mindset needs to be applied across the European Union,” journalist Erkki Bahovski, whose native Estonia has faced similar threats from Russia, wrote in Postimees last November.
The past month has brought an invigorating new sense of European identity – a “can-do spirit,” The Economist wrote. Since World War II, Europe has defined itself mostly as an economic bloc. Defense was largely left to the Americans. Now, a new Europe is beginning to coalesce around this shared sense of preparedness.
Ukraine has strongly felt this purpose since the outbreak of war. “Kyiv as the capital of Ukraine is the beating heart of today’s European values,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2023. “Ukraine is on the front line of the defence of everything we Europeans cherish: our liberty, our democracy, our freedom of thought and of speech.”
Europe is coming to see how much larger its role can be in that fight.
