Richard Rose examines the cross-continental interaction of economic and military security in Europe, spanning from the era of cold peace and economic growth to the aggression in Ukraine and Washington’s pivot to the Pacific. The French Assembly’s 1954 rejection of a European Defence Community led to the institutionalisation of two complementary but distinct security institutions: the European Economic Community, which fostered economic growth, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, where the United States acted as a hegemon deterring Russian aggression.

Today, both systems face pressure to adapt. The EU’s economic community’s trade and currency are part of a global economy, with decisions made in Washington and Beijing as well as Brussels. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have demonstrated that Europe currently lacks the military force to act as a deterrent once the fighting in Ukraine ends. Additionally, Europe must confront the economic challenge of aiding Ukraine’s reconstruction and the political challenge of adapting EU institutions to accommodate Ukraine’s place within them.