North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Denmark used its soft power to rally support and took the dispute out of the limelight – addressing underlying US interests instead of President Trump’s unacceptable public position.

As geopolitical competition heats up in the Arctic, security and science must go hand in hand.

The country’s purchase of Russian air defences has prevented it from acquiring US F-35 fighter jets. The UAE could face similar issues if it purchases the systems.

The panel explored the key issues shaping European defence today in the face of hybrid threats from Russia.

Just the day after the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, the first session of Chatham House’s 2026 London Conference addressed the future of alliance.

In this week’s episode of the Independent Thinking podcast, our experts discuss the outcomes of this year’s NATO summit and what it means for the future of the transatlantic relationship.

Following this week’s Ankara NATO summit, General Sir Richard Barrons told the Chatham House London Conference that European countries must act to re-establish deterrence in the light of US drawdown in Europe.

Erosion of public trust in US leadership and the growing Russian threat are opportunities for European NATO allies to build public support for fast and decisive action on defence.

Disagreements over the Iran war and defence procurement threaten to turn the annual summit into another theatre for division and distract from the threat from Russia.

A tortuous process has produced a plan that does not set a clear path towards meeting the UK’s defence expenditure targets. But it includes many elements which will make the UK a more attractive collaborative partner for NATO allies.

Europe has four long-term paths to security autonomy from America – which it takes will depend on electorates’ appetites for far greater political integration and financial sacrifice, says Glyn Morgan.

As well as pushing for wider European cooperation in the alliance, the Ankara summit host knows that it is key to helping Europe regain influence in its rapidly changing southern neighbourhood, says Galip Dalay.

In this week’s episode of Independent Thinking, our experts discuss the UK’s defence funding crisis and Europe’s struggle to coordinate its rearmament effort.

General Sir Richard Barrons – a co-author of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review – says a lack of government competence is making the UK less safe and undermining its reputation with allies.

FCAS was already competing with the GCAP project and Swedish and Turkish fighters. Europe should combine its efforts.

Germany is ready to rearm, but faces many political challenges to achieve strategic leadership.

What is the state of US relations with the UK and the rest of NATO? And what political and military decisions lie ahead for European leaders?

They are Europe’s new military powerhouses. But a frosty relationship between Warsaw and Berlin could weaken the alliance, warns Helen Fitzwilliam.

To pay for what the Strategic Defence Review recommends, the UK has four options and none is easy, writes Andrew Dorman.

‘Dissuasion avancée’ is intended to give France’s partners a greater stake in nuclear deterrence, retain French command and control – and prevent proliferation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a friendlier tone to European nations, but the elephant in the room – the rupture between the US and its NATO allies – remains, says Bronwen Maddox. 

Europe’s push to reduce its reliance on the US is likely to be permanent. US policymakers should wake up to this new reality.

An alliance with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would not make NATO member Turkey better defended. But it would provide other advantages.

Leaders agree on the need to reduce dependencies in defence, technology, energy and trade. But what are the priorities? And can they overcome their fragmented politics?

All in one place – region by region and sector by sector – here is a collection of Chatham House expert commentary from our analysts who assess the global ramifications of the new expansionist US foreign policy, politically, economically and legally.

US threats to annex Greenland following the attack on Venezuela should be taken seriously. European countries have important leverage they should be prepared to use.

A muted response to events in Venezuela shows allies still want to avoid confrontation with Washington. But that approach cannot last if the president seeks to force them into alignment with MAGA policy and cultural politics.

Speaking at the Doha Forum in conversation with Chatham House CEO Bronwen Maddox, Matthew Whitaker defended the new US security strategy and its criticisms of Europe.

As the thawing Arctic’s geostrategic importance grows, military and economic objectives are becoming increasingly intertwined.

Interview: Natalie Sabanadze tells Sara Seth about Putin’s efforts to dominate the sea’s trade and energy routes, and why Europe needs Turkey’s support to stop him.

Russia sees Belarus as a strategic asset in its confrontations with Ukraine and NATO. For the sake of regional security, Western governments must encourage Minsk towards a more neutral stance.

While the Black Sea plays a pivotal role in Russia’s strategic thinking, the region also presents a critical opportunity for the West to contain Moscow’s global ambitions.

Russia’s military industry is struggling to modernize under the weight of sanctions and the demands of war. The West must aim to widen the growing technological gap with Moscow to blunt the latter’s threat.

This paper explores how NATO can protect its space-based assets from the growing risk of cyberattacks through a framework that focuses on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Russia seeks to rebuild and modernize its armed forces, both to make up for combat losses in Ukraine and to apply lessons from that theatre. The outcome of this project matters deeply for Western security.

In this research paper, Juliet Skingsley investigates democratic states’ strategies for balancing utility and risk in offensive cyber operations.

By putting in place climate change adaptation measures, NATO has an opportunity to both strengthen operational resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

This report makes the case for dramatically increased Western military assistance to Ukraine, and counsels against concessions to Russia.

Russian nuclear threats have been highly successful in constraining Western responses to the war on Ukraine. Actual use of nuclear weapons by Russia is unlikely – but must be more firmly deterred.

Europe and the US recognize that their policies and strategies on the Indo-Pacific need to be more coherent. Existing structures such as the G7 and the Quad could become key forums for enhanced cooperation.

Russia’s increasingly militarized approach to polar politics threatens to end the era of low tension in the Arctic and to undermine the stability of the Antarctic Treaty System.

To help sustain the unity of response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK needs to rebuild its relationship with the EU, expand the role of the G7, and deploy its trade and development policies more strategically.

Human processes and judgments can affect decisions in the nuclear chain of command. Complexity science offers policymakers pathways to reduce escalatory risk.

Persistent past behaviours by the Russian state offer clues to how it can be deterred from hostile action against the West in the future. But this is only possible if the West shows both the will and the ability to defend itself.

Innovations in military technology are enhancing and enabling Russia’s way of war. How should NATO and its allies respond?

In this paper, Steven Hill examines what the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should mean for the members of the NATO Alliance.

This paper will identify, raise awareness of, and help reduce risks to NATO’s nuclear weapon systems arising from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. It aims to respond to the need for more public information on cyber risks in NATO’s nuclear mission, and to provide policy-driven research to shape and inform nuclear policy at member-state level.

This paper focuses on Russia’s military posture in the Russian Arctic, demystifying Moscow’s military build-up, and explaining why the intentions are defensive.

In the first of a new annual series, Chatham House experts examine how aspects of the established order in global affairs are shifting.