Europe in a perfect storm of new security challenges
Europe is in the middle of a demanding new security situation that will quickly change how private companies, the public sector and politicians think about the region's security. How should European institutions and actors relate to the United States, Russia and anti-democratic forces from within? And what should the public sector and private companies do to confront these new challenges?
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We have had a chat with Associate Professor , who works on European politics and especially Russia and eastern parts of Europe. Together with assistant professor , he has developed a new part-time study on the new security situation in Europe. Knutsen says that Europe in 2025 appears to have found itself in the middle of a perfect storm, where the choices we make today could be decisive for the continent's future in the long term.
He points to Russia as the most obvious military threat to Europe, especially if they succeed in winning the war in Ukraine.
鈥揤arious forms of hybrid warfare are set to increase, and we are already seeing it in attempts at election manipulation, cutting of undersea cables and in sabotage against defense actors in Germany and GPS jamming along the Russian border.
鈥� Social trust is eroding
Knutsen says there are several developments that threaten European security and stability, where the new challenges come from both within and without.
鈥� Trust in politicians and in democracy is declining in Europe. Politics has become more polarized, and in particular far-right parties are strong in many European countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Austria and Hungary. These movements are often indirectly supported by pro-Russian forces. All of this contributes to reducing general social trust, which is our best protection against authoritarian forces. Europe is also struggling to integrate a growing immigrant population and has major challenges with strong migration pressure from countries in the global south.
What worries you most?
鈥� The US鈥檚 decoupling from Europe worries me, and the more authoritarian turn the country has taken under a polarizing Donald Trump. A trade war with China could quickly lead to more serious conflicts, because China also has its territorial ambitions. In any case, this means that Europe alone must safeguard its security, democracy and the rule of law.
鈥� Trump鈥檚 inauguration marks a new era
Would you say that it has been a gradual development or would you point to individual events that have caused the changes we now see?
鈥� I think we can look back in the history books on the presidential inauguration in the US on January 20, 2025, as a new era in history. We can see the period 1945-2025 as a kind of post-war period, in which the liberal international institutions established after the Second World War, especially those linked to the UN system, gradually cease to function. It is too early to say exactly what will replace these. But I am afraid the world is facing some turbulent years.
Want to learn more about Europe鈥檚 new security challenges?
Terje Knutsen and Andrea Zakariassen have together with Norwegian Naval Academy and C忙cilia van Peski (Commander at the Royal Netherlands Navy and psychologist), developed a new part-time course that addresses precisely these societal upheavals and the different dynamics that will influence Europe's development. The program boasts a number of talented speakers with unique expertise:
- Sidsel Wold (foreign correspondent, NRK)
- Vaishali Lara Kathuria (senior advisor at the Government Pension Fund Global)
- 脴ystein Bogen (former foreign correspondent, TV2)
- Marianne Riddervold (researcher at the Norwegian Instiute of International Affairs)
- Sverre Diesen (retired Norwegian general)
- J酶rn Qviller (Colonel, leader of Finnmark Land Defense)
- Michel Myhre-Nielsen (Equinor)
- 脜se 脴stensen (researcher, civil-military relations at the Norwegian Naval Academy)
- Tom R酶seth (senior lecturer in intelligence at the Norwegian National Defense University/Staff School)
- Tor Ivar Str酶mmen (senior lecturer in naval power at the Norwegian Naval Academy)
- J.H.N.聽(Hein) van Ameijden (Currently Managing Director of Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding)
- Ton van Loon聽(Currently a lecturer at universities, NATO institutes, and the German staff college in Hamburg)
- Synn酶ve Nesse (reserarcher and lecturer, holds a PhD in strategic crisis management from NHH)
The part-time program European Security Policy in Change can be taken in person, hybrid or digitally, and starts in the fall of 2025 and can be taken alone or as part of the master's degree in democracy building, and you can read more about the program here:聽聽