In Conversation with François Heisbourg, Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS)

European Security in an Age of Strategic Competition

In a recent discussion with François Heisbourg, one of Europe's leading strategic thinkers and advisor to the French government, I explored the shifting landscape of European security. His analysis centers on how Europe must adapt to a world where American security guarantees can no longer be taken for granted.

Heisbourg argued that the war in Ukraine represents a fundamental rupture in the post-Cold War order. Russia's invasion has exposed the fragility of European defense capabilities and forced a reckoning with decades of underinvestment in military infrastructure. France and Germany, historically the drivers of European integration, now face divergent strategic cultures. France pushes for European strategic autonomy while Germany grapples with its pacifist traditions.

The challenge extends beyond military capacity. Heisbourg emphasized that Europe lacks a coherent approach to China, torn between economic dependence and security concerns. The continent's energy vulnerability, laid bare by the Nord Stream crisis, reveals how economic integration can become a strategic liability. Europe's reliance on external actors for critical resources undermines its geopolitical agency.

NATO's future emerged as a central theme. While the alliance has proven resilient, questions persist about burden-sharing and Article 5 credibility. Can European members genuinely defend themselves if American priorities shift toward the Indo-Pacific? Heisbourg suggested that European nations must develop credible deterrence capabilities, including nuclear considerations, to maintain strategic relevance.

What struck me most was his emphasis on the return of great power competition. The liberal international order that shaped European security policy for three decades is eroding. Europe must navigate a multipolar world where military force, territorial sovereignty, and ideological contestation matter again. The question is whether European institutions, built for economic cooperation, can adapt to this harsher reality.