War, the challenge that Europe cannot ignore

The efforts Spain must make to strengthen its Armed Forces would not be justified in a peaceful security environment free of threats. 'Europe at War', a work coordinated by Ignacio Cosidó, already from its provocative degree scroll , above all, through the different approaches provided by the wide and varied plethora of academics and professionals who have contributed to it, argues that there are ample reasons to conclude that Europe's security faces significant challenges that cannot be ignored and that require rethinking how the continent defends itself and how much it invests in deterrence, especially at a time when the US commitment sample .

This is amultidisciplinary work multidisciplinary addresses the issue from different angles—the values that Europe must defend; cooperation between the EU and NATO, nuclear deterrence, the defense industry, intelligence, cybersecurity, and civil defense, among others—which make up a mosaic that aims to give an idea of the defense that Europe needs in the era of strategic competition that is unfolding before our eyes, and which is fundamentally reflected in scenarios of open warfare in its neighborhood, but also in the many actions and activities that take place in that area the conflict spectrum that lies below the threshold of open violence, and which is called the "gray zone."

Regardless of what individual states do to strengthen their own defense, the authors make a clear commitment to the development common security and defense capabilities as practically the only way to guarantee the security of the Old Continent and, therefore, of each of the states that comprise it. This is, it can be said, the common thread that ties together all the contributions to this study. Unsurprisingly, as it is now a commonly accepted idea, they also opt for an expanded concept of security that goes beyond the framework to incorporate other dimensions such as civil defense and economic security, to name just two.

While all of these are highly relevant, the chapter devoted to the possibility of Europe acquiring an autonomous nuclear capability is particularly timely, given the consequences that could arise if the continent were to embark on a path that could put an end to the already moribund nuclear arms control regime, but also because of how necessary it is if the EU decides to take steps toward becoming a true global power.

Europa en guerra final provides a comprehensive and useful overview of what European security needs, as well as an interesting proposal path that European states should take to achieve it, overcoming the significant difficulties and obstacles that, although no chapter emphasizes them, mark a process that is as important as it is necessary.

SALVADOR SÁNCHEZ TAPIA, researcher at GASS, is a Brigadier General (Res) and professor of Geopolitics and Conflict Resolution at the University of Navarra.