\u201cIn 15 years, in an ideal world, the United States and Europe should be relatively equal partners and allies, not security provider and dependent,\u201d FP\u2019s Emma Ashford wrote<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n Regardless of how U.S. politics unfolds in that time, there\u2019s a consensus in Europe that the continent can no longer rely on its trans-Atlantic partner for defense. The question is what Europe\u2019s transformation will look like\u2014and whether increases in military spending will translate into notably greater defensive capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIn 15 years, in an ideal world, the United States and Europe should be relatively equal partners and allies, not security provider and dependent,\u201d FP\u2019s Emma Ashford wrote<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n Regardless of how U.S. politics unfolds in that time, there\u2019s a consensus in Europe that the continent can no longer rely on its trans-Atlantic partner for defense. The question is what Europe\u2019s transformation will look like\u2014and whether increases in military spending will translate into notably greater defensive capabilities.<\/p>\n This edition of The Reading List provides a snapshot into how experts are thinking about Europe\u2019s strategic reboot and what it should entail.<\/p>\n Mark Harris Illustration for Foreign Policy<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n There has rarely been a safer window for the transition of security on the continent away from America, FP\u2019s Emma Ashford writes.<\/p>\n Jared Cohen tells FP\u2019s Ravi Agrawal: \u201cWithout economic growth, you start to evaporate geopolitically.\u201d<\/p>\n Dutch soldiers simulate urban combat during a military exercise alongside members of the German military near Gardelegen, Germany, on April 9. The exercise is meant to increase operability for defending Europe\u2019s eastern flank. Tamir Kalifa\/Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Franz-Stefan Gady weighs in on the future of NATO.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Poland\u2019s Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine where they held a meeting of the so-called \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201don May 10, 2025 in Kyiv. WPA Pool\/Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n How the continent earned a seat at the table that will decide Ukraine\u2019s fate, according to Michael Kimmage and Linas Kojala.<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron as he hosts a European leaders\u2019 summit at Lancaster House in London on March 2.Simon Dawson \/ No 10 Downing Street \/ Handout\/ Anadolu via Getty Images<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n If the continent\u2019s leaders can\u2019t make tough choices themselves, they should let their citizens make those decisions for them, Kishore Mahbubani writes.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n <\/span>Passing the Baton in Europe<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2-shot-logo_7ba5a0.jpg\"){kind=logo}
\n <\/span>How Europe\u2019s Future Hinges on Defense<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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\n <\/span>Europe Is Still Defenseless Without America<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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\n ![\"British](\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2213738864-1.jpg\")
\n <\/span>Europe Has Willed Itself to Power<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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\n <\/span>Europe Needs a Complete Strategic Reboot<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n