EuroDefense Finland and the Atlantic Council of Finland organised on 7 October an event that featured Professor Sten Rynning, the Director of the Danish Institute of Advanced Study and Professor of War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, as the main speaker.
Organised with the generous support by the Danish Embassy, the event gathered a full house at the Eurooppa Hall in Helsinki for a discussion on current European security and defence during Denmark’s EU Presidency.
Professor Rynning gave us a succinct, clear and inspiring account of the development of NATO in time through three phases, or three NATO’s – the original one, with strong American engagement to defend against the Soviet Union but also to transform Europe, the second one after the end of the Cold War, enlarging to the whole continent in Europe, and a third NATO emerging after Russia’s rejection of the ‘second NATO’ – essentially a new era again, characterised by the return of talk about spheres of influence and a different US view on the EU and Europe.
Prof. Rynning spoke about the new insecurity of Central Europe, the four distinct security complexes in Europe – Baltic, Black Sea, Mediterranean and North Atlantic – and emphasised the erosion of the foundation of the security system. Are we about to exit altogether the phase where there was a steady basis for security cooperation? In this new situation, action by the Europeans is needed, but are they up to it? It would presuppose strong investment in Ukraine, a more pronounced role for Germany, and a comprehensive review of structures, a European-led NATO.
Many thanks to the Ambassador of Denmark H.E. Jakob Nymann-Lindegren and the Chair of the Atlantic Council of Finland Mr Jyrki Katainen for their opening remarks!
Finnish media interviews with the professor Rynning:
