Europe at the Edge: Why we cannot trust the old security order anymore

The End of the Post-War Order?

The post-war order is not just under threat—it is being dismantled before our eyes. When the United States openly refuses to rule out military force to seize Greenland from Denmark, the mask has fallen. The NATO alliance was built on mutual restraint and the sacred respect for the sovereignty of allies. Today, Washington signals that even allies are potential targets for "real estate" deals or annexation.[reuters, cnn, fox]​

This is the de-facto end of NATO as we knew it.

We Are Entering a World Defined Not by Rules, but by Spheres of Influence

The American Sphere: "National Security First"

The United States has shifted toward a unilateral "National Security First" policy, treating the Arctic as a private backyard and its allies as mere subsidiaries. President Trump has explicitly stated that utilizing U.S. military force remains "always an option" to acquire Greenland, which he frames as essential for national security. This represents a fundamental break from NATO's founding principle that allies refrain from threatening each other's territorial integrity. The 2024 Department of Defense Arctic Strategy frames the region as a "critical arena for power projection," prioritizing American sovereignty and rights over multilateral cooperation. When the most powerful NATO member signals willingness to override allied sovereignty through coercion, the alliance transforms from a rules-based partnership into a conditional instrument of power asymmetry.[foxnews, linkedin, arctic institute]​

The Russian Sphere: Force as Policy

Russia continues to use military force to redraw European borders, waiting for transatlantic fracture to leave Eastern Europe exposed. Moscow has illegally annexed Crimea and Donbas oblasts, with military maps recently showing Russian ambitions extending through Mykolaiv and Odesa to cut Ukraine entirely from the Black Sea. Kremlin officials openly discuss redrawing all of Ukraine's borders, including those with Western neighbors. This aggression reflects Moscow's broader rejection of the NATO-Russia Founding Act's principles of territorial integrity and refraining from force. As European leaders have warned, Russia's war against Ukraine has ramifications far beyond its borders, threatening the entire European security architecture.[newsukraine.rbc, ceris, BBC​, Jamestown Foundation]​

The Chinese Sphere: Strategic New Frontiers

China is expanding its "strategic new frontiers" into the Arctic and space, using economic leverage to turn European states into dependencies. Claiming "near-Arctic state" status, Beijing seeks control over the Northern Sea Route and Arctic resources through its "Polar Silk Road" initiative. Despite resistance from Western nations, China has invested heavily in Russian Arctic infrastructure, including the Yamal LNG project and port facilities at Arkhangelsk. The People's Liberation Army's involvement in scientific research has raised security concerns, while China's icebreaker fleet already surpasses America's in number. This expansion represents Beijing's broader geopolitical competition with the West, rapidly extending into new domains to reshape regional governance in a shifting multipolar order.[inss.org, css.org, merics.org]​

Europe's Uncomfortable Truth

Taken together, these three forces lead to one unavoidable conclusion: Europe's security cannot rely on others. Fragmentation does not preserve our independence—it erodes it. A divided Europe is easier to pressure, bypass, or dominate.

Volt's position is clear. Europe must unite as a real political and military actor. Not as a loose collection of states, but as a European Federal Power capable of:

1. Defending its own borders (including Greenland and Svalbard)

2. Shaping an independent foreign policy

3. Protecting democratic values without asking permission from Washington or Beijing

The NATO alliance was never designed to resolve intra-alliance aggression. When members threaten each other, the fundamental principle of collective defense becomes incoherent. Europe cannot afford to remain dependent on an alliance whose most powerful member treats allied sovereignty as negotiable.[linkedin]​

Norway Must Not Be a Spectator

Norway may be outside the EU, but we are inside the target zone. Our geography and resources make us inseparable from Europe's fate. Standing on the sidelines while a new European defense pact is forged is not neutrality—it is vulnerability. Any future European federation must include Norway from the outset.

The choice is stark: Either we build a united European superpower capable of defending our way of life, or we accept a future where Norway and Europe are carved up into the spheres of others.

Volt chooses unity. Volt chooses responsibility. Volt chooses a Europe that stands on its own feet.