Europe in an age of transition

Abstract

In June 2016, the European Union released an updated global security strategy, outlining some of the main threats and challenges it currently faces. While the document notes that “global power shifts and power diffusion” characterize world politics today, it devotes little attention to how these developments are likely to affect Europe’s ability to advance its aims and agenda around the world. This article takes up this question, reviewing how global power shifts and power diffusion will shape and influence Europe’s security environment, focusing on two key implications of this period of transition in world politics: the decline of the EU’s share of global economic output and military capabilities and the weakening of the cohesion and vitality of transatlantic relations. The article affirms that Europe still has time to design an effective strategy to the challenges it currently faces but also explains the risks and dangers inherent in a failure to do so.