On October 22, Nicole Deitelhoff participated in the Czech Security Forum in Prague, where she joined other guests in a discussion on NATO and the future of European security. Under the title “Polarization, Interference, and Fragmentation of the Western Alliance,” this year’s conference focused on the fundamental transformation of the "West" from a relatively stable geopolitical bloc into a fragmented and internally contested entity. The event was organized by the Institute of International Relations Prague and the Peace Research Center Prague, and supported by a number of international actors.
Following a keynote speech by Brett Ashley Leeds (Rice University) on the current state of U.S. relations with military alliances and the potential implications for its allies, Nicole Deitelhoff spoke with Jim Stokes, former Director of Nuclear Policy at NATO, and Lauren Sukin (University of Oxford) about Russia as a threat to NATO, Europe’s potential, and the importance of stronger cooperation among the relevant actors. She emphasized: “The weaker transatlantic relations are, the weaker Europe is.” She pointed out the challenge for Europe not only to compensate for the declining military support from the U.S. but also to assume greater responsibility within NATO – a move currently being called into question by domestic political dynamics in countries such as France and Germany.
The conference was held in cooperation with the Institute of International Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University in Prague, the Prague office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the embassies of Norway and Denmark in Prague. It was funded as part of the INTERFER project of the European Regional Development Fund.