Force de l’Europe: How Realistic is a French Nuclear Umbrella?
What if the United States decided to fold up its nuclear umbrella over Europe? In its wake, Europe could either experience increased Russian aggression, potentially threatening the very existence of the European Union, or a wave of nuclear proliferation that would severely challenge the international nonproliferation order. However, relying more substantially on existing nuclear capabilities on the continent — particularly France’s nuclear arsenal — could help prevent both. Yet even observers that do not in principle oppose the idea of a French umbrella have raised concerns about its viability. Most commonly, these concerns question the authority to use nuclear weapons, The post Force de l’Europe: How Realistic is a French Nuclear Umbrella? appeared first on War on the Rocks.
What if the United States decided to fold up its nuclear umbrella over Europe? In its wake, Europe could either experience increased Russian aggression, potentially threatening the very existence of the European Union, or a wave of nuclear proliferation that would severely challenge the international nonproliferation order. However, relying more substantially on existing nuclear capabilities on the continent — particularly France’s nuclear arsenal — could help prevent both. Yet even observers that do not in principle oppose the idea of a French umbrella have raised concerns about its viability. Most commonly, these concerns question the authority to use nuclear weapons,
The post Force de l’Europe: How Realistic is a French Nuclear Umbrella? appeared first on War on the Rocks.
