Hanna Smith: Transatlantic cooperation only viable solution to European security
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö's New Year's address highlighted the threat of war in Europe, Hanna Smith, Director of Research and Analysis at the Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, said. Speaking in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Smith noted that Niinistö's quote of a statement by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger referred to the situation in Europe in the late 1930s. At that time, European nations compromised in the face of an aggressor, which led to an even greater conflagration, Smith reminds. Niinistö has long advocated for developing deeper security cooperation within the EU. However, building common defence would take a very long time, Smith points out. Therefore, the solution to Europe's security dilemma can only be found through transatlantic cooperation that includes both the EU and NATO, she concludes.