Monthly Alert: Vital European and Dutch Security Interests

The Vital European and Dutch Security Interests Alert considers key security discourses of principal stakeholders concerning vital European and Dutch security interests. Documents such as the Strategie Nationale Veiligheid, de Internationale Veiligheidsstrategie, Defense Strategy publications, the NATO Strategic Concept and the EU Global Strategy serve as the basis for this Alert. Based on a monthly summary of emerging affairs gathered through an annotated list of publications from think tanks, academic outlets, and expert blogs, the Alert also considers more specific issues as they emerge in the Dutch security discourse.

Monthly Alerts are created by HCSS and the Clingendael Institute as part of the PROGRESS Strategic Monitor.

Authors: Karlijn Jans, Tim Sweijs, Kars de Bruijne, Minke Meijnders

The Vital European and Dutch Security Interests Alert considers key security discourses of principal stakeholders concerning vital European and Dutch security interests. Documents such as the Strategie Nationale Veiligheid, de Internationale Veiligheidsstrategie, Defense Strategy publications, the NATO Strategic Concept and the EU Global Strategy serve as the basis for this Alert. Based on a monthly summary of emerging affairs gathered through an annotated list of publications from think tanks, academic outlets, and expert blogs, the Alert also considers more specific issues as they emerge in the Dutch security discourse.

The Dutch security context has changed rapidly in recent years. The interconnectedness of the security domain requires a renewal of national response mechanisms and policy frameworks. The instability in Europe’s neighborhood, cyberattacks, Russia, climate change, migratory pressures and extremism, to name only a few challenges, cannot be tackled one-sidedly. While the government coalition negotiations continue, two organizations have energized the national strategic security debate with new reports. The WRR recognizes a worsening security situation, emphasizes the importance of alliances as a basis for defense policy and calls for focused investments in defense. The Teldersstichting argues that the emerging security situation demands a revisioning of current security and defense priorities, more robust capabilities, and greater investment in R&D to boost innovation. These publications sparked a public debate in which participants offered important insights for the design of future Dutch security policies.

Further reading

Read Veiligheid in een wereld van verbindingen. Een strategische visie op het defensiebeleid – Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (WRR)
Read Geopolitiek en Defensie – Teldersstichting
Watch Debat Geopolitiek en Defensie – The Atlantic Commission
Read Veiligheidsbeleid is een Haagse echoput – Follow the Money (Registration)
Listen/Read Betekent een nieuw kabinet ook een nieuw buitenlandbeleid? – BNR
Read A national security strategy for the Netherlands? – The Diplomat Magazine

This section provides a snapshot of important topics in the European security discourse in recent months. Firstly, NATO has fixed their counter-terrorism agenda atop their list of priorities, as evidenced by Secretary General Stoltenberg’s recent speeches in Brussels and Washington D.C. Secondly, the EU’s own priorities stem from the June 2016 Global Strategy report which identifies both ‘internal’ and ‘external’ security interests. However, since its publication EU officials have devoted greater attention to strengthening “the security of our union” over other priorities presented within the Global Strategy. Particular focus has been drawn on emerging topics not covered extensively within the report that are increasingly seen as urgent security threats, such as migration and Russian disinformation. The subsequent push to strengthen the EU’s defense (cooperation) portfolio has involved a rigorous evaluation process, as illustrated by the Malta conference held last April and the publication of the Reflection Paper on the Future of European Defense. Thirdly, individual EU members states are changing security priorities. Germany, despite its Transatlantic white book, is taking a more continental direction, while Finland seem to have traded their cooperative relations with Russia for a more confrontational style. The articles provided within this section point to continued shifts in the identification of European security interests within EU institutions and European capitals.

Further reading

Read Europe Must Take Its Defense Into Its Own Hands – EU Commission Presidentb Juncker and Czech Prime Minister Sobotka, WSJ
Read Federica Mogherini ‘soft’ on disinformation, critics say – POLITICO Europe
Read Shared Vision, Common Action, Stronger Europe Is the Implementation of the EU Global Strategy Meetings Expectations? – EUISS
Read Reflection Paper on the Future of European Defense – EU Commission
Read Thanks to Trump, Germany says it can’t rely on the United States. What does that mean? – The Washington Post
Read Finnish Government’s 2017 Defence Report – Finland Prime Minister’s Office
Read Joint Press Conference of President Trump and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg (Washington D.C., 12.04.2017) – U.S. White House Press Office
Read Remarks Jens Stoltenberg at the new NATO headquarters handover ceremony (Brussels, 25.05.17) – NA

Since the dawn of the digital age, cyber security has posed a pernicious problem to pundits, practitioners and policymakers alike. Today’s cyber security risks are unprecedented in nature, and challenge the traditional security architectures that have been put in place to protect our societies from harm. The recent WannaCry ransomware incident that occurred in mid-May 2017 already provided a glimpse of a dystopian future, demonstrating the potential colossal physical consequences of digital disruption. As our vital infrastructure and public goods & services become increasingly reliant on digital networks, we must quickly evolve our understanding and adapt our policies to meet the challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s world. This section provides an overview of Dutch cyber security (readiness) in the context of multiple nexus including national-international, civil-military and conventional-unconventional. We can strongly recommend the articles featured below as mustreads, for both the cyber savvy, and the cyber ignorant, and for those who fall somewhere in between.

Further reading

Read Er zitten grote gaten in onze digitale dijken – NRC
Read Who is really to blame for the WannaCry ransomware? – Foreign Policy
Read Cyber Readiness Index. The Netherlands Profile – The Potomac Institute
Read Cyber security monitor 2017 – Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
Read Laat cyberveiligheid niet aan de burger over – NRC
Read The Future of Ransomware – Bruce Schneier
Read Nuclear Deterrence in the Computer Age: The Erosion of Stalemate – The Belfer Center
Watch Cybersecurity in Nederland: kan het beter? – The Atlantic Commission

Authors: Tim Sweijs, Karlijn Jans, Nicholas Farnham, Kars de Bruijne, Minke Meijnders

About

In order to remain on top of the rapid changes ongoing in the international environment, the Strategic Monitor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence provides analysis of global trends and risks. The Monthly Alerts offer an integrated perspective on key challenges in the future security environment of the Netherlands along the following four themes:

1. Vital European and Dutch Security Interests
2. New Security Threats and Opportunities
3. Political Violence
4. The Changing International Order

The Monthly Alerts reflect the monitoring framework of the Annual Strategic Monitor report, which is due for publication in January 2018. Each Monthly Alert offers a selection of discussions of emerging developments by key stakeholders in publications from governments, international institutions, think tanks, academic outlets and expert blogs, supported by previews of ongoing monitoring efforts of HCSS and Clingendael. The Monthly Alerts run on a four-month cycle alternating between the four themes.

Disclaimer

This Report has been commissioned by the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence within the PROGRESS framework agreement, lot 5, 2017. Responsibility for the contents and for the opinions expressed rests solely with the authors; publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence.