From Berlin, Europe’s new reality of war is just a train ride away

A note from FP’s Stefan Theil on the upcoming Summer 2024 magazine. In this note, FP’s deputy editor, Stefan Theil, introduces the theme of the Summer 2024 issue. From my desk in Berlin, it’s just over 400 miles to Ukraine, where a horrific war is in its third year. My city is filled with Ukrainian refugees, their license plates easy to spot in traffic with their blue-and-yellow mark. The threat of Russian missiles has grounded all flights to Kyiv; when I traveled there last fall, it meant boarding a night train at a dark freight yard on the Polish-Ukrainian border. That’s an embarrassingly small inconvenience compared with what Ukrainians endure, but it’s another reminder that peacetime normalcy is over. War could be Europe’s new reality for a long time to come. If you doubt that, just listen to what Russian officials and pundits regularly say about taking their war beyond Ukraine. Even as a professional observer, I flinch when one of them calls for Russia to bomb my hometown. The buildings on my street still pockmarked with shrapnel from World War II make that scenario feel all too real. War has returned to a continent that thought it had banished it—or could at least rely on the United States for protection. But as Moscow seeks to restore its European empire and Washington’s attention shifts to China, many Europeans fear that they will be left to fend for themselves in a new world of hard power they are ill prepared for. Europe’s future without America’s tight embrace is the theme of Foreign Policy’s Summer 2024 issue, which will be released on July 1, just in time for NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington. For the cover article, I asked nine prominent thinkers—including [Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski]( and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt—to each write about Europe’s ability to fend for itself in a world where U.S. support is no longer guaranteed. In a companion essay that we prereleased today, Hal Brands tells us [how Europe could fracture]( if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election this fall. [READ THE ESSAY]( Parts of this issue are hopeful; others make for grim reading. But with war just a train ride away, it’s a topic no European can avoid. It’s also a topic whose ripple effects will be felt in almost every corner of the world.—Stefan Theil, deputy editor P.S. For an [inside look]( at the 75th anniversary summit, sign up for FP's Situation Report newsletter. For just $20, [unlock all expert perspectives]( from the Summer 2024 issue, “Europe Alone,” with full digital access to the magazine, daily reporting and analysis, regional newsletters, on-demand conversations with geopolitical experts, and the full 50+ year archive.   [The latest on security]( [French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party leader Marine Le Pen (L) addresses supporters as party President Jordan Bardella listens in Paris, on June 9. ]( [What Would a Far-Right Victory Mean for French Foreign Policy?]( Cohabitation would test France’s approach toward Ukraine, Israel, NATO, and the EU. [Keep reading]( [President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend an event with G7 leaders to announce a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.]( [NATO’s Trump-Proofing Efforts Are Floundering]( Ahead of the U.S. election, the alliance is trying—and failing—to safeguard assistance for Ukraine. [Keep reading]( [European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gather to watch a parachute drop during day one of the 50th G7 summit in Fasano, Italy, on June 13.]( [A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun]( The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China. [Keep reading]( [U.S. and Philippine soldiers take part in a joint live fire exercise as part of the annual 'Balikatan' (shoulder-to-shoulder) U.S.-Philippines war exercises, on March 31, 2022 in Crow Valley, Tarlac, Philippines.]( [Against China, the United States Must Play to Win]( Washington’s competition with Beijing should not be about managing threats—but weakening and ultimately defeating the Chinese Communist Party regime. [Keep reading]( [Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tours the Avebe Innovation Center in Groningen, Netherlands, on May 22. ]( [NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time]( Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance. [Keep reading]( [What Would a Far-Right Victory Mean for French Foreign Policy?]( Cohabitation would test France’s approach toward Ukraine, Israel, NATO, and the EU. [Keep reading]( [NATO’s Trump-Proofing Efforts Are Floundering](Ahead of the U.S. election, the alliance is trying—and failing—to safeguard assistance for Ukraine. [Keep reading]( [A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun](The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China. [Keep reading]( [Against China, the United States Must Play to Win](Washington’s competition with Beijing should not be about managing threats—but weakening and ultimately defeating the Chinese Communist Party regime. [Keep reading]( [NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time](Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance. [Keep reading]( [How to Defend Europe]( [Submit your questions for Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, one of the contributors to the Summer '24 issue, ahead of a discussion on the future of Europe and the continent’s alliance with the United States on FP Live.]( [REGISTER](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( Want to receive FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Reach the [right online audience]( with us. [Foreign Policy]( is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.