'We need a more European NATO': Rasmussen warns the US is 'turning its back on Europe'

From the show

François Picard is pleased to welcome former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. According to NATO's Secretary General, Europe is entering a decisive strategic rupture, one that forces a long-delayed reckoning with its own dependency structures and security assumptions. The erosion of American commitment to European defence is not a hypothetical risk but an unfolding reality, exposing the fragility of a model built on external guarantees and internal complacency.

From this perspective, the future of European security depends on a structural transformation rather than incremental adaptation. This includes the strengthening of a distinctly European pillar within NATO, the development of autonomous deterrence capabilities, and a reconfiguration of defence production toward speed, scale, and technological relevance. At the same time, he highlights that the challenge is not only institutional but political and societal. Europe faces a deficit of decisive leadership and a lack of strategic cohesion, which undermines its ability to act in a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment. The response must therefore extend beyond military investment to include a broader mobilization of political will and public commitment. Ultimately, he contends that Europe must transition from a reactive to a proactive strategic actor, one capable of engaging in power politics with clarity, firmness, and autonomy. This requires abandoning illusions of permanence in alliances and embracing a more transactional and self-reliant posture in international affairs.