Trump’s arrival in power in the US has introduced a significant uncertainty factor into an already highly disturbed world. At the moment, it is impossible to see how US behavior will evolve in the context of the ongoing wars, let alone about the world’s strategic challenges. A world order forged after World War II is being challenged. And there are many doubts about which world (which order) will interest Trump and those who accompany him in power, whether by showing their faces or staying behind the scenes. Indeed, these behind-the-scenes powers are historically the most dangerous. The future US president seems obsessed with China without being able to understand what the Middle Kingdom is and what its interests are; he will be willing to support/blanket the Israeli action in the Middle East, which is a disgrace to humanity as it stands, and will most likely tend to consider the Russian assault on Ukraine as a European issue. This theme has a tradition in his narrative. The indications that Trump is giving are, for the moment, the worst possible. First of all, he’s threatening to appoint a Fox presenter as Secretary of State for Defense (his attacks and offenses against the US military are mind-blowing). Elon Musk, who has been handing out money to encourage people to vote for Trump, is reserving a Department of Government Efficiency, given that the tycoon may (or could) be investigated by the US itself for allegedly being a danger to national security (Bloomberg). Prudence dictates that we wait and see. But it doesn’t mean letting your guard down. Quite the opposite.

Europe may have begun to wake up to the dangers looming. In this context, a report that has just been published (The International Institute for Strategic Studies: Building Defense Capacity in Europe: An Assessment, https://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-dossiers/building-defence-capacity-in-europe-an-assessment/), which examines the efforts of European NATO countries to increase their military readiness after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, seems to be relevant – and we strongly recommend reading it. The document analyzes the progress made and the most significant challenges that can still be faced as Europeans seek to build adequate defense capabilities for a high-intensity war on their continent.

Without mobilizing military resources, a credible European deterrence and defense capability is impossible—barring a better judgment.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores to give the diaspora and those interested in the current Azores a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL)