Prof.dr. Michal Onderco from Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences received a grant from the Stanton Foundation, USA, for his research into the politics of nuclear weapons in Europe. He will study the politics surrounding debates on nuclear sharing in Europe, with the focus on the role of public opinion, parties and civil society, looking at the patterns of contestation in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
Nuclear weapons are an important element of European security. For most European countries, nuclear deterrence is provided by the NATO nuclear umbrella, which is meant to provide protection for European countries against external adversaries. As a part of this umbrella, the United States stations nuclear weapons in five European countries as a part of the so-called “nuclear sharing”. However, nuclear sharing has been contested heavily in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, four of the countries where these weapons are believed to be stationed today. Whether in the public opinion or parliamentary debates, pro-disarmament voices have been very vocal and created significant pressure on governments, and indirectly on the NATO alliance. For instance, ahead of the German elections in 2021, renewing infrastructure for supporting nuclear sharing was a major point of contention.
Nuclear sharing plays vital role
Yet, NATO allies support nuclear sharing. The 2020 NATO Reflection Group recalled that “nuclear sharing arrangements play a vital role in the interconnection of the Alliance and should remain one of the main components of security guarantees and the indivisibility of security of the whole Euro-Atlantic area”. The 2022 NATO Strategic Concept officially underlines the importance of this arrangement.
Nuclear weapons are back on political agenda
Onderco will study the politics surrounding debates on nuclear sharing in Europe, to understand the political and social dynamics related to nuclear weapons in Europe. The research will focus on the role of public opinion, parties and civil society, looking at the patterns of contestation in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey. “Russian invasion of Ukraine only increased the perceived importance of nuclear weapons in Europe”, says Onderco. “After three decades of not seeing them as relevant, today more than ever nuclear weapons are on the forefront of the political agenda”.
About Stanton Foundation
Stanton Foundation, USA, supported this project with $153,000 as a part of its Nuclear Security Grant program. Within the general area of international security, the Foundation has a very strong emphasis on nuclear security issues. It defines nuclear security broadly as including nuclear war, nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation, nuclear weapons, nuclear force posture, and, as it relates to nuclear security, nuclear energy.
About Michal Onderco
Michal Onderco is Full Professor of International Relations at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on international security, particularly the politics of cooperation between states within international security regimes and the study of domestic foundations of security policies in liberal democracies. He published two monographs, edited three volumes, and published almost thirty papers in leading international journals. Since 2020, he has edited the book series Central and Eastern European Perspectives on International Relations at Palgrave Macmillan. In 2018-2019, he was a Junior Faculty Fellow at Stanford University; in 2014-2015 he was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence. He received his PhD from VU University Amsterdam in 2014. He is a member of various expert boards and is affiliated with the Peace Research Center Prague.
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Marjolein Kooistra, kooistra@essb.eur.nl, 06 83676038