NATO, Security, and the Next Generation
By European Horizons
This report, NATO, Security, and the Next Generation, is the product of a collective research project by European Horizons Leiden. Over the past few months, a group of nineteen students has worked across seven thematic pillars: Strategy, Security, the Global South, Youth, Values, Economy, and Defence. The project brings together the three core missions of European Horizons Leiden. It is a publishing project because it gives students a platform to develop and present serious research. It is an educational project because it is connected to workshops and exchanges with practitioners. It is also a connectivity project because it creates a space for students from different backgrounds and programmes to debate, write, disagree, and learn together. The final report is therefore not a collection of isolated essays, but a shared attempt to think through NATO’s future from the perspective of the generation that will inherit many of its consequences.
The Role of Nuclear Energy in the European Union’s Energy Transition: Opportunities and Challenges
By Stefano Peguri
As the European Union pursues climate neutrality by 2050 under the European Green Deal and Fit for 55 frameworks, the role of nuclear energy in its long-term energy strategy remains subject to considerable political and academic debate. This paper examines the extent to which nuclear energy constitutes part of the EU's climate and energy transition, assessing its comparative advantages over renewable sources, its associated risks, and its potential contribution to energy independence. While nuclear energy offers stable baseload power, low lifecycle emissions, and reduced fuel import dependency, fragmented Member State positions continue to constrain coherent supranational coordination despite its 2022 classification as a transitional green activity under the EU Taxonomy. The author concludes that nuclear energy represents a politically sensitive yet strategically necessary component of a balanced European decarbonization strategy.
Beyond the Drama: Why American Interest in Greenland Was Never About Trump
By Francisco Jose Negreira Gomez​
American interest in Greenland, renewed most visibly by Donald Trump's acquisition proposal, is frequently mischaracterized as diplomatic eccentricity. This article argues instead that such interest reflects a durable structural feature of US foreign policy, traceable across administrations since 1867. Drawing on Greenland's geography, demographic profile, colonial history, and resource endowment, the article situates Washington's recurrent overtures within broader patterns of Arctic geopolitics involving NATO, Russia, and China. It further examines the territory's growing salience in the context of climate change and rare-earth resource competition, before turning to the perspectives of Greenland's roughly 56,000 inhabitants — a dimension consistently marginalised in great-power narratives. The article concludes that while media attention to Greenland tends to be episodic, the underlying strategic, economic, and environmental dynamics are persistent, and that any durable resolution of the territory's future must centre Greenlanders' own political aspirations.
The European Union as a Responsive Regime
By Stefano Peguri
Since the 1993 Maastricht Treaty, the European Union has faced persistent criticism regarding a "democratic deficit," with scholars and citizens alike questioning its lack of representative input and accountability. This article examines the institutional imbalances within the EU, particularly the technocratic dominance of the European Commission and the resulting “forum drift” where regulatory authority extends beyond originally conferred powers. Drawing on concepts of input, output, and throughput legitimacy, the piece analyzes why traditional democratic frameworks often fail to capture the unique, sui generis nature of the EU. While identifying significant gaps in voter engagement and political reflection, the article ultimately argues that the EU is not an inherently undemocratic polity. Instead, through an analysis of treaty-based checks and balances, the gradual parliamentarization of governance, and judicial oversight, the author posits that the Union is best understood as a "responsive regime" whose legitimacy is derived from a complex constitutional foundation rather than a classical national democratic structure.
Revisiting the Axis of Resistance: Why Europe and the Transatlantic Community Must
Stop Treating the Houthis as Mere Iranian Proxies
By Ferdinand Neubauer
Western policymakers have long treated the Houthis primarily as an Iranian proxy. Since the escalation of Red Sea attacks after 7 October 2023, this Iran-centric framing has hardened, shaping U.S. and European responses around sanctions on Tehran and defensive maritime operations. This article argues that such a reductionist view misreads the nature of Houthi agency and undermines transatlantic strategic interests. While Iran remains a key supporter, the Houthis have developed into an autonomous actor pursuing a deliberate hedging strategy—cooperating with Tehran while diversifying military, economic, and diplomatic partnerships, including outreach to Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China.
On the Run, at Home: Lessons on Law and Exclusion from America to Bulgaria
By Bozhidar Brandiyski
This article draws on Alice Goffman’s On the Run to explore how systems of policing and social exclusion operate across different political contexts. While Goffman documents the impact of securitised law enforcement on Black communities in Philadelphia, her insights reveal striking parallels with the marginalisation of Roma communities in Bulgaria. By comparing patterns of surveillance, discrimination, and public mistrust, the paper shows how structural biases persist even under very different institutional arrangements. It argues that Bulgaria’s ongoing state-building efforts risk deepening exclusion unless reforms are paired with protections for minority rights. Through this cross-contextual analysis, the piece highlights the value of ethnography for understanding inequality and the often-unseen consequences of policy on vulnerable populations.
The Return of Power Politics: Realism and the War in Ukraine
By Ofek Halachmi
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reasserted the centrality of power politics in international relations. This article examines the conflict through the lens of classical, structural, and offensive realism, arguing that the dynamics of anarchy, security competition, and balance-of-power behaviour remain indispensable for understanding state action today. The paper analyses Russia’s bid for regional dominance, NATO’s balancing response, and the escalation spiral generated by the security dilemma. While acknowledging liberal and constructivist critiques, the article shows that realism most clearly explains the war’s persistence and its implications for European security. The return of great-power rivalry underscores the limitations of institutional optimism and the enduring logic of power in shaping world politics.
The Finnish Model Through the Varieties of Capitalism Framework
By Ofek Halachmi
​Finland’s high-tech rise, symbolized by Nokia’s global success, challenges the assumptions of the Varieties of Capitalism framework. Traditionally classified as a Coordinated Market Economy, Finland’s achievements in telecommunications defy expectations that such systems favor only incremental innovation. This article examines how state-led research, education policy, and industrial coordination enabled Finland’s early success, while institutional rigidity later constrained adaptation to global market shifts. Through the case of Nokia, the analysis reveals both the strengths and limitations of the Finnish model and argues for a more flexible understanding of hybrid economies that move beyond the traditional Coordinated–Liberal divide.
The Netherlands and the EU: A Youth
Perspective on Two-Level Dynamics
Ahead of the 2025 Elections
This article explores how Dutch domestic politics and European integration continuously shape one another. Written by students from European Horizons Leiden and Jonge Europese Federalisten Nederland, the report examines the Netherlands’ balancing act between EU obligations, NATO commitments, and national priorities. Through both “top-down” and “bottom-up” analysis, it investigates migration, defense, and youth political participation, revealing how Europeanization influences Dutch debates, and how young people are redefining engagement in democracy.
The Politics of Prophecy: Evangelical Influence on U.S-Israel Relations
By Ofek Halachmi
This paper examines how Christian Zionist eschatology influences U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. The author argues that while theology does not directly dictate policy, it shapes political rhetoric, lobbying, and symbolic decisions, especially when religious belief aligns with political opportunity. The study explores how dispensationalist prophecy becomes embedded in institutions like Christians United for Israel, media platforms, and presidential advisory boards. Case studies of the Reagan, Bush, and Trump administrations reveal how apocalyptic theology informs policy shifts. The article’s findings highlight religion’s enduring role in shaping diplomacy, particularly in the geopolitics of the U.S.-Israel alliance.
“All in One”: Illiberalism as an Ideology
and Practice in Hungary’s Authoritarian
Trajectory
By Tinatin Inauri
This paper examines the role of illiberalism in Hungary’s authoritarian turn under Viktor Orbán and the Fidesz party. While some authors argue that illiberalism is solely a counter-response to the liberal democratic order, Tinatin Inauri argues the Hungarian case illustrates that, besides being a guiding ideology, it serves as a strategic tool and plays a crucial role in the gradual subversion of democratic principles. By situating the case within the broader literature, she posits the Hungarian experience demonstrates that authoritarian trajectories can be ideologically grounded and challenges the notion that liberal democratic norm violators are solely motivated by the desire to stay in power.
Transatlantic Horizons Magazine Issue 1
The Chapters of European Horizons at Bangor University, the University of Amsterdam, Leiden University, and University College London are proud to announce the launch of the very first Transatlantic Horizons Magazine!
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This magazine gave our members the opportunity to be published internationally. This magazine marks the beginning of a new platform for transatlantic dialogue, and we are excited to see it grow with your continued engagement.
Can Europe Stand on Its Own—and Should It?
As the U.S. pivots toward the Pacific and burden-sharing tensions rise, Europe is at a crossroads: boost its defense autonomy or risk strategic vulnerability. In this incisive piece, Noah Azzouzi unpacks how a stronger EU defense posture doesn’t threaten NATO, it strengthens it. Discover why strategic autonomy may be NATO's best-kept secret to staying relevant in a shifting global order.
Read on to explore the dilemma, the gaps, and the roadmap for a transatlantic future built on partnership, not dependency.
