In 2022, both Germany and Sweden undertook a dramatic shift in their security policy as a reaction to security risks stemming from Russia’s war against Ukraine. Sweden will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, ending its neutrality status. Germany’s government announced a substantial increase in its defense spending, a development that Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to as a Zeitenwende.
During the summer, a second security crisis emerged – this time in the Asia-Pacific. Following a visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan, China carried out military exercises of unprecedented scale around the island. Observers are discussing the lessons that China might learn from Russia’s war in Ukraine for a potential invasion of Taiwan. More broadly, the comprehensive joint statement that Russia and China signed in February 2022 raises questions about how closely the two will collaborate.
This panel brings together Swedish and German experts to reflect upon the state of the security debate in both countries and to discuss what can be learned from the situation in Ukraine for risks around Taiwan. They will assess the similarities and differences of the two crises and the instruments that Europe has as its disposal to address them.
Speakers:
Björn Fägersten, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Europe Program, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)
Jerker Hellström, Director, Swedish Center for China Studies (SCCS)
Jana Puglierin, Senior Policy Fellow and Head of the Berlin Office, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Moderator: Tim Rühlig, Research Fellow in the Technology and Global Affairs Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Please register for the session via events@dgap.org.
For any questions, please contact Isabel Coleman (events@dgap.org).