The N-Word Is Back

Less than two months into the second Trump presidency, European leaders are confronting the possibility that Nato as they know it is no more. In this context of dramatic change and uncertainty, there’s a growing debate about whether Europe can and should have its own nuclear deterrent.

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, recently said US should deploy nukes to his country to reflect changed security circumstances. In many ways it’s shocking to hear this rhetoric. But nukes have seemed more relevant since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, especially as Putin has repeatedly pointed to Moscow’s nukes to make not-very-veiled threats about what could happen if Nato countries got more directly involved in Ukraine.