Balancing Priorities in America's European Strategy

Abstract

This article examines how regional and global priorities challenge America's evolving European strategy. The need to "reassure" Eastern and Central European allies in the face of Russian assertiveness calls for greater US strategic engagement in Europe.Conversely, defense-budgetary pressures, the Asia "rebalance," and the willingness to avoid excessive escalation with Russia constitute ongoing limitations to a significant US military engagement in and around Europe. That is the essence of America's European dilemma-how to invest sufficient resources in Europe as toensure credible deterrence while keeping enough military and diplomatic bandwidth to pursue other global geopolitical objectives