Our world affairs editor answers your questions as former MI6 chief says Britain must get ready for war
The question of how we defend our way of life has once again become urgent.
From the beaches of Normandy to the front lines in Ukraine, history reminds us that peace is never guaranteed, and defence never comes without cost.
In The Independent’s new expert-led discussion series, The Conversation, we launched with Shifting Alliances, a panel I chaired as world affairs editor.
I was joined by Sir Alex Younger, former MI6 chief, and Dr Rachel Ellehuus, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute and former Pentagon official.
Together, we examined the shifting landscape of global security, the consequences of decades of military retrenchment, and what a future without the American security umbrella might mean for Europe.
During the discussion, Sir Alex warned that the collapse of the Soviet Union led to complacency and chronic underinvestment in European defence, leaving the West dangerously exposed.
Now, as the US reconsiders its strategic priorities and figures like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin exploit instability, Europe must confront hard questions: What are we willing to sacrifice for security? What does deterrence really require?
Should national service return in some form? Can peace be preserved without the credible threat of overwhelming force? Is support for Russia a betrayal – and is selling off critical infrastructure to China an act of economic treason?
In the Q&A below, I respond to audience questions on defence, duty, national service, and the meaning of loyalty in an increasingly uncertain world.
Q: Does anyone really think Russia is planning to attack the UK? What would it have to gain?
HuggyBear
A: Not the UK, ultimately, but other parts of Europe quite possibly.
The Kremlin sees the West as a perpetual threat. There is nothing more damaging to a dictatorship than evidence of happier, more prosperous, free nations on the other side of the border fence.
That’s why Putin wants endless instability in the West. He must be delighted by what’s unfolding in Washington and the disastrous mess of tariffs, etc.
