Munich Report: EU, NATO Face Growing Risk of Inadvertent Russia War

Growing Tensions, Border Buildups Risk Misunderstandings

The annual Munich Security Report, this year entitled “To the Brink – and Back?” warns that the European Union and NATO are facing a massively increased risk of an inadvertent war with Russia.

US troops march in Estonia

The report, due to be published later this week, cites mounting security concerns in Eastern Europe, fueled by weakening of nuclear treaties, mounting tensions, and mutual military buildups along the frontier.

Each of these increases the possibility of a miscalculation or other misunderstanding that would lead to a military conflict, which could quickly escalate out of control into a massive nuclear war.

This report echoes what many other reports have already warned about, that NATO-Russia relations are at their worst since the height of the Cold War, and that there aren’t enough safeguards to prevent a disastrous conflict.

That it’s found its may into the Munich Security Report is noteworthy, as the past few of their reports have played up the “Russian threat,” and were eagerly backing the same buildups they now lament.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.