The LRB Podcast On Politics: The Rearmament Consensus
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Feb 25, 2026 Anna Stavrianakis, international-relations professor focused on arms trade and security politics, and Sam Jones, Financial Times European security correspondent, discuss Europe’s new rearmament consensus. They trace gradual shifts in defence thinking, probe what increased spending will actually buy, debate industry influence versus state strategy, and consider democratic accountability and intelligence in wartime.
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Rearmament Framed As The Currency Of Power
- European leaders now treat military strength as the primary currency of international influence after Russia's invasion and rising great-power competition.
- Keir Starmer and others link deterrence and readiness to fight with public commitments to sharply higher defence spending through the 2020s and 2030s.
Rearmament Was A Slow Build Not A Sudden Shift
- Change toward higher defence spending started long before 2022 and reflects accumulated unease in security establishments.
- Politicians are now trying to sell already-formed defence priorities to the public after years of quiet preparation.
More Money Has No Clear Target
- 'Rearmament' lacks specificity: policymakers call for more spending without saying what it will buy or what wars forces would be trained for.
- Procurement is capital intensive and often benefits asset managers, not necessarily frontline soldiers.