National Security

Why Europe Is Talking About Nukes

Declining confidence in America means deepening discussions of collective European deterrence.

First published in The Atlantic on February 13, 2026.

by Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic

February 19, 2026 | reading time: 5 Min.

After World War II, peace-loving Sweden began working on a nuclear bomb to stave off a feared Soviet invasion. But in the 1960s, the Scandinavian nation scrapped the program under pressure from the United States, whose nuclear arsenal has shielded Europe for about 80 years.