By Dickson Omobola

Political science doctoral researcher, Fidelis David, has said recent developments in international politics indicate that Europe is becoming increasingly militarised, particularly following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

David said the growing trend of rearmament and the formation of both defensive and offensive alliances by states point to a shift in the international system, distinguishing the current era from previous periods.

David, in a chat with Vanguard, said his assessment is informed by his academic focus on how states deploy military power, the dynamics that sustain alliances and the trade-offs created by rising defence spending under conditions of pressure.

According to his research published in Defense and Peace Economics in March 2025, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, members in 2024 spent about half of the world’s military expenditure, accounting for 55 per cent and a huge shift in spending on defence.

Further sharing his thoughts with Vanguard, he said: “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many countries have moved to expand their military capacity. My research examines alliance politics and the effects of militarization in a world where coercive capacity often shapes perceptions of state power.

“Work on military power shows that while states militarize to strengthen traditional security, rising military commitments can weaken health security through the classic guns versus butter trade-off discussed in security studies and political economy.

“We live in a multiplexed world system, where the world is interconnected but with multiple actors that have the capacity to influence and shape the international system. The multiplex world means the securitization of countries can be influenced through alliance expectations, coercive pressure, or competing security demands, and that those responses affect governance and institutional outcomes.”

He added that countries around the world continue to militarise while reacting to globalization, noting that work on alliance politics helps explain the effect globalisation has on traditional security like defense spending.

He said: “In different regions, data shows that states are militarizing in different ways, and Europe is militarizing more than ever before, with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 playing a role in shaping this behaviour. The way states are rearming and forming defensive and offensive alliances is an indication that the current international system is different from other eras.”