OK, so it’s another book on security, cyberwarfare, the danger of ..., and the need for an effective and affective defense. But from the first sentence of the excellent prologue, written by Ana Palacio, former Foreign Affairs Minister of Spain, I was hooked. I was reading about Europe’s security and defense, from a European perspective, without any filters--it was fascinating. Here is a book written by professionals who have experienced (and are experiencing) the cultural destinies of lands affected by the need for a strong and meaningful system of defense.

Palacio states her belief in the need for more precision in policy. Her thesis is that Europe must now face a new reality: power has shifted from West to East, and Europeans can no longer fully rely on the US. In addition, she states that Brexit has serious implications for European security and defense. After this highly engrossing prologue, the body of the text begins.

There are four sections in the book. The first section, consisting of five chapters, details the necessity of security issues for any society. The main themes include a theoretical research model of insecurity issues; the European Union (EU) defense against a new type of threat: corruption; cybersecurity challenges from a human rights perspective; the refugee concern; and, finally, security and climate change.

The second section, again five chapters, concentrates on several defense aspects of the EU and stresses the importance of cooperation in the EU. It also details the need for security and defense given the recent passage of Brexit. It studies the relevance of stability and culture in relation to the several commissions and treaties being formed between EU countries.

The third section details security in the “outer borders” of the EU, that is, the northern European flank and the southern flank; the maritime dimension; and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issues.

The last section comprises four chapters on NATO plans, as far as the Russia-NATO relationship is concerned. The work ends with value judgments from the book’s editors, Ramirez and Biziewski, on the status and importance of security and defense in the European theater.

It is impossible to overemphasize the depth of knowledge and wisdom brought to the security and defense arena via this work. Every individual involved in the writing of this book must have been elegantly educated; they are truly Renaissance people, consistently relating security and defense to culture, human rights, and other societal problems. Although the title of the book refers to security and defense in Europe, the work is universal in its principles and applications.