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Franco-German axis stumbles in the grey zone

30th October 2020 - 13:04 GMT | by Samuel Beal in Oxford

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The proliferation of grey zone threats from Russia and China poses a geopolitical challenge for the EU, particularly close political partners France and Germany

Recent white papers from the German and French MoDs underline the likelihood that great power competition will play out primarily in the grey zone below the threshold of overt war.

The documents echoed concerns over Russian-sponsored electoral interference and the use of Chinese technologies in 5G telecommunications infrastructure.

A coherent response in the EU bloc depends on close coordination between Paris and Berlin but this is difficult. Piecemeal EU integration also renders it remarkably ill-suited to the sort of continuous political, economic, covert military and informational struggle characteristic of the grey zone.

France and Germany have pledged to improve

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Samuel Beal

Samuel Beal is a contributor to Shephard Media and is currently reading for a master’s …

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