Hans Petter Midttun
Nonresident fellow hos Centre of Defence Strategies
The Norwegian National Defence College Centre of Defence Strategies
Norway
April 20, 2025
We desperately need a Coalition of Like-Minded (CALM).
Presently , a Coalition of the Willing consisting of 30 countries from Europe, Canada and Australia has been established to counter both Russian aggression and the US trade war and threats. Having lost USA as a trusted ally, the remaining liberal democracies are organising.
A Coalition of the Willing is, however, likely not sufficient. We need a Coalition of Like-Minded countries. A coalition that represents the dedication and unity of the Cold War NATO in contrast to today’s version.
Moving forward, some countries must be excluded to ensure the unity of efforts. Who does not share the common values and principles? Which countries are flawed democracies or hybrid regimes? Who seeks appeasement with Russia? Who is still failing to invest in security and defence? Who lacks resolve? What countries – if any – are not a logical part of a CoAlition of Like-Minded?
A CoAlition of the Like-Minded (CALM) would consist of fewer countries than the current Coalition of the Willing. In my opinion, neither NATO nor the EU works as a framework because of their inherent institutional limitations and weaknesses. Ideally, CALM must, however, take on the mission and tasks of both.
The organisation must execute total defence: The sum of the country’s civilian and military resources, which work together to prevent and manage crises, armed conflicts and war. This includes the defence against Hybrid Wars and its parallel and synchronised use of both military and non-military means.
A CoAlition of the Like-Minded (CALM) must share common values and principles. They must be liberal democracies willing to urgently increase defence spending and put their defence industries on war footing because they understand the threat and the short timeline, acknowledge the enemy, its aim and objectives, its capabilities, and not least understand the ongoing broader confrontation. CALM cannot be based on consensus but 3/4 majority, prioritising the need for a quick and effective decision process.
Equally crucial, the CALM members should acknowledge that the US, unfortunately, is no longer an ally. It must, therefore, seek strategic autonomy. Future cooperation with the US must be based on true partnership and mutual respect.
Who should be members?
Eligble: Australia 🇦🇺, Canada 🇨🇦, the Czech Republic 🇨🇿, Denmark 🇩🇰, Estonia 🇪🇪, Finland 🇫🇮, France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪, Iceland 🇮🇸 , Latvia 🇱🇻, Lithuania 🇱🇹, Netherlands 🇳🇱, New Zealand 🇳🇿, Norway 🇳🇴, Poland 🇵🇱, Romania 🇷🇴, Sweden 🇸🇪, Ukraine 🇺🇦, and the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.
Maybe: Belgium 🇧🇪, Bulgaria 🇧🇬, Croatia 🇭🇷, Cyprus 🇨🇾, Greece 🇬🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, Luxembourg 🇱🇺, Portugal 🇵🇹, Slovenia 🇸🇮, Spain 🇪🇸
Ineligible: Hungary 🇭🇺, Slovakia 🇸🇰, Turkey 🇹🇷, USA 🇺🇸
I realise that this post is provocative. That’s intentional. I want to trigger the discussion. Who should be members of CALM?
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Comment from :
Mary Jardine-Clarke
Hans Petter Midttun :,thank you for those thought-provoking ideas. CALM nations all face the same threat to democracy and therefore our security generally from the AXIS. Secondly there is the threat of not defending the freedom of Ukraine. Thirdly there is the wider Asian/Pacific threat of China to IndoPacific economies at the military and economic levels. I would like to propose that Australia and Canada Co-Host a CALM gathering to look at support for these three tiers of defence of global freedom. Both Canada and Australia have national elections on 28/04 & 03/05 respectively. I believe both the new Canadian and Australian Governments which ever political persuasion wins, will desire nothing more than to participate and host such a critically important, essential discourse. Both Australia and Canada offer sources of rare earths and critical minerals which are needed for our collective defence and we desire to promote our steadfast economy, and political stability in the IndoPacific to widen the net of nations for a united global CALM. Please message me or simply reach out to our Embassies.
Anthony Albanese The Hon. Peter Dutton MP Richard Marles Andrew Hastie MP Mark Carney Mélanie Joly James Paterson
There shouldn’t be a CALM, Hans Petter Midttun! IMHO the #EU should take the lead and action. The #EU is the only stable organization in Europe.
The European Peace Project should be completed and the #EU transferred into a political union with consolidated armed forces. The common market should be supported by common foreign policy and consolidated armed forces.
Ukraine, Europe and the world cannot move forward without a Nuremberg Trial 2.0, in which Putin and Russia are in the dock, and the US must quickly decide where it stands. N.B. All the problems of the current world stem from the lack of a trial of communism, and this lack created Putin.
Hans Petter Midttun, I do support the idea, the whitelist and the blacklist. I’d add that NATO, just like the European Union, needs an effective mechanism to temporarily suspend all rights of members misbehaving, point in case being Turkey and Hungary. The mechanism should be robust and swift like a sanction, to be enabled with a simple majority. The trigger condition for Turkey would have been their acquisition of Russian S-400 SAMs, for Hungary the unlimited entry of all sorts of Russian spies without background checks.
Dr. László Nagy, agree. Their decision-making process and inability to kick out members who undermine the efforts of the great majority are major shortcomings.
It’s exactly what I was proposing for years : a coalition of countries that will do what Nato was supposed to do : fight russia.
Of course I envisioned the U.S. as the lead partner. Now something previously unthinkable: the U.S. is an enemy of liberal democracy.
It is now hostile to Ukraine and is building a US-putlerstan union. Given Krasnov’s love for OrbanaZi, I’d expect his shithole to join this new axis of evil too.
Many people that I know view Europeans as children. They see them as weak, scared, slow, and unaware of the deep danger they are living in. I can only concur.
It was the anglophone countries that saved Europe; at great cost to themselves, in WW2.
Now we are on the verge of WW3, the Europeans are still pissing about even while we have a new Ribbentrop-Molotov being formed.
Japan and Germany were both incredible successes in terms of the allies achievement of their denazification. They have enjoyed fantastic economic success and stability.
I sincerely hope they will remilitarize; this time in the interests of peace, security and freedom.
I hope so too, but I’m afraid that they will just lollygag around, like always.