United Nations Development Programme administrator Alexander De Croo said that war represents the reversal of development in a recent interview [1].
The statement highlights a strategic shift in how international leaders view the relationship between military spending and humanitarian assistance. By framing security as a byproduct of both defense and development, De Croo suggests that military force alone cannot ensure long-term stability in volatile regions.
During an interview for the Euronews program "Europe Today," the former Belgian Prime Minister said the necessity of a balanced approach to foreign policy [1]. He said that "defense and aid spending are two sides of the same coin" [2]. According to De Croo, the pursuit of a stable neighborhood in Europe requires increased investment in the prevention of conflict [1].
De Croo's perspective connects the destruction caused by armed conflict directly to the erasure of developmental gains. He said that while defense spending protects existing borders, development aid addresses the root causes of instability, a duality that he believes is essential for regional security [1, 2].
Speaking with European Commission official Angela Skujins, De Croo positioned conflict prevention as a proactive investment [1]. He said that having a stable neighborhood in Europe requires more investment in preventing conflict [1]. This approach seeks to mitigate the need for military intervention by fostering economic and social resilience in neighboring territories [2].
The UNDP administrator's remarks come as European nations continue to navigate the tension between increasing defense budgets and maintaining international aid commitments [1, 2].
“War is development in reverse.”
This perspective signals a push for 'integrated security,' where development aid is not viewed as charity but as a strategic security asset. By arguing that war undoes development, De Croo is challenging the notion that military spending is the only effective way to protect European interests, suggesting instead that failing to invest in the stability of neighboring regions creates a cycle of instability that eventually necessitates more expensive military responses.
