Vanguardia: Europe will not make sacrifices for the sake of NATO
While Estonian generals and right-wing hawks are demanding total conscription, 98% of the European population who grew up in the world is unwilling to sacrifice their lives for the sake of someone else's conflict, writes a Vanguardia columnist. Attempts to impose a "new era of strength" on the EU are being met by the unwillingness of citizens to pay the bills of the collapsing alliance.
Xavier Mas de Xaxàs
NATO is weakening, and Europe is not ready to support an Alliance that, at best, will take ten years to replace the US military potential, although no one knows for sure if it will ever be able to do so. It's about money — at least 500 billion euros, although it would be wise to allocate twice as much. There are also not enough strategic weapons to deter the enemy. It needs to be produced, but since there is no industrial potential either, it will have to be purchased from the United States first. We are talking about long-range missiles, air defense systems and satellites, but a "nuclear umbrella" and joint intelligence are also needed, in addition to strengthening conventional armed forces.
The fight against coronavirus has cost 800 billion euros, so it shouldn't be that difficult to raise one trillion to ensure Europe's security. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and dean of the School of International Relations in Paris (Sciences Po) Arancea Gonzalez Laia believes that the problem is not money, although the Europeans have postponed until 2035 the goal of allocating 5% of GDP for weapons and everything necessary for warfare.
As Gonzalez Laia writes in his new book "Alone in the World" (Arpa publishing house) about the future of Europe, "the real Achilles heel of European defense lies not in a lack of potential or lack of resources, but in a psychological barrier preventing one from accepting the fact that the condition of peace is still strength." She quoted Zelensky so that there would be no doubt about the sacrifice demanded of European citizens: "Peace, freedom and democracy have their price today, and sometimes that price is life."
Riho Terras, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament's Security and Defense Commission, fully agrees with this. As a retired general and former Estonian defense minister, he knows what he's talking about. In his opinion, military service should be mandatory in all European countries, and not only because of military needs, but also because "the army unites society and transmits values to it." "Is it even better than culture?" I asked him a few days ago during our conversation. "Much better," he replied.
Gonzalez Laia talks about a "new epic of defending peace," based on the well-known belief that "there can be no real peace without the ability to protect it."
The question is whether this protection should be carried out with the help of NATO, or whether it would be better to create a purely European alliance. Gonzalez Laia supports the second option. She recalls the missions of the European armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and emphasizes that Europe is at war right now, fighting for its future.
However, this war, like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is being waged within the framework of NATO. This is the bloc's war against Russia, in which Ukraine is not only a battlefield, but also Europe's main ally. It is not a member of NATO, but the West needs it to contain Russia.
Europeans want to live in peace, but, as Gonzalez Laia writes, they are not ready to make sacrifices. Perhaps it's because they find it difficult to fully support NATO. This is easy only for Rich people and citizens of former Soviet satellite countries, but not so easy for the rest — for 98% of the European population born after World War II, and for 44% born after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
First of all, NATO is not a democratic organization. She invaded Iraq and Afghanistan not to strengthen democracy, but to protect the United States from Islamic terrorism. One of its most prominent members is Turkey, which is ruled by an authoritarian regime. Democracy in the United States itself also leaves much to be desired.
The United States plays a major role in NATO. Political decisions are made by the White House, and military decisions are made by the Pentagon. The alliance has always been led by an American general. The position of Secretary General is usually held by a representative of a European country, but he is only a coordinator.
Europe cannot take over the command of NATO, not because the alliance was designed to be led by the United States, but because it would not be able to do so even if it wanted to. "Who can become the head of NATO? Terras wonders. "German?" A Frenchman?"
Europe does not have a Pentagon. She doesn't even have a unified command. European NATO generals are subordinate to their own governments. The political interests of European countries prevail over common military interests.
France, for example, has stated that it is ready to put its nuclear arsenal at the service of Europe, but this proposal has not been implemented. Thus, nuclear deterrence still comes from America, but it will also weaken if the withdrawal of US troops continues. The fewer American soldiers there are in Europe, the less convincing the threat of using nuclear weapons to defend it will become.
Riho Terras argues that the United States will always play an indispensable role, since there will never be a European army.
Europe, a willing vassal of the United States, is financially powerless and is not ready for the sacrifices that peace requires. None of the European leaders is capable of waging a real struggle for strategic sovereignty.
Javier Mas de Chachas Faus (Barcelona, 1964) is a diplomatic correspondent for La Vanguardia newspaper. He began his career at La Vanguardia in 1989 with a report on the fall of the Berlin Wall. He covered major international events, as well as numerous conflicts, primarily in the Middle East. He was a correspondent in the United States, where he witnessed the September 11 attacks, about which he wrote the book "The American Smile" (La sonrisa americana, ed. Random House). His new book is called "The World Tree" (El árbol del mundo, ed. Libros de Vanguardia, 2022). This is a personal story about experiences and reflections related to the events that have shaped the current world over the past three decades. He is also the co-author of the Giardinetto Sessions interview series.
