Europe Preparing For War?

Why neutral, peaceful Sweden is preparing for war

“For many years, the preparations made in Sweden for the threat of war and war have been very limited,” says the Swedish brochure. “However, as the world around us has changed, the Government has decided to strengthen Sweden’s total defense… The level of preparedness for peacetime emergencies is an important basis of our resilience in the event of war.”

For most of the continent, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine four years ago was seen as a wake-up call, but not a potentially existential threat. Countries like Germany, Britain and France have reconsidered their defense postures, often also lightly increasing military spending. By and large, however, even within their security establishments, few see a genuine imminent risk of overwhelming Russian conventional military attack on their homelands. Moscow’s military might be at its most active since the Cold War, but its tanks and troops remain a comfortingly long way away."

David Trammel's picture

One more sign that the old order is breaking down. In an emerging age of nationalism by many countries, including the US, countries that once gave less priority to their own interests may need to again.