Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.08-050706/https://www.ft.com/content/76937db3-0b3b-44d4-9005-9709512acd53
A proposed €150bn injection into the EU’s defence industry has become a new flashpoint in a long-standing battle between France and Germany over the continent’s rearmament drive and whether it should include countries outside the bloc.
Spooked by US President Donald Trump’s threats to end generations of American protection, Europe has pledged to increase defence spending dramatically and scale up their domestic capabilities that have withered since the cold war.
Last week the European Commission proposed to raise €150bn that would be lent to capitals to boost their military production. While the broad idea has received unanimous political backing, the details are still being fleshed out, with heavy lobbying over whether the cash could be spent on arms made outside the bloc.
I’m all for supporting local markets, but in the grand scheme I find it a bit pointless, when there’s absolutely no plan or intention from anyone to deescalate the situation. I guess that’s the point, so big bucks can be made, but I can’t help being a romantic and hoping for long term peace
It’s easier to negotiate for peace when you’ve more guns than the idiot on the other side who only understands strength.
I agree, I just don’t believe there is a negotiation plan. I think the “plan” is to keep the enemy in line with superior military power. Good short term, not really solving anything long term.
How exactly do you negotiate with someone who constantly breaks peace agreements he signed?
In the comment you responded to, I said I agree, it’s easier to negotiate from a position of power. What’s the plan afterwards? Everyone keeps saying that we need power to be able to negotiate, and I keep agreeing, and saying that there is no plan for later, and this is what I am worried about. I’m really interested in an answer for this question, but I just keep getting the same argument, which I’m not even opposed to.
It is the ONLY thing that solves it long term. Politics of the larger army have always worked.
The only way to deescalate is to arm ourselves to the teeth. The only language Putin understands is the language of strength and ignoring that can only lead to more war. Economically this is going to be a major stimulus which Europe really needs at the moment, especially Germany with their failing industries. My main worry on long term peace would be what happens to military output capacity once it’s no longer needed but we’re mostly concerned about survival. There should be also more discussion on profit redistribution so that we don’t increase wealth inequality even more with this stimulus.
Tanks made in the same lines of production than trucks, military aircrafts made in the same lines than civil ones, … When the need of new military equipment is reduced the lines can balance to more civil production. And then be prepared in case we need more military equipment.
That’s my hope but that’s assuming there will be demand and Germany can become competitive again. Right now those industries are failing because of expensive energy and that’s not about to change. In fact, it might get worse because Europe is getting LNG from the US now, and they’re not exactly friendly.
It’s not that I don’t understand the logic. It’s that I don’t believe scare tactics lead to peace. I agree that short term I it might scare of Putin, and that’s obviously good, but it’s a bandaid, not a solution, and one that, IMHO, is not easy to get away from.
Also, I find it sad that whenever someone mentions peace he gets ratioed and called a Putin apologist (not here but I see it a lot).
It is possible to want peace and still be against Putin. I get that it’s a sensitive topic and intense times, but we just keep alienating and polarizing more and more people. We need a better approach.
It takes just one state actor that doesn’t play by the rules and it all falls apart. Let’s not be naive because being exploited for this will be extremely unpleasant. I live in Poland which spent over 100 years under Russian occupation. Now we live under American one which is slightly less exploitative but not great either. The cognitive dissonance is strong in our nation after Obama forced us to reset relations with Russia after they invaded Ukraine for the first time lol.
All of us want peace but appeasement has been tried and failed time and time again. Lay down the arms and get steamrolled and then get exploited for another 100 years until another empire inevitably falls? Nah.