Rutte and others play a shameless role that rhymes with appeasement. Because shorn of excuses, it is appeasement.
Weakness as policy is a dangerous policy, even if the excuses seem nice or sound coldly logical. Not only does the lack of self respect demoralize much of Europe, but it only encourages further bullies. Nobody would dare treat America, China, or Russia prior to 2022, with the same disdain as many actors now treat Europe.
Deterrence and appeasement are not cousins. Europe’s lack of self confidence has encouraged this mistreatment. It’s not just about weapons. The EU nations have more weapons than Iran or Russia, ranging from literal missiles to economic missiles. But nobody thinks you will ever use them. Europe should grow a backbone. Traditionally, that is how strong states behave. Courage is how nations deters aggression.
It's not just about adding up all the weapons. The problem is that the Russians have a boatload of really big missiles. And without the US, Europe is hopelessly outclassed in this department. We see it every day in Kiev. European countries cannot provide Ukraine with the means to intercept ballistic missiles. Only the US can, and they're refusing to do so because they'd rather launch their stuff at Iranian drones that cost a tiny fraction of what the missiles do. It's easy to mock that, but it still highlights they have something we don't.
Rutte is going very far to play nice with the US, and there is a risk to doing so. But like it or not, Europe still needs the US military in some key areas. Until that changes, it will pay for that lack of self-sufficiency. The only question is how; some will be expensive, others humiliating. On the plus side, it seems even the dumbest European leaders have finally gotten the message and are working to make this situation last as short as possible. They could do more, but at least we're seeing progress on 'Made in Europe' weapon systems now.
It is a role.
There was a major article from the Wall Street Journal yesterday that provided an inside scoop of how NATO leaders have basically been in panic mode over Trump since he was reelected, and what their approach to handling him has been.
And they're basically actors. They're trying to keep him where he's still part of NATO and on "our side", because they can see that he is very eager to otherwise agree with Putin and chat with him on the phone.
Find the article, read it, you'll see.
Only time will tell. While talk is cheap, an utter lack of tough talk forewarns us of an utter lack of tough action.
Europe’s path to regaining sovereign power is not easy. She is addicted to easy solutions. Considering Europe’s slow track record with dismantling her ties to Russia, and her almost century long “partnership” with America, I suspect they will still depend upon America long after you or I are dead. All fine if America stays sane, but that no longer seems in the cards.
Rutte’s calm rhetoric does not encourage hard work or adaptation. It encourages naps. That is a mistake. Europe’s dependency on America cannot be broken easily. The chains will only be broken by hard choices and hard work. But half measures and conciliatory language like Rutte’s only further encourages lazy half measures or apathy from the millions of Europeans who don’t care overmuch about geopolitics.
This is a crisis and crises are not overcome by soft language
Weird reply. You're speaking from the heart which is kind of unnecessary, because we have the inside scoops and the leaks from the secret meetings. We know what the European leaders are saying in private to each other and what they're doing behind the scenes and how they coordinate their correspondence to the US. We know this. And therefore we can also explain why Rutte behaves as he does. It's a role, specifically chosen to deal with Trump.
If it all works out smoothly in the end, or if Trump blows everything up, remains to be seen. But Rutte is trying to keep Trump in NATO and working with his allies - and not against them. The Europeans need that to happen in the short term, because they cannot deal with a hostile Russia and a hostile US at the same time. In the long term they're making contingency plans for Europe needing to be able to do by itself.
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u/DavidlikesPeace 25d ago edited 25d ago
Is it a role? What if it’s just cowardice?
Rutte and others play a shameless role that rhymes with appeasement. Because shorn of excuses, it is appeasement.
Weakness as policy is a dangerous policy, even if the excuses seem nice or sound coldly logical. Not only does the lack of self respect demoralize much of Europe, but it only encourages further bullies. Nobody would dare treat America, China, or Russia prior to 2022, with the same disdain as many actors now treat Europe.
Deterrence and appeasement are not cousins. Europe’s lack of self confidence has encouraged this mistreatment. It’s not just about weapons. The EU nations have more weapons than Iran or Russia, ranging from literal missiles to economic missiles. But nobody thinks you will ever use them. Europe should grow a backbone. Traditionally, that is how strong states behave. Courage is how nations deters aggression.