Is Europe Getting Ready for War ( Archived) (20)

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Home Read Magazines 2019 September-October Is Europe Preparing for War?

Is Europe Preparing for War?
2019 September-October
Rod McNair


Europe is increasingly building its own war-making capacity. What factors are causing this change, and how will this trend impact the world?


“It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.” These words, published in a Time magazine article on January 26, 2017, were written by former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev. And truly, the world’s stability is more precarious than it has been for decades. The world is an increasingly dangerous and volatile place.

In this environment, who will come to dominate the rest of the 21st century?

We don’t often think of Europe as a military powerhouse, but something is happening there that should seize our attention—something different from any other development in the more than 70 years since World War II. Consider just a handful of headlines of the last few years: “Germany is quietly building a European army under its command” (ForeignPolicy.com, May 22, 2017). “EU unveils military pact projects” (Politico.eu, December 10, 2017). “Merkel calls for ‘real, true’ EU army” (EUObserver.com, November 13, 2018). European leaders are taking more responsibility for their own defense. And all of this is taking place at a time when the Bible predicts the dramatic rise of an end-time superpower that will burst suddenly onto the world scene.

What is happening today in Europe, and where will it lead? Is Europe preparing for war?

The continent is in a far more dangerous and unpredictable situation than any other it has faced in recent decades. Several key forces are changing the face of Europe even now, pressing Europeans to create their own distinctly European defense apparatus. Those forces are the rise of radical Islamic terrorism, the growth of the Russian threat, and the decline of the United States. Each is worthy of close consideration if we want to understand where all of this is headed.
The Rise of Radical Islamic Terrorism

Just a few years ago, Europe faced a major crisis of uncontrolled immigration. Due in large part to the war in Syria, well over 1.5 million immigrants poured into Europe between 2014 and 2017. What followed was a spike in terrorism from Islamic radicals. In 2016 alone, there were attacks in six different European cities—Berlin, Brussels, Hamburg, Nice, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy, and Paris—killing 150 people and injuring hundreds more (“From Paris to Brussels: Most recent terror attacks in Europe,” USA Today, April 7, 2017). Immigration has slowed, but the threat of terrorism continues to be a major force pushing Europeans to adopt tougher security policies.

After a terrorist attack in Belgium in January 2015, the government sent troops to guard targets around the country. It was “the first time in 30 years that authorities used troops to reinforce police in Belgium’s cities,” according to the Telegraph (“Europeans divided over increased security following terror raids,” January 17, 2015). Germany’s constitution forbids deploying German troops within its own borders, but in July of 2016, in response to increased terrorism, the German publication Deutsche Welle reported that the Bavarian Interior Minister had declared that law “obsolete” (“After Munich, politicians consider deploying soldiers at home,” July 25, 2016).

The immigration crisis has greatly strengthened the more right-leaning political parties. In October of 2015, at the European People’s Party’s congress in Madrid, EPP President Joseph Daul said, “We are going to move towards an EU army much faster than people believe…” (“EPP leaders bang drum for European army,” Euractiv.com, October 16, 2015).

Bolivia???? The States card heas been marked by so many countries theet 're running a card on who strikes first

I'm not Europe sweetheart we are jumping ship this December

Semantics

I;m still waiting for a sensible reply