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Germany’s military power is on the rise. This time it must be firmly embedded in Europe
Manchester Guardian ^ | Mon 4 May 2026 10.39 EDT | Timothy Garton Ash

Posted on 05/07/2026 3:24:47 AM PDT by Olog-hai

As we mark the 81st anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe this Friday, 8 May, it’s clear that Germany will again be the leading European military power.

Already next year its defense spending will be as much as that of France and Britain combined — and it is projected to be significantly larger by 2030. The German government’s declared goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. True, France and Britain have nuclear weapons, but that means less money to spend on the rest of defense. So, the question is not “will this happen”? Barring unforeseen developments, it will. The question, particularly on this solemn anniversary, is: how can we ensure that this time the growth of German military power is a positive development for all of Europe? […]

Yet it’s not only the French who are concerned about the prospect of German defense-industrial dominance. The Polish right is hysterical about it. Other Europeans are also beginning to feel uncomfortable. […]

… At the end of the day, the tests will be these: in the minds of Germany’s neighbors, will there be a genuinely integrated European defense industry or still just rival national ones? And will our Europe-alone military preparations, however messy and imperfect, prove a sufficient deterrent in the mind of Putin?

If Merz, working together with other European leaders, can find convincing answers to these two questions, he will gain a secure place in the history books. …

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: 4threich; 666; europeanunion; euroweenies; eussr; fakenews; fourthreich; france; friedrichmerz; germany; grauniad; guardianuk; loveletterformerz; poland; putinthewarpig; russiankeywordtroll; russiantrollfarm; thebeast; timothygartonash; unitedkingdom; worldwar3

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Looks like Garton Ash has not read the history books too closely.
1 posted on 05/07/2026 3:24:48 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai
Germany’s military power is on the rise. This time it must be firmly embedded in Europe

That was also the case last time.

2 posted on 05/07/2026 3:29:14 AM PDT by fso301
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To: Olog-hai

Manchester needs to clean up its own act before commenting on anyone else.

How many rapes of young white teen girls by illegal alien pakis remain unprosecuted?

How many attacks on Jews?

How much incitement to violence in mosques?

Shaddap and remove the log from your own eye.


3 posted on 05/07/2026 3:31:52 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Paid leftist Trolls ought to be banned here. There are several obvious ones.)
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To: Olog-hai

He can’t count, either.

Germany hasn’t got the money.

But talk is cheap.


4 posted on 05/07/2026 3:32:20 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Olog-hai

They need to send all their fighting age muzzies to wars in foreign lands to get rid of them. Trick is to do it before the muzzies turn the guns on the Krauts.


5 posted on 05/07/2026 3:32:58 AM PDT by HYPOCRACY (There is no gravity. The earth just sucks. )
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To: HYPOCRACY

Given the Union’s anti-US bent, they may attempt to sic them on this country.


6 posted on 05/07/2026 3:35:26 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: fso301

Indeed it was.


7 posted on 05/07/2026 3:36:13 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Speaking of the UK...

Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧
@TRobinsonNewEra

The day before local elections, Keir Starmer’s regime are mass banning anyone attending our Unite The Kingdom rally from entering Britain.

Let that ******* sink in!

Quote
Ada Lluch
@AdaLluch
·
16h
They just cancelled my ETA to the United Kingdom.

What a coincidence it happened a couple of days after I privately confirmed with @TRobinsonNewEra I would attend the UTK rally on May 16th.

Call me crazy, but it certainly looks like they are trying to sabotage his rally.

3:11 PM · May 6, 2026 117.7K Views

https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2052103972966552013

Six of those seven asterisks are mine.


8 posted on 05/07/2026 3:37:48 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Olog-hai

Yes,
The German neighbors are genuinely worried.
Restoring German military power is indeed scary.


9 posted on 05/07/2026 3:40:52 AM PDT by AZJeep (sane )
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To: mewzilla

National Socialist German Workers’ Party with a heavy leaning toward Islam…. What could go wrong?


10 posted on 05/07/2026 3:43:07 AM PDT by Donbue
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To: Olog-hai

If Germany tries European conquest again, they will lose, Germany will be divided up into neighboring countries, and the Germans themselves will be exported around Europe.


11 posted on 05/07/2026 3:44:03 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck ( Neocons in love with the Ukraine War hate how long the Iran War is taking.......... )
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To: wildcard_redneck

They don’t have to try. It’s already been done via the European Union, and particularly the Eurozone.


12 posted on 05/07/2026 3:48:54 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Olog-hai

...however messy and imperfect, prove a sufficient deterrent in the mind of Putin?...

Deterrent? against what?
Why would any sane person, like Putin, want to rule over the steamy hot mess called EU!

Any spending increase over diddly squat equals diddly squat


13 posted on 05/07/2026 3:49:18 AM PDT by Steven Tyler
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To: Olog-hai

I can’t believe anybody’s mentioning the Nazis or talking about conquest. Clearly your ideas about Germany are wildly out of date. Germany today is a completely cucked nation. Their military spending is increasing but its increasing up from just about nothing before. They have years and years and years of hugely increased spending to do to build up the weapons systems and equipment needed to field a competent military. Then there is the matter of German men not being willing to fight for this regime. Why should they? The German political establishment has sacrificed their economy to Gaia and imported hordes of Muslim and African military age males who are turning Germany to Scheisse. Who the hell would fight for that? Nobody.


14 posted on 05/07/2026 3:55:53 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: mewzilla

I have an opportunity to go visit my buddies in Britain with whom I served in the IDF through Sar-El.

But I wonder if they’ll let me in. I’ve posted my opinions about their totalitarian ways that may get me turned around at the airport and sent home, if not arrested on the spot.


15 posted on 05/07/2026 3:56:05 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Not all 2,000,000,000 muslims want to murder me, but 200,000,000 probably do.)
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To: Olog-hai

We, the U.S., would like ALL of our allies to take primary responsibility for their own selves. We have little interest in weak allies that we have to defend. Instead of complain about Germany re-arming, Great Britain should itself re-arm.


16 posted on 05/07/2026 3:58:48 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: Uncle Miltie

Looks like the UK can cancel your ETA at any time.

Think about that before spending the money on plane tickets, accommodations, a rental car...

I don’t know if there’s a travel insurance rider for covering having your ETA yanked to cover any non-refundables and/or cancelation fees.

Hubby and I just decided this morning that we won’t travel to Western Europe.


17 posted on 05/07/2026 4:09:00 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Olog-hai

If they are on the rise, why are we still there?


18 posted on 05/07/2026 4:14:55 AM PDT by dforest
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To: Steven Tyler

Putin has already said Europe has nothing he wants.(insulting but probably true) That they want what he has.


19 posted on 05/07/2026 4:19:29 AM PDT by dforest
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To: Olog-hai

If they annex the Sudatenland, look out.


20 posted on 05/07/2026 4:37:29 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
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