[moneyrunner]

Europe has a history of socialism. Keep in mind that Monarchy can often be viewed as an earlier version of socialism, where the Crown (instead of an elected government) ruled the economy via royal monopolies and exclusive guilds. Thus, Europeans have a long history of subservience to central governments.

From time to time, these governments became expansionist: Napoleonic France, Hitler’s Germany, the USSR.

In most cases, European governments have been focused on internal social welfare issues. Since WW 2, Europe has been a protectorate of the US and has devoted itself to rebuilding from war’s devastation and the creation of a continental social welfare state. Since human desires are insatiable, the demands of the welfare state crowd out defense needs. And since there remain no serious inter-European reasons for war, it is unlikely that any European country will spend more than is required to field an honor guard.

European politicians realize that re-armament will cost them votes with their welfare-state constituents. They also believe that the US will continue to provide them with a military defense against any conceivable aggression. Finally, they lack the belief in the value of Western Civilization. Lacking that, they see no need to defend the West against the gradual encroachment of Islam.

I believe that Islam is now sufficiently wealthy and radicalized enough to step up the rate of encroachment. That may energize the general public in Europe so that it becomes politically popular to resist. And resistance eventually means the building of armies.

We’ll see.

[weikel]

Woah there don't start associating monarchies with the welfare state democracy actually guarantees a welfare state as people vote themselves onto the dole. Monarchy( the rule by force of arms of a single man)does not.