Europe is not ready for war and its citizens don't want to fight
€1.1 billion in weapons for Ukraine reveals the gap between war rhetoric and a population that doesn't want to fight. An analysis of Europe's real state of readiness.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Europe is not ready for war and its citizens don't want to fight
On May 27, 2024, Spain announced a weapons shipment to Ukraine worth €1.1 billion, the largest military aid package in its history. Yet the uncomfortable question lurking beneath that figure is: is Europe willing to defend that commitment with its own blood? The citizen debate —not the official one— reveals an unbridgeable gap between Brussels' war rhetoric and the social reality of a population that, in the words of one analyst, "is the tamest and most defenseless in the history of humanity".
Europeans don't want to go to war
A majority current of opinion holds that the average European, and especially the Spaniard, has no incentive whatsoever to fight. The arguments repeat themselves: the political class is seen as corrupt, unpatriotic and disconnected from national interests. "Fighting to defend the Spanish political class, amoral, unpatriotic and corrupt to the hilt," one participant sums up. Added to this is the perception that the war would be fought in defense of foreign interests —"uncontrolled immigration, anti-men laws, the 2030 agenda"— and not of the nation. The result is a passive resistance bordering on radical pacifism: nobody wants to die for a political project they don't feel is their own. This current is reinforced by the idea that the population has been "domesticated" by decades of welfare and mass media, to the point of losing any capacity for violent reaction.
Real military capacity: the unemployed and industries running at half throttle
At the opposite end, a minority argues that Europe has sufficient material resources: a high number of unemployed people who could be mobilized, idle industries that could be converted to military production, and professional armies that would serve as a base. "Plenty of unemployed. Plenty of industries idling or at half throttle, not yet dismantled," notes a minority analysis. However, this optimism runs up against the empirical evidence: in the Ukraine war, Russia, with an economy far smaller than NATO's, has demonstrated a production and endurance capacity that Europe has failed to match. "Pilingui right now can't even take a bridge one kilometer from the front," one skeptic quips, but the reality is that the war has become deadlocked. Moreover, even in a favorable conventional scenario, the human and political cost of mass mobilization would be immense.
The danger of veterans returning from the front
A recurring argument among the sharpest analysts is the political risk of creating an army of armed, trained citizens. History —from the Weimar Republic to the military coups in southern Europe— shows that war veterans can become a destabilizing force. "What Europe is not prepared for is veterans coming back who are no longer heroes at the front," one observer warns. Men who have seen death, who have lost faith in institutions and who return with a suspicious view of politics. Governments as fragile as today's should think twice before arming and indoctrinating a mass of angry white men.
The question the debate leaves unresolved is whether the European Union is willing to take the risk of a militarized society in order to defend an order that not even its own citizens support by majority. The €1.1 billion weapons figure suggests governments are preparing for the worst, but popular will points in the opposite direction.
Related discussions in the forum
On May 27, 2024, Spain announced a weapons shipment to Ukraine worth €1.1 billion, the largest military aid package in its history. Yet the uncomfortable question lurking beneath that figure is: is Europe willing to defend that commitment with its own blood? The citizen debate —not the official one— reveals an unbridgeable gap between Brussels' war rhetoric and the social reality of a population that, in the words of one analyst, "is the tamest and most defenseless in the history of humanity".
Europeans don't want to go to war
A majority current of opinion holds that the average European, and especially the Spaniard, has no incentive whatsoever to fight. The arguments repeat themselves: the political class is seen as corrupt, unpatriotic and disconnected from national interests. "Fighting to defend the Spanish political class, amoral, unpatriotic and corrupt to the hilt," one participant sums up. Added to this is the perception that the war would be fought in defense of foreign interests —"uncontrolled immigration, anti-men laws, the 2030 agenda"— and not of the nation. The result is a passive resistance bordering on radical pacifism: nobody wants to die for a political project they don't feel is their own. This current is reinforced by the idea that the population has been "domesticated" by decades of welfare and mass media, to the point of losing any capacity for violent reaction.
Real military capacity: the unemployed and industries running at half throttle
At the opposite end, a minority argues that Europe has sufficient material resources: a high number of unemployed people who could be mobilized, idle industries that could be converted to military production, and professional armies that would serve as a base. "Plenty of unemployed. Plenty of industries idling or at half throttle, not yet dismantled," notes a minority analysis. However, this optimism runs up against the empirical evidence: in the Ukraine war, Russia, with an economy far smaller than NATO's, has demonstrated a production and endurance capacity that Europe has failed to match. "Pilingui right now can't even take a bridge one kilometer from the front," one skeptic quips, but the reality is that the war has become deadlocked. Moreover, even in a favorable conventional scenario, the human and political cost of mass mobilization would be immense.
The danger of veterans returning from the front
A recurring argument among the sharpest analysts is the political risk of creating an army of armed, trained citizens. History —from the Weimar Republic to the military coups in southern Europe— shows that war veterans can become a destabilizing force. "What Europe is not prepared for is veterans coming back who are no longer heroes at the front," one observer warns. Men who have seen death, who have lost faith in institutions and who return with a suspicious view of politics. Governments as fragile as today's should think twice before arming and indoctrinating a mass of angry white men.
The question the debate leaves unresolved is whether the European Union is willing to take the risk of a militarized society in order to defend an order that not even its own citizens support by majority. The €1.1 billion weapons figure suggests governments are preparing for the worst, but popular will points in the opposite direction.
Related discussions in the forum
- TikTok Colombian girl: "Stingy little Spaniards, I'm bringing my Colombian boyfriend over now". Go back to your country, bitch (video) · 56 replies
- Analyzing the leftists: the comments on Lo País: Sinister · 36 replies
- URGENT: Trump: "An entire civilization will die tonight, never to return" · 209 replies
- DEVASTATING ACCOUNT of a father taking his daughter to EURODISNEY where "THE MAGIC" is paid for by FORKING OUT TICKETS EVERY 15 MINUTES. And the most INCREDIBLE thing.... · 113 replies
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (71 replies).
More summaries
-
Cheap drones devalue million-dollar tanks
€450 drones destroy multi-million aircraft. The Ukraine war undermines traditional defense industry models.
-
Spain and Morocco: A Forum Quantifies Trade at €22.757 Million
One participant pegs Hispano-Moroccan trade at €22.757M in 2025, with a surplus of €1.903M; the thread discusses drones and debt.
-
Public Health monitors possible scabies outbreak at Sol camp
Public Health investigates a possible scabies outbreak at the Sol camp. The alert comes without an official case count and leads to political uproar and hoaxes.
-
Ceuta: nurses' union SATSE reports migrants arriving with knives and firearms
The SATSE union secretary says migrants arriving in Ceuta, Spain, carry bladed weapons and firearms. The city's healthcare system is near collapse with 10,000 people undocumented.
-
Spain's 'papo bubble': housing becomes the new currency of love
A 61-year-old woman with a 29-year-old boyfriend has sparked debate in Spain: housing and male singlehood behind the new 'papo bubble'.
-
Breaking: Trump targets Raúl Castro, threatens to attack Cuba
Trump threatens to attack Cuba after indicting Raúl Castro. We discuss in the forum whether it is a real strategy or a smokescreen after the failure in Iran.