European Rearmament Debate: 'Thanks Russia' and Poll Skepticism

European Rearmament and the Paradox of Thanking Russia

A paradox runs through the debate on defense spending: Ukraine's invasion has achieved what years of reports and threats failed to do—getting Spanish society to accept higher military budgets. An initial message sums it up with dry wit: "Thanks Russians, many thanks, thanks to your invasion of Ukraine, Spanish society finally starts accepting increases in the defense budget." Published in a discussion about rearmament, this phrase condenses the plot twist: what NATO didn't achieve in decades, Moscow accomplished in months. The author defines himself as a "NATO supporter" and closes with the Latin Si vis pacem parabellum.

From Indifference to Alarm

The starting point is an uncomfortable fact: for years, attempts to raise defense spending met with indifference or rejection. The invasion of Ukraine changed the framework. The discussion highlights that there are now "sanctions, many sanctions," and notes some react with double standards: "if EU countries' armies are weak they laugh, but if these decide to strengthen the army they cry because they want war." Criticism targets a sector that, according to this line, labels any military reinforcement as warmongering.

The underlying issue is whether rearmament responds to a real threat or a propaganda operation. Against the thesis of thanking Russia, another current argues that increased spending doesn't defend Spain, but foreign interests. "Segarro is armed by NATO according to its interests against us," one claims, reversing the alliance's purpose. The discussion shifts to the southern flank: some call for rearmament "against the southern threat," while others recall that the military budget has been rising for years without translating into real capabilities.

The Domestic Cost of Rearmament

The debate isn't limited to geopolitics. It dives straight into wallets and public services. One intervention states it bluntly: "74% of Spaniards are eager to have their taxes raised even more for weaponry, or to see pensions and healthcare levels cut to put money into arms for a war that isn't ours and we have nothing to do with." This figure is launched as suspicion regarding polls, not verified data, and the author calls for a referendum on spending and staying in NATO.

Criticism of polls is repeated: "They don't even believe that poll themselves. Another propaganda disguised as news." Skepticism toward surveys supporting rearmament is constant. So is the suspicion that money won't translate into effective defense: "I don't know what they'll do with that money, but I know it won't serve to defend Spain." Specific projects are mentioned—the Dragon project, uniforms bought abroad to avoid paying royalties, planes without parts, helicopters with more budget than troop ones—to argue that more spending doesn't equal better armed forces.

The Ghost of Conscription

One of the most tense threads is the possible return of military service. "And if tomorrow they say there is mandatory conscription to go to the Eastern trenches or mili, 80% would agree," one asserts, adding that "no matter how much bubble-head flowerpots say no way, society will not accept it." The response trinc quickly: "80% seems too high to me, but exceeding 60% is likely. Seeing your neighbors subjugated, or having a bomb drop on your grandmother because of an invader, that does a lot."

The exchange reveals a generational and political rift. For some, Spanish society is "zascandil" and will be led astray; for others, real threats mobilize. The discussion moves to politicians' responsibility: "Citizens can prevent politicians from sending their children and grandchildren to death; you just have to vote for patriotic parties and stop voting for traitors, separatists, and anti-Spaniards." Ideological disqualification runs rampant.

The Southern Flank and Historical Memory

Segarro appears as a recurring threat. "This increase in the Spanish Defense budget will miccionan Segarro cannot win the arms race it has started," one argues. This claim is fiercely debated: "What an obsession with damn Segarro. They're CI80 jovenlandes and clothes don't make the man. If the Sahrawis are trolling them every day." The outburst, though vulgar, reflects a current minimizing the Segarro threat, recalling that "Spain, with one hand tied behind its back, gives the Moors a beating that leaves them stiff for another 500 years." Another intervention warns of the "greater danger": "the Moorish fifth column in our streets who could cause sabotage, and we'll have to put them in extermination camps... sorry, I meant concentration camps, if there's trouble with Segarro." The linguistic drift is evident.

Historical memory also intrudes. The withdrawal of the Alborán garrison is recalled, and whether there was Russian presence on the island is discussed: "Alborán Island started having soldiers in the 60s, because they caught the Russians preparing things around the area. They've always wanted that little island." The discussion shifts to the Second Republic and historical relations with Russia: "You know little about Russia-Spain relations, the invasion of American Spanish territories, the scam of the rotten ships, the establishment of all the evils of the Second Republic, the attempt to establish a base in Alborán... some of you are very uninformed."

The NATO Rift and Disdain for Dissenters

The thread turns toxic when membership in NATO is questioned. "What flag flies in Gibraltar, the Russian one? Where do Catalan separatists hide, in Russia? Who arms our southern enemy, the Russians?" asks one ironically. The answer is that neither Russia nor Segarro are the real enemies, but rather "the greatest danger we face is the fifth column." Mutual disqualification is constant: "trinc," "pilingui," "otanero," "podemita," "reaccionario." The debate becomes a trench of labels.

The discussion on rearmament reveals a divided society. For some, Ukraine's invasion justifies any spending increase; for others, it's another scam. "The facts are that after the bicho scam comes the war scam. You keep applauding at 8 PM and doing the work for those who will then crush you," one intervention concludes. Distrust of the official narrative is total.

What’s Cooking in Rearmament Polls?

Polls supporting increased defense spending are met with skepticism. Doubts arise over whether 74% of Spaniards are willing to pay more taxes or cut pensions and healthcare to fund weaponry. The discussion offers no verifiable data, only suspicion that surveys are rigged. The fundamental question is whether Spanish society accepts rearmament out of conviction or antiestéticar. The initial message makes it clear: "Thanks Russians."

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How far is Spanish society willing to go in rearmament? The discussion doesn't give a single answer, but leaves one certainty: what was once unthinkable is now debated without embarrassment. And the trigger has a name.