Return of two Europeans

Be informed with free updates

Simply register Life and art Myft Digest – Delivered directly to your box.

“Europe must be in charge of its defense,” says a new geopolitical clichker, but it does not mean much. The interests of Europe consists of countries that are different from unrecognized countries from Russia. Donald Trump’s turn to Moscow restores the geography of the Cold War. We see the return of Eastern Europe and Western Europe.

The Geography of the European geography is changing from time to time. The exiled Czech writer is built in Milan Kunderda in 1983 in 1983. At that time, Soviet satellites were called Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia Eastern Europe. In fact, in the Kunderda, “Central Europe” – the Red Army was part of the West “Kidnapped” in 1945.

“What is Central Europe?” asked in the kunderda. “The uncertain zone of small nations between Russia and Germany.” And what was the “small nation”? “One of the most existing ones can be questioned in question; a small nation can disappear and it knows.”

The small peoples of Central Europe have joined Eastern Europe in 1945. After 1989, the communism was joined in Europe. In 1999, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic entered NATO There is a geographical rise: San Francisco joined the transatlantic west, which extends to Warsaw.

Last week, Trump seems to be deprived of the west. “This begins to look like the end of NATO,” Steven Everts, who manages the European Union Security Research Institute. Article 5 of NATO, member states to defend any member of the attack. The most likely place of the attack is Baltic. Trump asked by a journalist about NATO’s eastern flank, “I’m very loyal Poland“The next asked about the Baltics, committed commitment.

Where is the Polish ET AL now located? Probably not in a military body called “Europe”. They nor Americans nor Americans nor Americans dancig for Budapest in 1956 in 1959 and the Prague, and Putin could not live well. This means that the concept of “European Protection” is like an insurance scheme for people who paid the most scheme in the most schemes of people living in the hurricane zone.

An elderly French official said Putin’s aggression, as a result, there was no problem. “We have a nuclear umbrella,” he said. Putin can attack France or Britain, but it can be very important to the weak army and Russia’s “abroad” and the historical limits of the effect zone. Southern Europe is safer. In 2022, I sat in a lake in a lake in Madrid, which was in a lunch, which was in the families who had lunch in Russia, not the problem of Spain.

Germany is less reliable. Putin probably could not occupy him, but could test the nuclear blackmail because Germany is not Nukes. The Germans and other Europeans ask France to share a nuclear umbrella. It will be exposed to a form of great blackmail when France will return. However, France, of course, is very small to offer the umbrella to the Baltic – the countries where they need the most. France does not risk the nuclear war with Russia for Lithuania.

Suddenly, Eastern Europe re-emerges, Finland and Sweden touched the old Soviet bloc. These countries are rapidly build their military. Even a few additional points of the GDP in defense are against the risk of Russian occupation.

An investigation by Catherine de Vries and Stephanie Hofmann University of Bocconi, the nearest countries of the European University Institute are going to Moscow, “EU defense costs should be increased.”

I suspect that the Europeans do not find money to finance Ukraine. We can get out of Putin. But his edge is ready to shed his Russian blood. Good societies evaluate the lives of citizens, but are a handicap in the war. If the 20-year-old children were sent to Vilnius, the opportunity to die in today’s Europe is extremely high.

I put him in a European politician to a large east, which attaches little attention to the wars of Western European countries in Eastern Europe. “We know. That is why some of our countries are asking,” Why don’t we attack Russia, instead of sitting to attack us? ”

Email Simon at simon.kuper@ft.com

Learn about our latest stories first – Follow FT Weekend magazine X and Ft weekend Instagram