It's all Germany's Fault
To whom much is given
No, I'm not talking about World War I, or even World War II, or the refugee crisis in Europe. They might well be at fault there, but I'm talking about Ukraine. Indeed, the larger issues surrounding Ukraine and Russia and the general issues of military balance of power in Europe.
It doesn't take a genius to look at a map of Europe, one with notations as to population and GDP and the like, and see that Germany is the core of Europe. Several times in modern history, all of the rest of Europe, including the British Isles, have proven incapable of beating Germany in a stand-up fight without the addition of a certain former British colony across the Atlantic.
Now, that was their fault. They were philosophically and militarily incompetent, those countries. (The history of the Netherlands and Belgium alone is enough to send for the psych boys.) But still, the point remained: Germany is the bad boy of Europe. If by 'bad boy' one means the power big enough to stand in the ring with all comers and come out victorious.
So, what does that have to do with Ukraine? Well, the current attitude of Germany (and by 'current' I mean since they lost World War II) has left it sitting in a corner sucking its thumb while Europe depended on the United States for its defence.
On its face, this is insane, and it doesn't get any better when you dig into the details. The United States is, to use a technical term, a long way from Europe. A German tank could drive from Berlin to Ukraine while a US tank was waiting at the dock to be loaded for the trip. A modern fighter can fly from Berlin to Ukraine without being topped up; the US fighter would need to refuel along the way. Troops could be loaded up from their bases in Germany... you get the point. If Germany were locked and loaded, any Russian aggressor would have to think twice about military action. But the US is always a day away and a dollar short.
Speaking of dollars, the problem isn't just the insane attitude of the German government toward their own continent’s defence; it is also their deficit spending. Not the kind of deficit that leaves them in debt to the bankers (although they do that too), but the kind that leaves them with a lack of everything military. When the Germans go to war in Europe, they have to ship bullets from the US!
It is not true; it has never been true, that mere weakness can lead to stability. Just ask a room full of toddlers. Stability comes and has always come when the proper people have the proper power and are prepared to use it. Hitler's Germany might have been able to invade neutral Switzerland. But unlike neutral Belgium, they could not have invaded easily. They might not even have been able to invade successfully.
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Luke 12:47-48
Germany, France, Britain… these all have a role to play in the defense of Europe, and they have not been playing it. Every year at Last Night, the Britians riotously sing 'Britian rules the waves', but the only waves the modern British navy rule are in a bathtub. They might, might be able to defend the channel, but they could never come to the aid of Australia or New Zealand. France once ruled practically all of Europe, but nowadays, all they seem to be able to organise is a strike.
But in the end, the situation in the Ukraine and the overall weakness of Europe is all Germany's fault. Unto whom much is given, much is required. And Germany has a lot of people, a lot of resources, and a well-educated population; but they are not at all prepared to defend their country, let alone intervene when needed in the rest of Europe.
Links
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/how-correctly-re-export-german-tanks-2023-01-23/
https://www.dw.com/en/how-does-germany-contribute-to-nato/a-38033967
I think perhaps we are looking at different parts of the problem. When I say it’s Germany’s fault what I’m intending to suggest is that Germany should have such a consistent and coherent and strong presence that no one would even dream of invading another country in Europe.
That is an entirely different question from the political question of why Russia felt threatened, or what Ukraine did to offend them, or what the United States did obviously the United States should not have Presents As so as to completely negate any kind of military action by anyone.
When was Germany given the responsibility of defending Ukraine? Ukraine isn't part of NATO, and to my knowledge, Ukraine and Germany don't have any kind of mutual defense treaty.