Liana Fix argues that Germany’s long-delayed rearmament is making it Europe’s dominant military power, strengthening deterrence against Russia while reviving fears of German hegemony. Berlin’s rapidly rising defense spending, underwritten by its fiscal strength, could unsettle France, Poland, and smaller states, particularly as American engagement in Europe wanes. Those tensions would worsen if Germany favors national defense industries and resists deeper EU-level coordination, fragmenting Europe’s security efforts. The risks would be far greater if the far-right AfD, hostile to the EU and NATO, gained power and used German military strength for nationalist purposes. To prevent rivalry and division, she contends, Germany must lock its power into European frameworks through joint borrowing, integrated defense industries, and deeper multinational military command.
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Liana Fix argues that Germany’s long-delayed rearmament is making it Europe’s dominant military power, strengthening deterrence against Russia while reviving fears of German hegemony. Berlin’s rapidly rising defense spending, underwritten by its fiscal strength, could unsettle France, Poland, and smaller states, particularly as American engagement in Europe wanes. Those tensions would worsen if Germany favors national defense industries and resists deeper EU-level coordination, fragmenting Europe’s security efforts. The risks would be far greater if the far-right AfD, hostile to the EU and NATO, gained power and used German military strength for nationalist purposes. To prevent rivalry and division, she contends, Germany must lock its power into European frameworks through joint borrowing, integrated defense industries, and deeper multinational military command.
1930s ahh headline