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wart365 t1_j9i41sb wrote

Reply to comment by Easy_Iron6269 in Dutch intelligence services have warned that Russia is "covertly mapping" key energy infrastructure in the North Sea, in preparation for possible sabotage attacks. by green_flash

It's really up to Europeans. Would Swedes tolerate their Internet speeds dropping in half, or being forced to route all communications through satellites launched by USA? Would Swedes tolerate rolling blackouts or the occasional railroad derailment? What about interdiction and filtering of Swedish ferries for "terrorists" that are detained and then sent to Russia for imprisonment? Or hijackings of Swedish planes so their passengers can be used in human medical experiments?

All of this requires a large and effective military to respond to such incidents. Europe lacks this, except for countries with border problems like Spain, Italy and Poland. All conservative-leaning countries whose security policies have long drawn the ire of more left-leaning politicians. Europe would have to admit that many on the right are correct, and concede that not everyone has a right to live within Europe.

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skofan t1_j9ia7p9 wrote

I'm guessing you're american.

Off the top of my head, Europe's largest and most well maintained armies are the french, the British, and the German.

And after looking it up, Spain, Italy, and Poland does come in at 4'th, 5'th and 6'th, with half the combined military spending of the liberal economies, despite similar population sizes.

For christs sake, France, the most left leaning country in Europe has an enormous weapons industry, and exports everything from battleships and fighter planes, to rifles and munitions, while also being one of the worlds major nuclear powers.

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lollow88 t1_j9ivhx8 wrote

>For christs sake, France, the most left leaning country in Europe

Curious about this, what makes you say that? If I had to say, I'd place Sweden and even Spain (especially in the last decade) more to the left of France.

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