Instead of ushering in the “perpetual peace” Europeans had anticipated, the end of the Cold War gave rise to a multipolar world marked by the escalating rivalry between the United States and China. To survive and assert their influence on the global stage, European countries must bolster their military deterrence capabilities.
BERLIN – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has plunged Europe back into the darker chapters of its history. Once again, the continent confronts the specter of its most terrible affliction: a large-scale war of conquest.
After decades of relative peace and stability, the prospect of European borders being redrawn by force and sovereign states being wiped out has suddenly become palpable. With Russia having chosen aggression over peaceful collaboration, it is increasingly evident that the Ukrainians are fighting for Europe’s freedom as well as their own.
History has a way of correcting misunderstandings and delusions. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, heralding the end of the Cold War, a newfound sense of optimism animated Europe. The Brandenburg Gate reopened, the Red Army withdrew from Warsaw Pact countries, and the Soviet Union disintegrated. The “end of history” was nigh, and Immanuel Kant’s utopian vision of “perpetual peace” seemed within reach.
BERLIN – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has plunged Europe back into the darker chapters of its history. Once again, the continent confronts the specter of its most terrible affliction: a large-scale war of conquest.
After decades of relative peace and stability, the prospect of European borders being redrawn by force and sovereign states being wiped out has suddenly become palpable. With Russia having chosen aggression over peaceful collaboration, it is increasingly evident that the Ukrainians are fighting for Europe’s freedom as well as their own.
History has a way of correcting misunderstandings and delusions. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, heralding the end of the Cold War, a newfound sense of optimism animated Europe. The Brandenburg Gate reopened, the Red Army withdrew from Warsaw Pact countries, and the Soviet Union disintegrated. The “end of history” was nigh, and Immanuel Kant’s utopian vision of “perpetual peace” seemed within reach.