The criticism made about this article is that Europe already has a navy in the form of NATO, but this was not the point of the article.
NATO is a defensive alliance and it is not a political alliance that serves exclusively and purposefully European interests. It is also not an offensive alliance and serves purely defensive interests. In addition, even though NATO is backed by Europe’s strongest ally (the US), NATO has to work with Turkey as a member which basically goes against most of the principles and positions that the other NATO members adhere to.
Currently, Europe has to contend with tinpot dictators blackmailing it with flows of illegal migrants. Now, Europe can see, at a distance an advancing Chinese fleet going to unexpected places. Meanwhile, as China flexes its muscles, EU Council President Charles Michel tries to convince Egyptian President Al-Sisi to open the Rafah border with Gaza for humanitarian reasons with nice diplomatic talk. I wonder how Sisi would have reacted if Michel’s nice talk was backed by a European navy with the firepower of a Beethoven symphony.
European bureaucrats have deluded themselves for so long that the world is a safe place where diplomacy alone brings forth peaceful relationships and conclusions. Our adversaries don’t think and act that way and it is naive and delusional to think that lacking an offensive component in your diplomatic arsenal is conducive to better and more peaceful relationships with dictators who only understand the language of force.
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Historian and Publisher
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