Europe: rearmament, unity and the risk of reverting to old conflicts

Frederic says Europe is a mystery to him: historically every country has fought every other, and he questions whether rearming is a good idea.

The Wonders say there is always a potential for conflict, and that Europe is arming to protect itself from Russian and American aggression and to some degree Chinese, though China is currently focused on Taiwan and the east.

They observe that the same constructs and mentality that existed 200,000 years ago persist - everybody loves to hate everybody and nobody truly accepts anybody, though they pretend well - while the European Union has nonetheless produced better mutual understanding.

They warn that Donald Trump, while not currently focused on Europe, will eventually try to pit one country against another, and it will be for European countries to choose whether to revert to old conflicts or move forward peacefully using diplomacy, communication, understanding and mutual appreciation as a means of enhancing their own safety.

Arming Europe is not counterproductive, but the key is not to let Europe fall into having a single leader.

Where Russia, China and the United States are each ruled to some degree by a dictator - and singular individuals can create far more havoc - an amalgamation of countries that accept and appreciate each other will have more success, and Europe could become one of the great powers and a powerful voice for freedom, provided it stays peaceful and sees itself as a oneness of different countries and cultures with none better than another.

In a lighter exchange they note that the Spanish, French, Germans, Belgians, Italians, South Slavs and British have all tried to assert themselves and all have been beaten down; Luxembourg and to a degree Switzerland are exceptions, and Canada is named as never having tried to conquer Europe, making it an ally worth fostering.

Without mutual respect, one individual will always rise to overcome the others - they cite the far right around Marine Le Pen in France, and similar movements in Italy and to a lesser extent Spain.

Their recommendation is that the European Union work more diligently at influencing, not controlling, the narrative toward cooperation.