Half of Germans, French, Italians won't fight to defend NATO allies further east.

It seems we wasted our time and treasure defending Europe all this time. Or perhaps they just need a little taste of tyranny to refresh their regard for liberty. Still, it's hard not to conclude that the Euros have lost the civilizational will to persevere. On the other hand in its revisionist ardor Putin's Russia looks a whole lot like 1933 Germany. With nukes. Interesting bloody times indeed. And us with the faculty club favorite as President. Marginal Revo's take:

At least half of Germans, French and Italians say their country should not use military force to defend a NATO ally if attacked by Russia,” the Pew Research Center said it found in its survey, which is based on interviews in 10 nations.

There is more here, and so every great moderation must come to an end…

This is also of note:

According to the study, residents of most NATO countries still believe that the United States would come to their defense.

Meanwhile:

Eighty-eight percent of Russians said they had confidence in Mr. Putin to do the right thing on international affairs…

Solve for the equilibrium, as they like to say. It is much easier to stabilize a conservative power (e.g., the USSR) than a revisionist power (Putin’s Russia).

It is also worth thinking about how this entire state of affairs has come to pass.