It would be surprising if even half of the European NATO members could expand defense spending as much as the alliance requires. There is a simple reason why this goal will not be met: Europe cannot afford it. Rather than pretend to be working toward a goal that is as unattainable as the far side of our galaxy, Europe’s governments should acknowledge that they are stuck in a nasty structural deadlock, trapped between overly expensive welfare states, crippling taxes, the green transition chokehold, and standstill economies. Instead of baking pies in the sky to look strong, they should concentrate their political and intellectual efforts on bringing strong, sustainable economic growth back to the continent. Once that is done, they can start talking about how to use their common resources.
