this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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I think it’s fear. People fear that their country doesn’t produce enough and isn’t wealthy enough to support an army that is capable enough to keep any real or imagined enemies at bay. Add a good amount of corruption and propaganda to it, and you get a perpetual cycle where this fear needs continuous fuelling.
The worst part of it is that the fear isn’t entirely unjustified. As the Ukraine war shows, predators will try to pray on the weak, and Europe has been complacent about its own defence.
That doesn’t mean I think capitalism is the answer of course, but it is a horribly delicate balancing act to consider all concerns.
I think you meant to say unjustified.
Fixed, thank you.