Will democracies react quickly enough?

#316

My Dear Friend of Democracy,

A disadvantage of democracy is that it lacks foresight. Necessary political shifts only come when the world is about to go up in flames. This is no different with climate change than with defence. Why is that? Politicians hesitate to implement what is necessary because they do not have the support of the majority of the population. Facts, knowledge and forecasts have often been on the table for a long time, but information takes an eternity to sink into the population's consciousness. Jean-Claude Juncker, the former President of the EU Commission, once described the dilemma: "We all know what to do, but we don't know how to get re-elected once we have done it."

An advantage of democracy is that things often happen quickly once the majority recognises the emergency. Because politicians are then rewarded for acting swiftly. We are now experiencing this in the attempt to ensure Europe's security in no time at all without the USA. Practically all military experts have long emphasised the need for the continent to be able to defend itself independently. Little has happened.

Now, a race against time begins. Russia's arms industry is working at full speed. As soon as the guns fall silent in Ukraine, Russia will need less than five years to be in a position to attack another European country successfully, experts say. Five years is not a long time to build a common European defence of willing states.

Let us hope that the advantages of democracy will outweigh the disadvantages. Let us hope that the democracies of Europe learn quickly enough to defend themselves.

See you in Germany,

Johannes Eber