Playing with fire in Europe

With all the war rhetoric coming not only from Russia but also from the so-called Western community of values, one might easily get the impression that we are trying to test whether NATO is still functional. Will Article 5 of the NATO Treaty really be implemented? In other words, will the other member states come to the aid of a NATO country under attack?

These constant provocations are a dangerous game. Perhaps at some point Vladimir Putin will want to test it out, maybe he will send tanks across the border to Poland and on towards Germany; or maybe Russia will attack Lithuania.

Do we really want to risk it?

The big show

Let the show begin. We have long since arrived in a multipolar world order. The era of US hegemony is over. Western supremacy is history. The political bureaucracy, for example in the EU and in European governments, is finding it particularly difficult to acknowledge this new balance and to act accordingly. We are still imposing economic sanctions against Russia, even though these are more likely to harm the European economy than Russia itself. But no one likes to be put under pressure, not even Russia, a country that is not only rich in raw materials but is also a nuclear power.

Europe is playing with fire. Do we really want to experience what our parents and grandparents went through? 

The permanent stationing of the German army's 45th Tank Brigade in Lithuania seems grotesque and dangerous. Five thousand soldiers are to be deployed—a deterrent against Russia and military support for Lithuania. Investments in infrastructure, including the construction of housing, kindergartens, and schools for the families of the soldiers, are also planned. It all seems rather unrealistic: The German Armed Forces is already having difficulty recruiting new men and women, and there is a lack of sufficient functional equipment. Family members or partners moving along? Do the German Armed Forces seriously believe that many family members will be willing to move to Lithuania? And more importantly, will enough soldiers really be willing to risk their lives to defend Lithuania in the event of an attack? Is it really realistic to assume that the other NATO member states will also defend Lithuania, knowing full well that this could lead to World War III? 

It also seems to be part of a big show to further fuel fear of Russia among the population, justify new military spending and arms deliveries, and provide the global arms industry with new contracts. 

Public media coverage is cleverly orchestrated: military parades, music, the Bundeswehr and soldiers are admired and cheered—as was recently the case in Lithuania. But Military parades and being admired and cheered are only one aspect of everyday life for Bundeswehr soldiers. 

What they do not show us is what it actually means to be at war and to fight. What they do not show us are the true images of the current battlefield in Ukraine. We see destroyed landscapes and cities, but no blood, no mutilations; we do not hear the cries of the wounded fighting for their lives, we do not see desperate soldiers, dead men, women, and children. We see only “heroes” everywhere.

Countless military experts are interviewed. People talk lightly about the technological advantages of the Taurus cruise missile. Some experts are even talking about the last summer of peace we will have in Europe.

Language makes everything possible—creating identities of the heart

Anything is possible through language. Language can bring disaster, but it can also do a lot of good. Mastering foreign languages can be a powerful way to counteract wars and create harmony. Language promotes understanding and broadens knowledge about foreign countries, people, and cultures.

I lived in France for a long time and studied there—I was practically socialized in that country. The one thing that gave me access to the French people was my command of the French language. It opened doors for me in France. I know what makes the French tick—things that sometimes drive others crazy just make me laugh or shake my head affectionately. As a German, I identify not only with Germany, but also with France—it is one of my identities of the heart.

The perspective of French geopolitician Jacques Ancel could perhaps help us overcome divisions. At the heart of Ancel's theory is the individual human being. The human being as the creator who forges identities, where “human groups ultimately achieve a harmonious balance and recognize boundaries that arise from a shared memory, language, history, and culture.” Thus, an identity of the heart and a nation of the heart develop. According to Ancel, it is primarily spiritual factors, the “intangible” factors, that determine us and our external world. Only a nation that is firmly anchored in itself can create harmony and solidarity. We are all connected; there are no social divisions. 

Nevertheless, the big show continues in Europe: Fronts are being built and divisions in society are being fueled. 

Our shared journey of a thousand miles

The longest journey, even one that is utopian, begins with the first step, or, as the philosopher Lao Tzu aptly remarked: “Even a tower that will one day be nine stories high rises from a pile of earth.”

This also applies to the new era. If we want to actively shape the multipolar world order, we must start with the first step. The fact that countries such as China, Russia, India, and indeed all the BRICS states are now stepping onto the world stage is a completely normal development. The hegemony of the US is not the only thing that has come to an end. The EU and NATO, both relics of the post-war era, have also become obsolete. 

Europe, but only with Russia

The only thing that will ensure prosperity in Europe is peaceful political and economic cooperation, mutual consideration for each other's interests, and peaceful coexistence, especially with Russia. Therefore, the bridges to Russia that have been destroyed must be rebuilt and, in some cases, radical reforms must be initiated.

The continent of Europe encompasses more than the current external borders of the EU. Russia, the largest country on earth, stretches from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia. The Ural Mountains form the border between Europe and Asia. Isn't this a great opportunity for the rather narrow-minded EU to think bigger and broader?

All the current EU structures accomplish is to promote more bureaucracy, hamper economic activity, and stifle creativity. It is time to initiate radical reforms to return to the structures of the former European Economic Community (EEC). This means streamlining and dismantling economic and political EU structures and getting rid of superfluous EU bureaucrats. We should return decision-making to national democratic processes.

Brussels is far away. Proximity between the population and their representatives must be reestablished. Europeans should be involved in all important decisions in their respective countries, for example through referendums. We need to live a direct democracy, as practiced in Switzerland. To move away from the current EU technocracy, back to a vibrant and open democracy at the national level.

Dissolve NATO

As is so often the case in life, we are wiser in hindsight. Given that NATO was established after World War II as a defensive alliance against Russia, shouldn't it have been dissolved after the reunification of Germany in 1989? In the same way that Russian troops left the former GDR, all Allied military bases, especially the US base in Ramstein, should have been closed and all foreign soldiers sent back to their home countries.

How often has there been talk of a purely European defense format, yet nothing has happened? Now is the time to implement it. It is time to create a European defense alliance, not against Russia, but together with Russia. We are not (yet) able to do without defense or the military. However, when disagreements arise, the focus should be on diplomacy, not military conflict.

Enabling private initiatives, forums, and platforms without involvement from the government

Fortunately, some forums still exist, such as the Petersburg Dialogue, which was launched in 2001 by Schröder and Putin to create a political and economic network between Germans and Russians. Courageous people in politics and business are still pursuing this dialogue today, as was the case in May 2025 in Baku and Kaliningrad. After all, economic interests remain strong in both Germany and Russia. Only the economy can create new paths and build new bridges that have been torn down by war.

The Weimar Triangle, a forum for dialogue between Germany, France, and Poland, which was established in 1991, should also be reactivated along the lines of its founding spirit. It is a forum “that began in a climate of European optimism and joy at the overcoming of the division of Europe and Germany” (Hans-Dietrich Genscher, 2006, on Deutschlandfunk radio).

Incidentally, overcoming the division of Germany and Europe would not have been possible without Russia. The Weimar Triangle should not be used or misused to establish another forum against Russia, as was the case with the meeting of the defense ministers of Germany, Poland, and France in Paris on June 25, 2024—a meeting that essentially served only to coordinate support for Ukraine.

The suspended scientific and cultural exchange between European countries and Russia must also be reactivated. Joint seminars and events must take place again. Culture, science, and business thrive on exchange with other cultures. Regardless of the political climate, all scientific, political, economic, and cultural forums must be revived in cooperation with Russia. Traveling, meeting people, exchanging ideas—all without “supervised government warnings,” must be possible.

There is no need for governmental institutions. All we need is our own initiative.

However, it would also be possible to give the OSCE a more active and central role in the reconstruction of Europe. The OSCE is one of the few organizations whose member states span the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia and include Russia. A total of 57 states are members.

“Utopias are often just premature truths” (Alphonse de Lamartine)

It is time for the West to finally let go of its desire to always be on top. And Germany should set an example in this regard. Given its geographical location in the heart of Europe, its history, and its economic power, Germany should take active responsibility for peacemaking, refrain from supplying weapons, and remain neutral. Germany and the Germans should cultivate and nurture cooperation, especially with Russia, without being influenced by the expectations of the US or the fears of Poland and the Baltic states. The other European countries will follow—we just have to take the first step. 

The “coalition of the willing” should also be dissolved. It is, after all, merely a format that serves as a means to an end, cleverly circumventing the veto power of EU member states. Not everyone agrees with arms deliveries to Ukraine. 

Admittedly, this is utopian, wishful thinking. But it is a utopia that could be worthwhile for all of us. As Oscar Wilde remarked, “A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing.” Our new, multipolar world order is a great opportunity for all of us to promote peaceful coexistence for the benefit of everyone.

We have a long journey ahead of us. Yet it is a journey worth taking, step by step. It will require courage, imagination, humor, and composure.

Recommended reading, not only for utopians

Ancel, Jacques (1938):  Géographie des frontières, Gallimard, Paris.

Banik, Katja (2025): The Great Chance of Multipolarity, www.katjabanik.com.

Banik, Katja (2024): Let’s reach out to Russia – for the sake of peace. Overcoming a “bloc mentality” and ideological firewalls, www.katjabanik.com.

Berliner Zeitung (2025): Petersburger Dialog: Deutsch-russische Plattform lebt auch ohne deutschen Staat, 17 Mai, 2025.

Brzezinski (1997): The Grand Chessboard, Hachette Group, Basic Books (USA)

Chen, Chao-Hsiu (2001): Lächelnde List, Hugendubel Verlag, Kreuzlingen/Munich.

Dohnanyi, Klaus (2022): Nationale Interessen, Siedler Verlag, Munich.

Donelaitis, Kristijonas (1765-1775): Die Jahreszeiten, C.H. Beck, 2021.

Kant, Immanuel (1795): Zum ewigen Frieden, Surkamp Verlag, Berlin.

Lamszus, Wilhelm (1912): Das Menschschlachthaus (The Human Slaughterhouse), Alfred Janssen Verlag, Hamburg/Berlin.

Laßwitz, Kurd (1919): Asperia – der Roman einer Wolke (Asperia – The Novel of a Cloud), Verlag von Elischer Nachfolger, Leipzig.

Laßwitz, Kurd (1919): Sternentau – die Pflanze vom Neptunmond (Star Dew – The Plant from Neptune's Moon), Verlag von Elischer Nachfolger, Leipzig.