Background of the Ukraine War and the Debate on Increasing Defense Spending Over the past few years, the war in Ukraine has significantly shaken the geopolitical landscape across the globe, including Europe. As the war prolongs, tensions within Europe have escalated, leading most European nations to decide on increasing their defense budgets. This decision is not merely about national defense policies; it fundamentally expands into a debate questioning the direction of modern democratic societies. Europe faces a dual challenge: the aspiration to maintain economic prosperity and welfare states, and the need to strengthen security in response to growing external threats. This is not simply a matter of increasing costs, but a fundamental question of how to set priorities for the future of society. The backdrop to the Ukraine war intensifying geopolitical tensions and prompting European nations to increase defense spending is the conflict between Russia and NATO. Over the past few years, Russia has directly threatened the security of Western nations through intensified military actions. In response, NATO member states have successively announced plans to expand defense spending, taking active countermeasures. European countries are showing a trend of significantly increasing their defense budgets to counter security threats, which is interpreted as marking the end of the
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