Until the West overcomes its addiction to post-heroic values, NATO’s programme of rearmament will do little to provide its nations with genuine security
At international summits and in the media, all the talk is about increased defence spending and rearmament. At the recent Hague summit, the NATO allies agreed to increase their defence spending to 5% of their GDP. And yet, all the publicity about finally taking national defence and security seriously comes across as dishonest posturing. Why? Because the leaders of most NATO member states are fully aware that their military forces are not ready for a serious fight. Worse still, the population of Western societies has embraced a post-heroic culture that regards the defence of their nation as not their concern. Young people have been turned off from embracing the values of patriotism, courage, and duty, and, consequently, many of them feel little responsibility for defending their nation.
