I agree. The situation in mainland Europe is a boiling pot, and every nation should be prepared for the worst. I think it’s a damned if we do, damned if we don’t scenario with Putin; we need to be prepared for the worst, as he is shown himself to be tyrannical and unpredictable.

I will say that I don’t think a stick or lack thereof will change Putin’s approach. He will do what he plans to do, regardless of the perceived threat from NATO countries. He’s already shown that he can defeat his enemies without a war (IE trumps appeasement surrounding Russia), so we need to be vigilant in more areas than just military. It’s a huge issue spanning multiple avenues.

All of that being said, I think (or hope) a lot of this will be hashed out via membership votes. A general anti-war stance doesn’t necessarily mean demilitarisation, as the current climate is undoubtedly a concern for many, and I would imagine the number of people who would be pro-demilitarisation right now are few and far between.