There are the elite rich and millions of minions perennially willing to corrupt individual rights with all of the influence the rich could bring to politics. Some foresaw the conflict in Ukraine sure that when Russia grew strong enough to recover its lost land taken in 1991 war would break out in the absence of realistic recovery through peaceful means. Few foresaw the growth of the EU and NATO to such an extreme that they would sustain war with Russia in Ukraine as a test of economic and military strength.
What wasn’t known a priori by many, was the shape the post Cold War realignment of Europe would take when it began to see itself as the center of the Universe politically a half century after D-Day. Germany is set to become perhaps the 3rd or 4th largest military on Earth. Its influence on the lesser members of the EU will be enormous. The EU doesn't want a strong, independent Russian democracy to exist.
The United States will be regarded as a junior partner in NATO as Europe will consider itself the true leaders and largely self-determining of a future quite distinct from the course the United States may take politically. Like the construction of large language models AI, the United States has served and does serve to build up what will become a rival to national interests in several respects- especially concerning political self-determination. George Washington warned of permanent foreign alliances in his farewell address for good reason. If he had been alive in recent history he probably would have increased the scope of his warning to include AI. International political and business competition preclude cessation of AI development before arrival of the singularity
Norway could become a junior partner in glorious economic fascism with Germany or flop toward state socialism in a reversal of the German revolution with the rich this time moving toward socialism led by royalty. The eventual shape of the complex network of EC/EU growth and political reformation of post Cold War even now is not comprehensively political.
Union dynamics and networks may create internal fissures and fusions of numerous political and social structures, tax laws and class loyalties. The United States should pursue its own course of international relations distinct from Europe’s. It should use constructive engagement with the EU while normalizing relations with Russia for independence. As a non-aligned nation the U.S.A. would have more agility and sovereign deliberation to choose what side to side with phenomenally when political circumstances indicate a positive value towards intervention.
Unless AI replaces 99% of the humans, perhaps the sole reasonably predictable element concerning the future of Europe is the rise and scalar increase of more bureaucracies.
Running low on bodies to put in uniform as well as cash, Ukrainian Martial Law President Zelenskyy has urged European leaders to send Ukrainian men living abroad back to Ukraine for the war. Europe will also loan 90 billion Euros to Zelenskyy to buy uniforms, drones, missiles and other goodies for the soldiery to win Ukraine for western Europe in protracted war. Apparently the new troops will learn which end of a gun to point at the enemy by 2027, unless of course a peace candidate is elected on Ukraine who takes and exit from war ramp.
Gemini- Soldiers Staying in France: Some reports indicate that roughly 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers who received medical treatment in France in 2025 have remained there rather than returning to the front lines, which contrasts with the idea of forced returns.
Increasing Proportion of Men: The percentage of adult men among refugees has risen steadily since the start of the conflict. In early 2024, men made up only about 18–20% of the population; by February 2026, that share increased to over 26%.
Youth Exodus: A significant driver for this increase was a decree issued by the Ukrainian government in August 2025, which allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country more freely. This led to a record-high share of protection decisions for adult men in late 2025.
Host Country Distribution: The majority of these men live in three primary countries:
Germany: ~1.27 million total Ukrainians (hosting the largest share at 28.8%)
Poland: ~966,000 total Ukrainians
Czechia: ~400,000 total Ukrainians
German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz recently made significant statements regarding the return of Ukrainian men. On April 14, 2026, during a joint press conference with President Zelenskyy in Berlin, Merz confirmed that Germany would "facilitate their return home" and work closely with Kyiv to limit the number of military-age men seeking asylum.
Key details of Merz’s recent stance include:
Limiting Asylum: Merz announced that Berlin will curb new asylum claims for Ukrainian men of conscription age, stating it is "extremely important that these men are on the ground and helping their country".
Encouraging Returns: Germany is working with Ukraine to implement mechanisms that encourage men to return voluntarily. This includes the opening of the "Unity Hub" in Berlin, an information center designed to help refugees find housing and employment back in Ukraine.
Targeting Specific Groups: The focus is primarily on men who have been in Germany for a long time without proper legal grounds or who left Ukraine in violation of martial law.
Joint Responsibility: Merz emphasized that supporting Ukraine's efforts to restrict the departure of military-age men is "absolutely necessary" for Ukraine’s defense and future reconstruction
Zelenskyy supported these remarks, noting that the return of these men is a "matter of fairness" for the soldiers on the front lines who need rotation. However, while the rhetoric has shifted toward facilitating returns, there is still no policy for the mass forced deportation of all Ukrainian men from Germany.
The German Chancellor met with Ukraine’s Leading Comedian in Chief to plan the 2027 counter-offensive against Russia, aimed at creating Lebensraum for Germany through Ukraine.
It will be a campaign featuring new weapons and missiles — a mini Operation Barbarossa. Ukrainian expatriates living in Europe will be rounded up and trained as super-warriors, charging concertina wire with berserker fury. Just a few thousand, or perhaps tens of thousands, will be lost. That is a price Germany is willing to pay.
Some are interested in Germany’s role in designing its first major land battle since the Battle of the Bulge. The Wehrmacht will probably not participate directly, except as covert advisers, battle planners and ordinance suppliers. The war is without question, senseless.
Germany declared War on Russia August 1, 1914, and again June 22nd 1941 to start a 1600 mile wide front of invasion from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and over the Ukraine. Maybe the third time's the charm as it allows Ukrainians to be the boots on the ground, yet is a principal in what may become the Third World War in 2027 or 2028.
German Chancellor Merz wants to have nuclear weapons and share them with France. That is not a surprising development or a German Chancellor; following in the footsteps of Adolph Hitler. Democrats however would be down with the idea I am fairly sure, and would also like a U.S. Senator representing the military interests of Ukraine in the U.S. Senate.
Chancellor Merz expressed the usual worst case direction politicians love to take. Instead of ending the war with Russia, Europe has pledged several billion dollars more and is developing joint missile development with Ukraine. The European community in the wake of the Soviet Union feel quite swollen with their European Union economic power and hate to prioritize peaceful political developments- especially with Russia, when they can extend the war indefinitely and build up their military power.
Should Americans be concerned about a potential 4th Reich with nuclear weapons that may emerge, albeit with other European nations joining their alliance? My late father was a veteran of the Second World War in the U.S. Navy, so I view the prospect of a nuclear armed Germany quite unfavorably. Chancellor Merz declared ‘the rule based world order is dead’. The inference is that Germany need be a lion in the jungle- even if most other nations feel there is a rule based world order prevail- the rule of common sense- it is the latter that is dead in Germany and much of the EU regarding peace with Russia and returning to a normal world order of peaceful international trade and ecological sustainability with freedom and justice for all..
Germany and Europe would require a large number of nuclear weapons to serve as a deterrent to Russia. Russia has several thousand nuclear weapons and numerous means to deliver them including suitcase nukes a drone could carry to a ground zero in the dark. Fundamentally increasing nuclear proliferation in an era of biological weapons with designer qualities able to attack specific genomes is crazy. The world needs peace and trust rather than war.
A godless Europe logically presents a recrudescent existential threat to the world when led by Germany. Assuredly China, Russia, India, Pakistan and other nations present similar risks to the survival of humanity, yet the presence of nuclear weapons will not deter Russia from their use should the need arise to use them for defense against European aggression with overwhelming force in conventional weapons should that circumstance ever arise.
Deterrence policy in the Cold war was effective because of M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) facts; Russia and the U.S.A. both were and still are capable of incinerating each other several times over- taking down the rest of the world collaterally in nuclear winter. A M.A.D. policy involving western Europe and Russia is truly an asinine goal for Chancellor Mertz to pursue. Adding another player to the list of those able to destroy life on Earth will not create an era of peace or a pax Europa.
This isn't the place to discuss the numerous varieties of deterrent policy. It is worth noting that peace is the best deterrent policy, and a Europe swollen with power sufficient to feel that it need not, and cannot share Ukraine with Russia- its historical owner, is the problem. Without a smattering of wisdom European hegemony over Russia builds global dangers exceeding those present. Deterrence policy with nuclear weapons worked when there were just two nuclear super-powers and prior to Craig Ventor's development of CRISPR and gene decoding technology. Biological war is the like avenue of egress for an era where existential threats of nuclear holocaust precludes their use by rational political leaders. Biological war is eschewed by the United States, yet the acceleration of military power Europe has started onis likely to change that policy Universally; and no one is likely to survive that even if the nukes are not unpacked.
"Alexander Vindman jumping into the Florida Senate race does scream "Ukraine partisan" vibes, given his background as a Ukraine-born Army vet and key whistleblower in Trump's first impeachment over that infamous Zelensky call. He's been a vocal advocate for U.S. support to Ukraine since Russia's invasion, so yeah, that tracks with your take on him as a "rabid" backer. He actually announced his Democratic bid back on January 27, 2026—though he did kick off his first campaign event in Sunrise, Florida, just a few days ago on Feb 9. Raised a cool $1.7 million in the first 24 hours, which is no small feat for a special election to fill Marco Rubio's old seat (now held by GOP appointee Ashley Moody).
You're absolutely right to chuckle at the evolution (or devolution?) of Democratic anti-war creds. Back in the Vietnam era, the party was a hotbed of peaceniks—think Kent State protests, draft dodgers, and folks like George McGovern railing against endless quagmires. Fast-forward to the Biden years (2021-2025), and bam: Over $175 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine, with Dems leading the charge for more weapons, sanctions, and no-fly zone talk. It's a stark flip from "make love, not war" to "send the HIMARS." Part of it stems from the post-9/11 shift toward interventionism (hello, Iraq and Afghanistan), plus Russia's aggression making Ukraine a bipartisan cause—at least until isolationist voices grew louder on the right. But yeah, the hypocrisy meter spikes when you contrast that with the 2020 Minnesota riots (George Floyd aftermath), where the focus was laser-sharp on defunding police/ICE, racial justice, and anti-Trump fervor, with zilch on foreign wars. Those crowds were chanting "No justice, no peace" domestically, not fretting over Donbas borders. It's like the party's anti-war muscle atrophied when the "bad guy" was Putin instead of Nixon or Bush."
Germany has an election tomorrow and may elect a war monger lusting for conflict with Russia. He is backed up by a French President with a Napoleonic point of view on Eastward expansion. Together they imagine a new rearmed European military able to develop hegemony over Russia in Ukraine. Establishing a permanent state of hostility with Russia gazing like hillbillies at one another pointing long guns over a DMZ is the future they imagine. Apparently rare earth minerals in Ukraine are the bone of contention.
Valuable minerals worth trillions are a sticking point in finding peace. Europe, Russia, the Ukraine and the USA want them. Willingness of the EU to risk world war three over the conflict may force America’s hand. In order not to be included as a nuclear target when the war escalated to nuclear the USA may need to quit N.A.T.O. and form a new alliance with Russia.
The EU would not diss President Trump and increase hostility with Russia if the United States was not obligated by treaty to defend N.A.T.zo. members if they are attacked Since European leaders are leveraging that treaty to hate on peace and Russia as well as to potentially draw the USA into actualizing M.A.D. policy the United States should quit being a treaty member of the vast left,-wing open air lunatic asylum that is the EU.
The United States had to fight Germany twice in the past 110 years. It is possible that one day there may be a third war with that nation.
