Why Is War Fever Spreading in Europe?

Warnings about an approaching war with Russia have swept through Europe during recent weeks, propagated by presidents, opposition figures, and the news media alike. The tone has been strident, almost panicked, conveying a sense of utmost urgency.

Let’s start with Great Britain.

Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the defense staff, proclaimed this to be “the most dangerous period that I have known,” adding: “The war in Ukraine shows Putin’s willingness to target neighboring states . . . [which] threatens the whole of NATO, including the UK.”

Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, mixing his metaphors, asserted that “the shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door.”

Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy supreme allied commander of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), warned that without stronger European deterrence, “your sons and grandchildren and daughters are going to be facing a war with Russia. And a lot of them are not going to come home from it.” In a prophetic vision, Shirreff foresaw “white Commonwealth war graves . . .covering large amounts of Eastern Europe.”

Tory gadfly Jacob Rees-Mogg urged Britons to “do their duty” in case of war, even if some of them “have to die.” “If people aren’t willing to do their duty,” he explained, “then the country will be taken over by another country.”

BBC joined the war-talk frenzy with this astonishing headline: “War may be coming. Are we psychologically ready?”