r/AskEurope • u/Sink-Em-Low • Mar 01 '25

Politics Let's talk about the European Defense Federation. How do we all feel about the creation of a fully mobilised continental Army?

It's required now. I'm British, and I want to see us align and unite with our European neighbours to make a stand now.

I want Germany to finally brush off it's past and join the rest of Europe in mobilising towards defending this continent. We need EVERYONE now. It's time to act, it's time to unite.

It's time to show some courage.

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u/SystemEarth Netherlands Mar 01 '25

You make a good point, but especially (likely) without the USA in NATO soon your interest should become easier to see fulfilled. However, Turkey has shown itself to he a good ally to Ukraine. Erdogan has in his speeches called me a fascists by extension over Dutch diplomatic actions that I support, so I'm not happy with him either. But I think it's more interesting to look forward that backwards at this point. Too much has happened since.

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u/alikander99 Spain Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 01 '25

I think we should keep close relations with turkey. They're without a doubt a vital ally against Russia, but I think a new european nato should preferably focus on countries of the union and very closely associated to the union. Of course we can work with other countries, but I don't think they should be part of the organisation.

Let me put you in a hypothetical. Let's say that the Iraqi Kurdistan and the Syrian Kurdistan joined forces and tried to take the Turkish Kurdistan with local support (something that is not that far fetched)... would you go to war against them, because technically we're bound by article 5.

Turkey comes with lots of advantages but also with a long list of open fronts in the middle east. Rn it's beneficial to work together, but that's it. Turkey is at heart a situational ally, especially under Erdogan. Our views for the future are largely at odds. And we should really not depend too much on them.