In a significant address on the current global landscape, the UK government has cautioned that the West has transitioned from the post-Cold War era and is now entering a new phase characterized as a “pre-war” period. This warning comes with a sense of urgency, emphasizing the limited time available to prepare for and prevent potential conflicts in the future.
The UK government further asserts that China is closely observing the Western response to the situation in Ukraine, particularly to gauge whether it will lose patience in providing financial support to the Kyiv government and its defense. This observation serves as a clear call-to-action for NATO allies, urging them to remain vigilant and ready for a potential major war on multiple fronts in the near future.
During his speech at Lancaster House, British Minister of Defense Grant Shapps highlighted the pressing need for the West to acknowledge the reality of a “much more troubled world.” Consequently, he emphasized the necessity for substantial investments in military spending, as the West can no longer consider itself in a post-war state.
He said:
“…now is the time for all allies and democratic nations across the world to… make sure their defence spending is growing too. Because as discussed, the era of the peace dividend is over. In five years time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
…we find ourselves at the dawn of this new era. [The] Berlin Wall a distant memory but we have come full circle, moving from a post-war to a pre-war world. An age of idealism has been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism.”
Illustrating actions taken by Britain to prepare itself for this multifaceted conflict the British government apparently believes is coming, Shapps cited the UK’s support to Ukraine, the country leading the largest NATO deployment since the end of the Cold War this year, the signing of a new UK-Japan-Italy fighter coalition, and the creation of the Australia-UK-U.S. submarine coalition. He said the government was moving to putting 2.5 per cent of GDP into defence spending as soon as it could afford to.
Leaked German Military Docs Warn of WWIII with Russia by 2025, Hundreds of Thousands of Troops Deployed in Europehttps://t.co/P1RhhuoHvL
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 15, 2024
In the short term, Shapps emphasized the importance of not abandoning Ukraine, as it would only reward Putin’s invasion and convey a message of weakness to the world. He pointed out that China is closely observing the situation, assessing whether the West will lose its patience.
Shapps’ warning of an impending global conflict and a “new era” aligns with similar statements being made by several European nations recently. Estonia, a staunch ally of Ukraine with a shared border with Russia, stated through its Prime Minister that NATO has “three to five years” to prepare for a potential Russian attack on the alliance itself. Last week, Sweden issued a warning to its citizens to be prepared for war.
Germany reportedly shares the same concerns, with Europe’s best-selling newspaper, Bild, revealing leaked war plans that anticipate Russian invasions of European countries by the summer of 2025. These plans allegedly outline a “path to conflict,” including a renewed Russian push to capture Kyiv and provoke border crises with the Baltic states while the United States deals with the aftermath of the 2024 Presidential Election.
Shapps’ remarks about the end of the peace dividend and Europe entering a “pre-war” era echo the sentiments expressed by defense experts in Poland, a NATO member highly vulnerable to Russian expansionism. Should fears of Putin’s “empire” building materialize, Professor Katarzyna Pisarska of the Warsaw Security Forum warned in December that Europe’s focus on prosperity under the American protective umbrella and the welfare state lifestyle is now over, and the continent is entering an era of conflicts.
NATO Has Three Years to Prepare for War With Russia, Warns Poland Security Chiefhttps://t.co/3ntThlZvgd
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 6, 2023