Originally Posted by
Rheinstorff
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But then we wouldn’t have invaded Libya Georgia, annexed Iraq Crimea our sustained a conflict in Syria Eastern Ukraine, just to cite a few examples of American/European Russian behaviour.
You don't have to rely on 'crazy Russia' to see that on internationjal level military power is used regularly to forward own interests (however justified they might even be from our perspective). China is massively starting to do the same. Sadly it is still part of human behaviour. If you have the power you (ab)use it. If you are too weak someone will understand this as an invitation for bullying.
And in that regard it is not only about really using Military Power but often the mere existance of an imbalance is used to do things you wouldn't do to a militarily massively superiour counterpart.
Deterrence is still THE most important capability of the Armed Forces. That is what makes me so angry about the downsizing and focussing of (all) the European Armies on asymmetric conflicts against peasant states of the last three decades. Everyone around (Russia, China, India, also the US) changed course >10 years ago. Just Europe kept sleeping.