Peace cannot always be won by peaceful means. This is a truth that is as tragic as it is perennial. When history forges an enemy that cannot be placated, the blind pursuit of ‘peace in our time’ only shores up an even more devastating conflict in the future. This lesson, learned so painfully by previous generations, has faded in the somnambulant years of postwar Britain. It is one that we are starting to remember.
Today, the defence secretary Grant Shapps pledges 20,000 British personnel to take part in a major Nato exercise to prepare for a potential Russian invasion of Europe. His words are unvarnished. ‘We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies,’ he will say in a speech in London. ‘The foundations of the world order are being shaken to the core. We stand at a crossroads.’
Since 7 October, Iran has activated its militia across the region
Perhaps 2024 will be the year when the British bulldog and American eagle begin to – in the words of Lance Armstrong – get their hate on.
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