Anarchism

so we must escalate the security dilemma

There is no escalation dilemma here. History is overflowing with examples of countries with good militaries stopping much larger and more powerful countries from invading.

You think Switzerland just told the Nazis “pretty please don’t invade”?? No, their entire population was armed to the teeth and the entire country was geared for war and a strong defence, along with defendable topography. Had Nazi Germany actually invaded, it would have likely crippled itself from the attempt.

Now, maybe that would have been a good thing, historically speaking, but bullies are only stopped by people they think they cannot easily bully. And for countries and unions of countries, that means a strong military and leaping to each other’s defence.

Conversely, Russia only invaded the Ukraine because it saw that country as weak and an easy invasion target. Europe failing to back Ukraine tells Russia that it can walk over Europe, taking out countries in sequence, and no-one will make any serious attempt to stop it until it is too late.

Your comment seems to be steeped in reality-free ideology, and bereft of practical history.

To focus on political structure when Europe is under immediate threat of an emboldened Russia is bikeshedding at its worst.

Given a choice between enlisting for a country in it’s defence - or the defence of the entire continent of which it’s a part of - and being exterminated by the invader who threatens all countries there, I’ll take the former any day of the week.

The greater evil is the imperialistic-driven extermination of you and everyone you love, not serving in the military for a war that you would prefer not to be in.