Anne Applebaum

I mean, not only are they pushing back and not only have they stepped up often in ways that aren't attracting attention, you know, there's a lot of Danish help for Ukraine and the regions have been really important.

There's a lot of smaller countries have played an important role.

But you've also had, I think, especially since the U.S.

election last year, I think there's been a real transformation in European understanding.

You know, so the...

You know, of course, everybody's natural instinct is to say, you know, the war is far away.

It doesn't touch us.

You know, and everybody prefers the status, safe status quo to involvement in some kind of unknown project.

And I think you are finally beginning to see, especially in Germany, which is important because it's the largest European country, biggest economy, you're seeing a real transformation.

Like, okay, we get it.

The post-1989 era is over.

And the automatic assumption that the U.S.

will see the world the same way we do and shares our values is also over.

And maybe we'll work with the Americans again in some way.

I mean, nobody's writing them off altogether, but we're in a different era.

And you can see that beginning to affect European politics in a lot of ways, especially in Germany, but also in other places.

And you see

investments going into the defense industry, new thinking about strategy, new kinds of relationships.

I mean, a lot of things are changing.

It's not ideal, mostly because Europe is not a federation.