We’ve seen Putin agreeing to the Minsk peace treaties while preparing for another big attack on Ukraine. We’ve seen the USA electing Trump and going batshit insane.

While Ukraine needed the time to prepare its defence and Trump delivered weapons for that.

German energy policy is recommitting to gas instead of renewables while Palantir is introduced to a federal state by the Green party and Germany still buys F-35.

The political alliances are more complex.

Putin needs an exorcist.

"blessed are the πραεῖς, for they shall inherit the earth"

πραεῖς = praeis = meek (closest English word. Not great imo) = Greek word that describes a person who has strength but restrains it. A strong man who yokes himself for the good of his community and for God. Someone capable of force, who is restrained by discipline against their own impulses.

True, but you also do run into a "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail" problem, especially as investing in the military inevitably empowers people who absolutely would like a war to break out. Doubly so for countries with long histories of imperialism (cough cough France cough). It's also not like Russia is a conventional military threat; if their performance in Ukraine is any indication present European militaries should be more than enough to wipe the floor with them. He's also 100% true about military spending taking away funding from worthier causes, and while this isn't caused by a lack of funds per se (if European countries wanted to they could always tax their ultra-rich) with rising austerity you do get a situation where money is being taken away from social welfare and put into the pockets of the defense industry. It's not nearly that simple on either side, but there are plenty of valid reasons to oppose militarization. If European countries want to defend themselves they should give more money and weapons to Ukraine, or invest in renewables to cut down on Russian gas, or do any of the hundreds of things they could be doing before selling their souls to the military-industrial complex devil.

Yup. I'm all in favor of militant pacifism (and taxing the rich). It's crucial for maintaining peace in today's world. Look dangerous, be dangerous, but only use this power to defend yourself and others from aggression.

Does it depend on your location?

www.reuters.com

Pope Leo decries European military spending as 'betrayal' of diplomacy

Joshua McElwee

3 minutes

Summary

Pope Leo says rearmament fuels insecurity, not defenceLeo says arms buildup betrays diplomacy, aids elitesPontiff warns against use of AI in warfare

ROME, May 14 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Thursday decried rising European military spending, which grew ‌last year by the highest amount since the end of the Cold War amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it was a betrayal of diplomacy.

Leo, who has drawn ​Trump's ire in recent weeks after criticizing the Iran war, told university students ​in Rome that they should not refer to such rearmament as ⁠defence spending, adding that the world was being "maimed by wars".

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"Let us not ​call 'defence' a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and ​health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good," said the pontiff.

Military spending across the continent rose 14% in 2025 to $864 billion, according to ​the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and rearmament by ​European NATO members.

Trump has repeatedly chastised European allies to spend more on arms, and signed ‌an ⁠executive order in February that would re-prioritize the customer list for U.S. weapons in favour of countries with higher defence spending.

Pope Leo XIV speaks during a visit to Sapienza University of Rome, in Rome, Italy, May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

At Trump's urging, NATO in 2025 supported a new defence spending target of 5% of GDP for its members.

Leo has ​been speaking out against the ​direction of world ⁠leadership in recent weeks. On Thursday, he was addressing students at Rome's Sapienza University, the largest institution of higher ​learning in Europe.

The pope also warned about the use of ​artificial intelligence ⁠in warfare, citing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as showing "the inhumane evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of annihilation".

Leo ⁠urged ​the some 110,000 students at the university not ​to "close themselves within ideologies and national borders".

"Together with me and with many brothers and sisters, be artisans ​of true peace," the pope pleaded.

Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Edited by Crispian Balmer

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

It also works if your opponent cares about the opinions of other countries or possibly whatever amount of conscience is left at home. AFAIK that's how India gained its independence from Britain. Doesn't work with aggressive (wannabe-)conquerors like Russia, China or USA, though.

No army, but personal guards (the famous Swiss guards), and a police force. But being in the centre of Italy's capital, they don't need one - Italy would need to be conquered first, which it won't.

I don't think the Vatikan's forces can really be called an "army", they're about large enough to quell a medium-sized riot.