Last May, I had the opportunity to interview one of today’s most renowned historians, Simon Sebag Montefiore, whose latest book «This World» covers human history up to the present day. When discussing our current troubles, Montefiore uses the term «comfort democracy», and in my opinion, it is a very apt characterization.
It is indeed convenient if you don’t have to go through mandatory military service because you can buy soldier services. And you don’t need aircraft because you can buy aircraft services. And it’s even more convenient if you don’t have to pay either, but can take out a loan and leave the payments to your children and grandchildren.
It is not easy to escape from such a comfort trap – in a democracy, the rule of the majority applies and it seems to suit the majority. Montefiore told me that the key question is whether leaders become braver and more honest, or whether we start choosing Donald Trump-type figures.
We have now been in NATO for 22 years. All this time we have used aircraft services. Initially it was inevitable, but later – because it’s more convenient and cheaper. Cheaper for us and cheaper for the aircraft service providers.
Between 2014 and 2024, Spain spent an average of one percent of GDP on defense. During the same period, Spain repeatedly participated in the air defense mission in Ämari, sent fighter jets here, and most recently also a medium-range air defense system. Whenever anyone in NATO started to criticize them, they could say: «But we are contributing to the defense of NATO’s eastern flank.»
