It is easy to see the social structure a Europe being stressed as fund which previously supported a superior life-style for the common man to used to arm their respective countries - as well as those who see that life-style evaporating demonstrating to hold their grip on it.

Maybe. But it's important to keep a sense of proportion about it. Most European nations currently have government spending a bit north of 40% of GDP. More also have military spending at between 1.5% and 2.0% of GDP, give or take. The U.S. has about 3.4% of GDP spent on the military. We're talking about a point or two of GDP, which itself will only be few points of their overall budgets.

So while moving a point or two of GDP away from butter and into guns isn't nothing - and it's probably a lot of money in absolute terms - it isn't likely to "end Europe's welfare state." To be sure, it will require some difficult choices, and will stress some aspects of their welfare state. Perhaps that inspires some bigger changes... but the magnitude of remilitarizing shouldn't be large enough to itself force Europe to actually end their welfare programs.

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