The future of Europe may very well be determined in large part by NATO’s reaction to the invasion of Ukraine. Less than two weeks into Vladimir Putin’s war, the evidence strongly suggests the alliance is pulling together.
At the center of that story is Europe’s largest economy, Germany, and its sudden and remarkable decision to double down on its place within NATO — in a way that seemed impossible even a month ago.
On the eve of war, history suggested that Germany would seek to moderate any NATO reaction to Russian aggression, as it had to Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008, Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the continued fighting in eastern Ukraine.
