A week ago some members of Norway's Royal Guard stationed at the Royal Palace in Oslo were publicly humiliated by a young man of North African origin with the video clip going viral on social media. The perpetrators had apparently prepared for this provocation in advance, as the second person in the duo videotaped and commented on what was happening. We see that the man was able to get quite close to three armed guards and started provoking them with fist punch movements. One of the guards, a woman, doesn't even interfere. Two well-built and obviously trained male guards try to stop the provocateur - unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, passersby in the square pretend that nothing out of the ordinary is happening. The bungling actions, ineptitude and subsequent ridicule of the two armed soldiers was finally ended by the action of a fourth apparently off-duty comrade in a T-shirt, who takes the attacker to the ground with a decisive movement and subdues him.
We could say that this is the end of the story, we have seen a well-constructed Internet gag. Unfortunately, this is a more complicated, if you like, sadder report on the state of our world in Europe today. You would think that the Norwegian Royal Guard is a serious organization based on its name alone. But it is clear that they cannot or rather do not dare to react with sufficient determination and professionalism to the action of the unarmed man of color. Only an off-duty member has the courage to take action legally and decisively. That's one out of four.
In Western countries recent public opinion polls seeking to find out whether people would be willing to defend their country with a weapon showed an approximately similar proportion. In other words, in the event of an external attack, barely a quarter of potential conscripts would take up arms in defense of their country. Unfortunately, it seems that the vast majority of people consider their country, a place of residence, and not a homeland. Of course, we know that German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck also feels sick to his stomach when he hears the word patriotism. He and people like him still get elected, so it is no wonder. It is even more telling that these left-liberal, dark-green politicians are at the same time the most committed supporters of the war waged against the Russians 'by means of' the Ukrainians. They do all this without, I suspect, having the faintest idea of what the armed services, the army, or indeed war is. After all, these politicians and their predecessors were the ones who purposefully reduced and disintegrated their armed forces during the past decades.
And at this point it doesn't matter whether we are talking about the German, Italian, Spanish, Belgian or Norwegian situation. Perhaps the picture is slightly more favorable for the French. Although the images of the recent street battles do not shed a very good light on the state of the French armed forces, either. However, with underfunded, limited personnel and armies with no real deterrent power and reserves behind them, it is not the wisest thing to engage in a Russia-Ukraine proxy war. Instead of the obvious distortions and frequent lies of Western and Ukrainian propaganda, they should face the tragic reality. If the leaders of the European Union and the politicians of the dominant states continue to not strive for peace or at least a ceasefire, then they are committing a serious crime. It is not enough that they have already emptied out the warehouses of their armies, which their military industry will need years to restock, but as a sad result of decades of propaganda, their citizens no longer feel their country is their homeland, at best, perhaps one in four feel differently.
A wave of leaves and separation began in the German army after the outbreak of the war. Because the Bundeswehr is still an OK place as a job, but no one wants to risk their lives anymore. Those who are still motivated are observed and checked. We see that within the German elite units almost every year, the military intelligence exposes internal groups said to be far-right. In the meantime, soldiers are being sensitized, gender propaganda is gaining ground, and the recruitment system is being heavily influenced by quotas. As a result, instead of soldiers, we see colorful, multicultural, sexually inclusive prima donnas in uniform who are unable to fulfill their real duties. I really don't know what these politicians think, who will protect them, their families, their country in case of a possible attack - which they are doing everything in their power to provoke.
Meanwhile, Europe is increasingly becoming a battlefield of secondary importance for the US. And that part of the world that could independently defend itself for at most a week or two should not want to be playing war games because they don't usually end according to the glossy ideas of the politicians. Building a real army instead of the current paper tigers is a decision that requires serious determination, for which there is currently not enough funds and it is also not enough to just manufacture modern weapons. For building a real army, people's thinking must also be put right. We need men and women willing to make sacrifices to serve and protect the homeland. This will take the most time, and this is where the left-liberal political leaders in Europe should take a new stance.
I'm afraid this latter will be the most difficult task because one out of four will not be enough for that, I'm telling you now. We Hungarians,too, still have a lot to do. Even if the situation is not as tragic as in the West, the effects of brainwashing are felt here as well, especially among young people. Our modern national defense can only fulfill its task if at least two out of four know what their duty is.
We need peace. But for this, in addition to the power of weapons, a large number of strong, smart, patriotic Hungarians will be needed.
The author is a security policy advisor at the Center for Fundamental Rights
Cover image: Illustration (Photo: Janos Meszaros)
