“The middle-income trap”. China chooses an aggressive expansion model to pave the way for future negotiations with the West

On January 22, 2024, NATO launched Operation Steadfast Defender, which will last until May 31, 2024. It is NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 90,000 troops. In January 2024, European defense leaders increasingly expressed growing concern about the possibility of Europe being drawn into a war.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sharply warned that an increasingly aggressive Russia under Vladimir Putin could attack the NATO alliance within a decade, and Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, emphasized the need for the West to prepare for a full-scale war with Russia within the next 20 years.

These statements by NATO military leaders are part of a broader strategic dialogue within the EU and its allies, reflecting a consensus on the need to strengthen the military preparedness of populations for the prospect of direct conflict with autocratic states.