> Since WW2, all those former world-power countries in western Europe have lived in peace with one another, not because they built weapons for mutually assured

> Since WW2, all those former world-power countries in western Europe have lived in peace with one another, not because they built weapons for mutually assured destruction, but because they built economic interdependence and mutual understanding. Yes, and people thought this would work with Russia too, hence Nordstream and other trade. Turns out, only more military power would've stopped Putin from invading. Economic interdependence can certainly be a good thing, but it's not all-powerful. Sometimes the answer really is having enough military power to deter your enemies. Democracies generally don't invade other democracies, but not every place is a democracy.