The world in the past year has come too close to the brink of serious armed conflicts. This is stated in the report of the chairman of the Munich international conference on security issues, Wolfgang Ischinger, promulgated on the eve of the next annual conference, which opens in the Bavarian capital on February 16.

As examples, Ischinger pointed to the continuing threats between the US and the DPRK to use weapons, the growing rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as the continuing high level of tension in NATO's relations with Russia.

Ischinger also states that the US under President Donald Trampe is giving up the role of guarantor of international security, demonstrating a lack of interest in strengthening regional and global institutions that establish rules for international relations.

The United States abandoned a policy based on common values, and takes into account common interests only in individual cases. The German diplomat notes that this is evidenced by a sharp decline in US interest in diplomacy: the US Department of State's budget is greatly reduced, while military spending continues to grow.

The report cites the words of the American foreign policy expert John Eikenberry, who stated that "the most powerful country in the world began to sabotage the order that itself created".

For Europeans, this means that they will have to take more care of their own security than before, says Ischinger. In this regard, he recalls the words of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that the Europeans have come "truly to take their destiny into their own hands".

In fact, this means that Europeans will have to spend more money on their own defense.

The report notes that if the EU and Norway increase military spending to 2 percent of GDP, as it really is, then by 2024 defense spending will grow by 50 percent - to $ 386 billion.

Ischinger's report indicates that this will undoubtedly make European troops more powerful, but for real effectiveness they will have to fill the gaps in coordination and digital systems. Meanwhile, only the elimination of these gaps will require additional financial resources. The report also indicates the need to consolidate the highly fragmented defense industry in the EU.

Source: DW.