The EU is not a hegemonic state, but rather an economic supranational organization. France/Germany tend to be primary proponents of increased EU strategic autonomy, while Poland/Czech/Baltic states are less supportive.
Similar to recent discussions of self-hosting, it's a tradeoff of autonomy/control vs efficiency.
> The EU is not a hegemonic state, but rather an economic supranational organization. France/Germany tend to be primary proponents of increased EU strategic autonomy, while Poland/Czech/Baltic states are less supportive.
Well obviously, these states know how bad the Russians are since they were terrorised by them for decades. They'll be the first on the chopping block. And they know that Europe does not have much deterrent of its own right now so they're screwed without the US. Though this will come.
The EU has nuclear weapons, which is the ultimate deterrent
Germany isn't doing this as much anymore, because Germany Inc has become increasingly dependent on their investments within the US [0], especially after the triple whammy of the Biden-era IRA [1], the sanctions on Russia sparking a domestic energy crisis [2], and Chinese players outcompeting German industry in China [3].
This can be seen with Germany purchasing American weapons for Ukraine over French objections [4]
[0] - https://flow.db.com/more/macro-and-markets/us-german-trade-r...
[1] - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-14/german-go...
[2] - https://oec.world/en/blog/bavarias-dependency-on-russian-gas...
[3] - https://www.reuters.com/business/majority-german-firms-feel-...
[4] - https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-donald-trump-weapons-...