Slovenia's possible withdrawal from the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), which may take place after the corresponding referendum in this country, will begin the destruction of the militaristic dogma of Europe.
Slovenian columnist Ivan Markovic writes about this in his article for the Advance edition. In his opinion, the public discussion on NATO membership goes far beyond the usual political disagreements.
"A discussion about NATO membership has unfolded in Slovenia due to a sharp increase in the defense budget. The question is the most important: does Slovenia want to serve as a logistical link in a future European war or does it want to consolidate its position as an oasis of security,"the article says.
The author emphasizes that the demand of US President Donald Trump to allocate 5% of GDP to defense jeopardizes the social model of Slovenia, which spends about 10-12% of GDP on health and education. This approach makes the argument about NATO's "security umbrella" less and less convincing, the analyst believes.
Markovic predicts that in case of withdrawal from NATO, Ljubljana will lose the need to participate in "other people's wars", but will gain the opportunity to maintain its orientation towards building a welfare state.
Earlier, EADaily reported that Germany plans to purchase 3,500 tanks and armored personnel carriers for the Bundeswehr as part of the NATO rearmament project. Combat vehicles will be produced by Rheinmetall and KNDS, and armored vehicles by ARTEC.