What Will It Take To Re-Militarize The West?

TigerHawk asks this question. He wants answers. Here is mine.

The motives and decisions of America and Europe differ. Right now, they are lumped together as "the West". I think it would be wrong to assume that America and "Old" Europe would be on the same side should they re-militarize. In fact, I'm quite certain that Europe itself can no longer be considered cohesive.

As Spain, France, The Netherlands, and Germany, to a lesser extent have demonstrated, they have gone a long way to appease the Muslim population. Is it possible that they ally with their economic partners (remember all the French equipment in Iraq?) in the Middle East and Persia to eradicate the "problem" Middle East conflict in the name of "fairness" and "respect"?

Will the terrorists cross some imaginary psychological line and then Europe remilitarizes and fights back? I've considered this possibility, too. I don't know. There is an amazing amount of good will toward those who would destroy civilization because a good chunk of Europe enjoys the U.S. and Britain being on the receiving end for once. Pure jealousy and post-WWII resentment, in my book, but a motive to sit by until a fire is literally lit within their zip-code.

For the U.S., I worry that physical distance and prosperity have made this country fat, happy and uninterested in making the really hard decisions. Mandatory military training would be one solution. Man, are we soft.

The problem, here, too, is that nearly 50% of our country believes that no true threat exists. The threat is in and all around, but because people don't want to see it, it doesn't exist. And yet, it does. If past actions are any prediction of future events, the U.S. would have to experience a cataclysmic aggressive attack--on civilians. With so many Americans possessing utter contempt for "war" and those who fight, only an innocent person, make that city of innocent people, lost would ignite righteous anger.

Bleak. Bottom line? The only countries very seriously addressing Islamofascism are the ones who have suffered oppression--Poland, for example. Otherwise, the war is going to have to get a whole lot more personal before the general populace of either the U.S. or Europe gets motivated to militarize.

WWIII is either here now, or coming soon. The question is one of preparation or waiting, as usual, until our feet are in the fire.