The war in Ukraine and North Korea’s threat to the West are likely to contribute to a significant increase in military spending, according to an expert from the Raoul-Dandurand Chair.
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In addition to adapting a law authorizing it to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike, North Korea recently fired several ballistic missiles, including one that flew over the skies of Japan. The current situation risks leading to an escalation, warned Guillaume Lavoie of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair, Sunday, during an interview with LCN.
“There are still heads of state who see the world through the use of force first,” he said. North Korea is a caricatural example, but with all that is happening in Ukraine, you can imagine that for at least the next decade, no one will oppose on a matter of principle the increase in military budgets, the strengthening military alliances.
On the subject of the war in Ukraine, the expert perceives the recent explosion of the Crimean bridge – an infrastructure linking Russia to this annexed peninsula – as a gesture of retaliation against Vladimir Putin on the part of the Ukrainians. The head of state of Russia finds himself in a bad position, according to him.
“It would be difficult to come to any other conclusion,” said Guillaume Lavoie. Crimea is a peninsula connected by land to Ukraine, but not to Russia. The famous bridge was part of Vladimir Putin’s personal commitments.
“It’s not just an ordinary bridge,” he recalled. It is the brick and concrete signature of Vladimir Putin and his authority. It’s a symbol that hurts a lot. From a military point of view, it is a very important supply route in the current context.”