German public will not support NATO, but the United States will

The results of this recent survey must have made Vladimir Putin very happy indeed:

A survey published by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday showed that the majority of Germans would be against their country using military means to defend a Nato ally against Russian aggression. Despite the notion that an attack on one is an attack on all being enshrined as Clause 5 in the Nato Charter, 58 percent of Germans said they would be against helping a Nato member on the border with Russia militarily.Only 38 percent of Germans said they would agree with the triggering of clause 5 under such circumstances.

Fortunately for the people of Estonia, Latvia and Poland the majority of Americans (and Canadians) DO support NATO and Clause 5.  And the United States is prepared to show its support not just with words:

In a significant move to deter possible Russian aggression in Europe, the Pentagon is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries, American and allied officials say.[...]It would be the most prominent of a series of moves the United States and NATO have taken to bolster forces in the region and send a clear message of resolve to allies and to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, that the United States would defend the alliance’s members closest to the Russian frontier.

This move by the US was condemned by many on the Left as a "provocation"; among the critics are Sahra Wagenknecht, Putin's representative in the Bundestag, and Jakob "Appease Putin Now!" Augstein, columnist for Der Spiegel.  Still, there were a few brave souls, such as Clemens Wergin, who dared to express appreciation for the US acting against Russian aggression in the region:  

Europa hat es sich komfortabel eingerichtet mit seiner verfrühten Friedensdividende und seinem latenten Antiamerikanismus. Doch die Wahrheit ist, dass Europa ohne Amerika als Sicherheitsgarant nicht in der Lage ist, Russlands imperialen Gelüsten glaubhaft die Stirn zu bieten.

 ("Europe feels good about itself with its premature peace dividend and its latent Antiamericanism. But the reality is that without America's guaranty of security Europe would hardly be in the position to counter Russia's imperial designs.") 

Comments

[Zyme]

The US and Canada have an easier time at staying staunch against Russia as they don't live in its vincinity.
We Europeans have to come to terms with Russia however, one way or another.

What about this proposal:

If
- we came to a gentleman's agreement with Russia concerning our sphere of influence and their's combined with
- significant defense spending increase in Germany and a few surrounding states
- which incorporate their forces under "European" command
it might suffice?

Germany could never keep a sphere of influence the size of the EU today with military means for long. Maybe should simply be content with what has been achieved and further its integration instead of additional enlargements in the next 2-3 decades.

The Ukraine would represent the border of both spheres of influence and might eventually be broken up in two. Otherwise, peace would return?

[koogleschreiber]

Zyme, it would always be a foolish agreement for one or the other side,aslong as you can't determine what you definitely mean with influence and its limits. What really counts are the spheres of responsibility and of interests, both of the are military terms. The sphere of responsibility is where you have boots on the ground, the sphere of interests is the playground of your reconnaissance. These spheres exist on all tactical and strategic levels. Before this background, you can't claim mutual responsibility in military treaty like NATO unless you are willing to deploy troops where ever it is necessary. That's the way we Europeans already have come to terms with the Soviet Union and there is no other way to deal with Russia as well.

[David]

Russia could have chosen to become part of the West and join the community of democracies. It chose not to.

I don't see why Russia should be allowed to redraw the boundaries of a European nation - the Ukraine - through military force.

[Zyme]

"I don't see why Russia should be allowed to redraw the boundaries of a European nation - the Ukraine - through military force."

Always look at the bright side: Compare Ukraine to the realm Moscow controlled only 25 years ago?
Now they have to struggle to keep their neighbours in line, which indicates tremendous progress from a German perspective.

Koogleschreiber, if two ideologies as far away from each other as they were in 1939 could come to an agreement, so can we today.