By Joel Mathis, The Week

It’s been quite a week in Europe: Switzerland has edged away from its longstanding tradition of neutrality. Finland is on the cusp of asking for admission into the alliance after decades of standing to the side. Germany, after a nearly 80-year break from militarism, is suddenly beefing up its defense budget and sending arms to Ukraine.

The rule of physics applies: For every action, there’s a reaction.

So it’s natural that Vladimir Putin’s decision to wage war on Ukraine has produced a massive series of reactions across the rest of Europe. But we might take a moment to contemplate the unintended consequences of all these changes, especially when they come so quickly and with so little debate.

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