And we are already talking about rearming ourselves.

It might seem that Pedro Sánchez has resolved the historic dilemma of guns or butter, because he has promised his government partner Yolanda Díaz that defence spending can be increased without reducing social spending. We are waiting for him to explain how he intends to do it, just as we are waiting for the EU to explain how it intends to finance the eight hundred billion euros of the defence plan presented by Ursula von der Leyen.

Beginning to rearm is not the only problem with the plan, because one is never fully rearmed and the arms race is unstoppable. And let's not even talk about if the idea is for Europe to dissuade Russia. We saw this last week, when Macron offered the French "nuclear umbrella" in Europe and Putin took less than five minutes to remind him of Napoleon's defeat in 1812. If we have to measure ourselves in nuclear weapons, we don't have the cards, as Trump would say.

Reality is rapidly pushing us into uncharted territory, because the consequences of an arms race are many and serious. We are not having the usual discussion about budgetary priorities, but rather we are talking about armies and therefore about war, with long and profound political, social and psychological implications. To whom will we give the new weapons? Is it a question of grouping the European armies into a single multinational force or of creating a European army? Armies made up of which troops? With our children, men and women? Will we return to the days of mandatory military service as a preventive measure or are we entering into a new cyber cold war?

I don't think anyone knows for sure, but just in case, we're back to the Romans: if you want peace, prepare for war. What a shame that we have to talk in these terms again.