Stay vigilant! The new European war rhetoric

By Hermann Selchow

Stay Vigilant! – The New War Rhetoric in Europe

How Enemy Images Emerge, Who Benefits from Them – and How We Can Maintain the Path to Peace

In a time of geopolitical tensions and ongoing media crises, a dangerous language dominates our political landscape: war rhetoric. But how do these narratives emerge? Who constructs enemy images – and for what interest? "Stay Vigilant!" takes you on a well-founded, unsparing analysis of current political communication in Europe and reveals the economic and strategic forces behind the EU's aggressive course.

- Who are the real beneficiaries of war rhetoric?
- What role do the media, business, and transatlantic networks play?
- How do fear and propaganda influence our perceptions?
- Why are some people more susceptible to these narratives than others?
- What alternatives are there for a more peaceful, diplomatic future?

This book combines political science analysis with gripping storytelling and not only reveals the mechanisms behind the current escalatory rhetoric, but also offers solutions: How can Europe return to a policy of dialogue, diplomacy, and cooperation? And what role can we as citizens play in this?

For all those who want to understand the world behind the headlines and not be guided by simple enemy images.

Read now and join the conversation – because peace begins with knowledge!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hermann Selchow
• Release date: Apr 5, 2025
• ISBN: 9798230477402

Hermann Selchow

Hermann Selchow wuchs in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern auf. Bereits in seiner Jugend unternahm er erste Gehversuche im Schreiben und veröffentlichte in einigen Magazinen. Er arbeitete am Staatstheater Schwerin. Danach machte er sich artfremd selbstständig. Seit 2021 befindet er sich im (Un)Ruhestand und ab dem Jahr 2023 publiziert er Werke zu aktuellen gesellschaftlichen und politischen Themen. Selchow lebt in der Nähe von Hamburg. ========================================== Hermann Selchow grew up in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He began writing as a young adult and published his work in several magazines. He worked at the Schwerin State Theater. He then went freelance. He has been in (or not in) retirement since 2021, and since 2023 he has been publishing works on current social and political issues. Selchow lives near Hamburg.

Book preview

Introduction

Europe has long prided itself on its peaceful integration and the overcoming of historical hostilities. But a closer look at current political debates, media coverage, and foreign policy strategies reveals a deep-rooted war rhetoric that is re-emerging despite the diplomatic facade. This language not only serves to justify military interventions but also influences public consciousness and shapes the image of friends and enemies.

During the Cold War, terms like the Iron Curtain and the communist threat dominated Western perceptions. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, one might have expected Europe to usher in a long era of peaceful rhetoric. Instead, the narratives simply shifted—from fear of communism to the threat of terrorism, Russia, or other geopolitical rivals. The language became warlike again, albeit more subtly and cloaked in modern terms.

The media plays a central role in this. Reporting on conflicts is rarely neutral – it often follows a predetermined agenda that portrays certain actors as aggressors or defenders. Terms like humanitarian intervention, preventive defense, or stabilization operations are euphemisms that make military actions appear less harmful than they actually are.

For several years, politicians have deliberately used language to create a readiness for war among the population. Enemy images are constructed or exaggerated by portraying states or political movements as existential threats. This steers public opinion in a direction intended to legitimize military action.

The language of war has increasingly crept back into our everyday lives. Phrases like strengthening defense readiness, war capability, strategic autonomy, and deterrent potential are no longer limited to specialist security policy literature but have found their way into the morning reading of millions of Europeans.

Stay Vigilant! is not a polemic. Nor is it a plea for naive pacifism. Rather, this book is intended as a wake-up call for critical reflection on the way we in Europe talk about security, conflict, and international relations. The language we use is no longer characterized by neutrality. It shapes our thinking, influences our perceptions, and prepares the ground for political action.

History has taught us that words often precede weapons. Before borders are crossed by tanks, they are redrawn in people's minds. Before bombs fall, enemy images are constructed. The rhetoric of hostility, demarcation, and incompatibility paves the way for the logic of war. Europe, a continent that experienced and caused the most devastating conflicts in human history in the 20th century, developed a political culture after 1945 that emphasized reconciliation, dialogue, and integration. This culture was reflected in a language that emphasized common ground and sought compromise.

In recent years, however, we have observed an increasing militarization of our language and our thinking. This change isn't taking place in a vacuum. It is embedded in profound geopolitical shifts, in the erosion of international order structures, in a growing sense of insecurity. The new war rhetoric is a symptom of these changes – but it also reinforces them and can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if we don't all remain vigilant.

I find the historical dimension of current developments in the world particularly fascinating. On the one hand, the parallels to earlier periods of European history are striking – on the other, the differences are at least as revealing. Especially in Germany, where the memory of two world wars is deeply anchored in the collective memory, the rhetorical change is taking place more rapidly and aggressively than in other parts of Europe.

With this book, I don't aim to promote a particular security policy position. Rather, I want to open up a space for a more conscious engagement with our language and the worldviews it conveys. Readers of this book are invited to listen and look more closely – to the words chosen by politicians, experts, and the media, but also to their own linguistic habits.

The following chapters offer a glimpse into the expanding landscapes of European war rhetoric. We will examine how language has changed within the European Union, the role the media plays in disseminating and normalizing certain language patterns, and how public opinion is changing under the influence of this rhetoric.

I will pay particular attention to the narratives and language forms that make it possible to talk about war preparations without following the logic of peacekeeping and diplomacy. Because it exists: the language of cooperation, of common security, of preventive diplomacy. It is not a naive utopia, but has repeatedly demonstrated practical effectiveness throughout European history.

This book arose from a deep concern for the future of Europe – but also from the conviction that we as citizens are not powerless against the currents of our times. By becoming aware of the power of language, we regain some of that power. Critical thinking begins with critical listening and reading.

Stay Vigilant! is therefore more than a book title – it is a call for intellectual vigilance in times when thinking in black-and-white categories is regaining ground. It is an invitation to stand firm against the complexity of the world and to distrust simple explanations. And it is a plea to recognize language for what it is: not just a mirror of reality, but a powerful but not insurmountable tool for shaping it.

I thank everyone who accompanied and supported me on the path to this book – the interlocutors who shared their knowledge with me and, above all, the critical readers of my previously published books. Special thanks go to those voices in politics, academia, and civil society who tirelessly advocate for a nuanced security debate—recently, once again against the tide of the times. May this book contribute to more conscious, reflective communication about this reemerging challenge in our time. Because the way we think and speak about the world will help determine the world we will live in.

Hermann Selchow

The language of war and the phase of rapprochement

After the end of the Cold War, the world seemed to be at a historic turning point. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the reunification of Germany in 1990, a new era of international relations ushered in. Instead of confrontation between East and West, the focus was suddenly on partnership, economic cooperation, and a common security architecture. The war rhetoric of the previous decades gave way – at least superficially – to a new, hopeful discourse of understanding.

Europe, in particular, played a crucial role in this development. The European Union expanded eastward, former Eastern Bloc states joined NATO and later the EU, and in Russia itself, reform politicians attempted to lead the country toward democracy and a market economy. A key phase of this rapprochement was the late 1990s to the early 2000s – a time in which Vladimir Putin, as the new Russian president, also embarked on a diplomatic offensive.

On September 25, 2001, Vladimir Putin delivered a historic speech to the German Bundestag – in German. It was the first and so far only time a Russian head of state received this privilege. The context of the speech was remarkable: just a few weeks earlier, the terrorist attacks of September 11 had shaken the geopolitical landscape. The world faced new uncertainties, and Putin used this moment to encourage close cooperation between Russia and Europe.

His speech was characterized by reconciliation, respect, and the prospect of a shared future. He emphasized the historical ties between Russia and Germany and spoke of a movement toward unification in Europe that should not stop at Russia's borders. Russia, Putin said, wanted to be a reliable partner of the West and deepen its relations with the European Union.

Putin's words were met with broad approval. German politicians and media praised his speech as historic and groundbreaking. It seemed to embody the spirit of