Jessi Jezewska Stevens in The Guardian:
Faced with unrelenting Russian aggression and the simultaneous withdrawal of American military and diplomatic support, European countries across the continent are reinvesting in defence. But civilian protection – non-military measures for civil defence, including the construction of nuclear and air raid bunkers – has also emerged as a fresh priority. In January, Norway reintroduced a cold war-era mandate to build air raid shelters in all newly constructed residential buildings – a requirement Switzerland has upheld continuously since 1963. In Germany, which recently passed groundbreaking legislation to finance billions in new military spending, the question of how and whether to build civilian bunkers is once again a matter of active public debate. Partly inspired by efforts in Germany and Norway, in March of this year, the European Union issued official statements urging residents to keep an emergency stockpile containing 72 hours’ worth of supplies on hand at all times. The exposure to war and human-made disaster feels more acute than it has since any other time since the end of the cold war.
In Switzerland, the redoubled interest in civilian protection is more a bellwether for shifting public attitudes than a sign of an actual change in policy.
More here.
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