Gravitas Seems Missing From Much of Western Diplomacy — and Policy — as Foes Pursue an Ambitious Agenda

As war clouds scud, Germany legalizes cannabis.

Serhat Kocak/dpa via AP
The German health minister, Karl Lauterbach, during the debate in the Bundestag on legalizing cannabis, February 23, 2024. Serhat Kocak/dpa via AP

In his recent address to the nation, President Putin invoked the specter of nuclear war. Any attempts by North Atlantic Treaty nations to send troops to Ukraine risk “a conflict with nuclear weapons and the end of civilization.” Communist China’s latest government report omits the word “peace” in reference to Free China. Meanwhile, Germany has legalized cannabis. Despite the threats, political gravity seems missing across much of the West.

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