Posted on 12/02/2022 8:00:07 AM PST by BenLurkin
“ Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin has called for Europe to build its own defence capabilities in the wake of the war in Ukraine, saying that without US help it is not resilient enough.…”
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Can’t argue with that. That was the policy that Trump was trying to institute despite considerable foot dragging by the Globalist class.
They should start NOW. And the US should NOT take actions to make that transition difficult or impossible. An example of such counterproductive action would be BOMBING EUROPEAN PIPELINES to limit their independent options.
Most of the funds for our aid never leave the USA. Instead the funds are held in trust accounts in New York City banks and the funds are typically paid out to US suppliers of arms and etc. who then ship the products abroad.
This is part of why the FTX scandal is so important. The funds diverted to FTX were designated for Ukrainian assistance and instead the New York bankers laundered the money through FTX in order to provide donations/graft to the Democrats.
Europe is our bitch! It has no one to blame but itself for cutting off relations with Russia and its cheap oil, gas and other commodities.
Unless Europe is forced to grow up and take responsibility, they never will.
Eurowelfare merely perpetuates their dependence.
We subsidize their social spending and Euroweeniness.
“Most of the funds for our aid never leave the USA. Instead the funds are held in trust accounts in New York City banks and the funds are typically paid out to US suppliers of arms and etc. who then ship the products abroad.”
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That is a common perception however the reality is far more complex. I think you are referring to US foreign military assistance but there is a lot of direct funding for NATO. We pay substantial amounts for what is known as “NATO common funding” which includes such things as the costs of some operations, training and exercises, joint facilities, NATO headquarters and staff. There are also a lot more hidden costs related to various defense programs.
Its all very complicated and opaque, which of course is just the way the bureaucrats want it to be so as to avoid accountability.
Our CIC and later President clearly stated- NATO is for only 10 years and the end. Why are we blowing money all over this world. We had one man in my MACVSOG unit who was French. Christian Girard had been the French foreign legion. I was at his memorial. He darn sure was highly respected by my CCS pals. Biden is pure trash. Anyone who thinks Milley is a leader is a joke.
And Biden blows 43-45 bucks per lobster. This punk lives high on the hog while many wish for just anything to eat. I feel sorry for the homeless, not the freeloaders like BIDEN.
Just the opposite, if you mean she is begging the U.S. for money. She is saying that European countries must fund their own defense. And Finland already spends more on defense than most NATO countries. Her comments on Europe mirror what Presidents Trump and Reagan have said.
Disband NATO for peace.
I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about her stance and politics, or equate it with Reagan's, as an example.
Her party, the SDP, "...is Finland's oldest active political party and has a close relationship with the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions. It is also a member of the Party of European Socialists, Progressive Alliance, Socialist International and SAMAK."
She has been in politics since she was twenty, so a career politician as are so many these days....
Regards.
Agreed. And most likely "on the take" in ways as yet to be revealed, based on that which has already been revealed.
So you’re saying that Finland, a country with an 800 mile long border with Russia, joining NATO won’t cost us a dime? Do you think Finland will be paying entirely for its own defense?
You are getting side tracked. You are digressing. My disagreement with your post was your almost willful misinterpretation of her remarks to mean almost the exact opposite of what she said.
But to answer your point about whether Finland joining NATO will cost us “a dime”: Are you completely without strategic or tactical insight? If Finland joining NATO brought in new potential enemies, there might be some balancing or trades to consider. Since it does not, it adds one more ally to our side. That 800 mile border is a bigger problem for the “main enemy”. Where Russia might have thinly held or defended it previously in the event of war against NATO now it is an enormous strategic vulnerability. Finland joining NATO unequivocally acts very much to strengthen NATO militarily and weaken Russia. It would be hard to think of a worse result for Russia and a better result for NATO.
No. The message is that European countries need to be more grateful to the USA
Let them pray to their pagan gods for help, or just ask the great Klaus Slob. He has all the answers. America has it’s own problems.
For decades freepers and other conservatives have called for Europe to increase military budgets and pay for their own defense. We cheered when Trump called them out. But some here are no longer interested in European NATO members paying their own way. The new talking point is that NATO are the bad guys. WE are the bad guys. There is a strong correlation among these folks with the QAnon/Pro Russia crowd.
A Common European Army is a great thing for the USA, as it allows Europe to take care of their own back yard. Had they funded it over the past 30 years, we wouldn't be where we are now.
I agree. We have a very strong anti-American component on Free Republic these days.
Your response was truly amazing. You accuse me of side tracking and digressing YET you go off on a tangent that completely avoids addressing the financial question of what this new burden is going to cost us. Your quote: “But to answer your point about whether Finland joining NATO will cost us “a dime”: Are you completely without strategic or tactical insight?”
So you’re saying you’re answering my point about cost but then go on to talk about everything but cost.
Notwithstanding the PM’s avoidance of the issue, this sudden “overnight” change in the priority of most Finns will definitely have a cost. And you can be 100% certain that Uncle Sam will be getting a portion of the bill.
Per the PM, the priority of most Finns changed “overnight”. It seems they want to get on a train that has already left the station. And they will soon be wanting someone else to help them pay for the ticket.
It would have been nice to hear her say that America has already done far more than its share to defend Europe.
Europeans get their welfare, plenty of Americans get rich. It’s a win-win!
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