Posted on 03/08/2025 2:51:46 PM PST by ransomnote
SNIP
President Donald Trump’s public animosity towards Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, his willingness to embrace Russia’s Vladimir Putin and recent comments casting doubt over whether he would defend NATO allies “if they don’t pay” have all forced European leaders to start thinking the previously unthinkable - is the US a reliable security partner at a time when the continent is being rocked by its biggest war since the 1940s?
But NATO without the US is far from impotent, with more than a million troops and modern weaponry at its disposal from the 31 other countries in the alliance. It also has the wealth and technological knowhow to defend itself without the US, analysts say.
The US and Germany are the biggest contributors to NATO’s military budget, civil budget and security investment program, at almost 16% each, followed by the UK at 11% and France at 10%, a NATO fact sheet says. Analysts say it wouldn’t take much for Europe to make up for the loss of Washington’s contribution.
If European countries unite and buy the right equipment, Europe “could pose a serious conventional and … nuclear deterrent” to Russia, Ben Schreer, Europe executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said in a Zoom call with CNN and other journalists in late February.
SNIP
Some people in European circles are starting to ask whether Washington should be described “in some ways as an enemy,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
NATO is the United States. These countries don’t help us
“But NATO without the US is far from impotent”
So what’s the problem then?
Perhaps you missed their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What?
No.
The US is NATO in reality.
Long term, internal squabbling and the French wanting NATO dead anyhow (competes with what they see as their power base) will end this organization unless we keep it alive...
Short term, yes. Long term, not a chance.
Who cares? Not our continent, not our concern.
They’ll miss our money.
NATO countries helped us in those two conflicts. Did you not know this?
Bingo.
Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO helped the US? What was it they helped us do, in particular?
NATO’s help to the US has always been just a show, it has not been logistically nor militarily significant. The help was a token of “solidarity.” Even the intelligence is so dependent on American assets that NATOs arm is effectively blind if the US pulls out.
NATO is the US, it is our money, our assets and our military.
Once the US pulls out the ill maintained, poorly trained and underfunded troops / assets will be an embarrassment to Europe.
That was a different Europe.
Europeans today throw paint on Van Goghs because Europeans won't stop driving cars. They've handed their entire energy policy over to a petulant teenage girl.
Are we to believe that Europe today is going to massively raise taxes while drastically cutting their social safety net programs and totally abandon their Net Zero climate agenda to start cranking tanks out of factories?
Europe could double their military production and they'd still be lagging far behind the United States in capabilities. And in order to even do this, they'd have to come together in unity and agree to basically do a complete 180 on their social and climate priorities.
The European nations are in a much better place politically and culturally than the United States is—it’s time for them to become the “leaders of the free world” for a while.
Who cares if NATO survives? Only the countries who haven’t paid their fair share all along.
seems like just yesterday that the Old World was asking the New World to come to their rescue.
Completely wrong question to ask. The correct question to ask is: What is wrong with an international alliance of governments whereby the withdrawal of any single government would undermine the stability of the entire alliance? If NATO is inherently so vulnerable then how the heck can it be expected to apply its forces when war theatre becomes REALLY critical?
As a social club it will be just fine.
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