Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Can NATO survive without the United States?
CNN ^ | March 7, 2025 | Brad Lendon

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 ...


TOPICS: Local News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: cnnfakenews; eussr; fakenews; fourthreich; nato; notmiscellaneous; tds
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-48 next last
This reads like NATO nations are cryin' in their beer, swearing they've got big plans, BIG PLANS and they'll show the US how BIG they are.
1 posted on 03/08/2025 2:51:46 PM PST by ransomnote
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

NATO is the United States. These countries don’t help us


2 posted on 03/08/2025 2:55:37 PM PST by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

“But NATO without the US is far from impotent”

So what’s the problem then?


3 posted on 03/08/2025 2:56:23 PM PST by ClaytonForester
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stanne
NATO is the United States. These countries don’t help us

Perhaps you missed their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

4 posted on 03/08/2025 2:57:19 PM PST by Petrosius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius

What?


5 posted on 03/08/2025 3:00:00 PM PST by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

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.


6 posted on 03/08/2025 3:01:03 PM PST by Red6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

Who cares? Not our continent, not our concern.


7 posted on 03/08/2025 3:01:10 PM PST by AlaskaErik (There are three kinds of rats: Rats, Damned Rats, and DemocRats.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

They’ll miss our money.


8 posted on 03/08/2025 3:02:06 PM PST by READINABLUESTATE (‘Never trust a man whose uncle was eaten by cannibals’)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stanne

NATO countries helped us in those two conflicts. Did you not know this?


9 posted on 03/08/2025 3:02:34 PM PST by Petrosius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: READINABLUESTATE

Bingo.


10 posted on 03/08/2025 3:03:39 PM PST by Fungi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius

Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO helped the US? What was it they helped us do, in particular?


11 posted on 03/08/2025 3:08:01 PM PST by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius

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.


12 posted on 03/08/2025 3:11:34 PM PST by Skwor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: stanne

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.


13 posted on 03/08/2025 3:13:12 PM PST by Skwor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote
Can NATO survive without the United States?

Not sure I can come up with a reason to care if it does.


14 posted on 03/08/2025 3:15:02 PM PST by larrytown (A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Then they graduate...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius
Perhaps you missed their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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.

15 posted on 03/08/2025 3:18:45 PM PST by Drew68 (I haven’t seen the Democrats this mad since yesterday. Save some tears for tomorrow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ClaytonForester

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.


16 posted on 03/08/2025 3:26:58 PM PST by PoeToaster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

Who cares if NATO survives? Only the countries who haven’t paid their fair share all along.


17 posted on 03/08/2025 3:27:43 PM PST by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

seems like just yesterday that the Old World was asking the New World to come to their rescue.


18 posted on 03/08/2025 3:30:55 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

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?


19 posted on 03/08/2025 3:34:57 PM PST by know.your.why
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ransomnote

As a social club it will be just fine.


20 posted on 03/08/2025 3:35:36 PM PST by SaxxonWoods (The road is a dangerous place man, you can die out anhere...or worse. -Johnny Paycheck )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-48 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson