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It also is not necessarily what we provide to the GNP, but how much Germany would be left to do on its own, defensively, that probably contributes to the high percentage. They may have a very strong economy, but we provide the defenses for that economy. They would have to spend a lot more of the GNP (non-government, not that government creates instead of eats GNP), on national defense.

The Germans have a large economy, but not necessarily a strong one with double digit unemployment and low growth. Germany's problem is an aging, declining population that must cope with a social welfare system it can't afford. Also, the Germans have to deal with the massive expenditures necessary to bring the former East Germany up to the level of West Germany, which still hasn't been done.

The Germans have chosen butter over guns in order to stay afloat. Fortunately, with the demise of the Soviet Union, Germany and the rest of Europe have no real military threat. As a result, their expenditures on defense are declining as is the size of the military.

The US spends more on defense than the rest of NATO combined. I agree that it is time to get the rest of the world off of security welfare provided by the US.

"...The Germans have a large economy, but not necessarily a strong one with double digit unemployment and low growth. Germany's problem is an aging, declining population that must cope with a social welfare system it can't afford. Also, the Germans have to deal with the massive expenditures necessary to bring the former East Germany up to the level of West Germany, which still hasn't been done..."

You are right - those topics are the real German problem. We have practically no difficulties with the actual closing of the US-Bases. There are some local economical effects around the affected facilities, but in fact the American drawback is no big thing in German politics and media. Since the threat of the Sowjet-Union doesn't exist anymore, there is absolutely no need for such a big presence of US-millitary in central Europe anymore. This has nothing to do with the troubled relationship between the current German gouvernment and the US-administration, it has to do with the loss of strategical importance in millitary aspects of the former borderline between east and west. In fact it would be a waste of the money of american taxpayers to keep up the US-presence in the current amount. This in well understood among the German people.

"...The US spends more on defense than the rest of NATO combined. I agree that it is time to get the rest of the world off of security welfare provided by the US..."

I doubt that somebody important in Europe is willing to spend a comparable share to the proportion between millitary-buget and GNP in the US on defense. It doesn't matter if you take "old" Europe or the "new" one, the people who elect their leaders just do not see the necessity. The will to lead the world to more democracy and freedom with millitary means just doesn't exist. On one hand Europe is still thinking, that peace can be bought, on the other hand the people are fed up with war and violence. A quite different view compared to America. Personally I think that the truth lies in the middle.