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urope Doesn't Need U.S. Protection, Most Germans Say
Newsweek via MSN ^ | 7/23/2018 | David Brennan

Posted on 08/03/2018 1:50:55 AM PDT by granada

In the wake of repeated attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump, Germans appear to be souring on the country’s relationship with America. The majority of Germans now believe Europe can defend itself without the help of the American military, a Forsa survey has found.

As reported by Reuters, only 37 percent of 1,004 Germans surveyed now think the continent needs help from the U.S. to defend its borders. There was little difference between the former eastern and western parts of the country, at 60 and 55 percent respectively. Western Germans have closer historical ties with Washington on account of the division of the country after World War II and during the Cold War.

During his visit to the NATO summit in Brussels earlier this month, Trump repeatedly attacked America’s allies for spending too little on the defense of Europe. The president reserved particular criticism for Germany, which he claimed is now “totally controlled by Russia.”

Trump was focused on the Nord Stream 2 project, an $11 billion expansion of the existing Nord Stream natural gas pipeline funded by the Kremlin-backed Gazprom company and five European nations. The president said this development was “inappropriate.”

“Ultimately, Germany will have almost 70 percent of their country controlled by Russia with natural gas,” he claimed, suggesting this would leave Germany “totally controlled by Russia.”

Around 84 percent of Germans asked about this exchange believed Trump’s stance was “completely absurd.” Ninety-two percent said they thought Trump’s motivation for the attack was most likely linked to his desire to sell more American natural gas to Europe. Two thirds remain in support of the project, which will double Russia’s capacity to deliver natural gas to Germany to almost 250 billion square feet per year. The extended pipeline is expected to become operational by the end of 2019.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: america; germany; nato; russia; trumpnato
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To: Lysandru

What bad attitude? I totally agree with them. They can (and should) defend themselves. If they can’t, thats their problem, not ours. Its time to close up our German bases and come home.


61 posted on 08/03/2018 6:18:30 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: Sacajaweau

Or how about home? Why are we still in Europe 70+ years after the end of WWII?


62 posted on 08/03/2018 6:21:33 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: bigdaddy45

That is easy for these euro parasites to say when they bask under our $$$$ and power.


63 posted on 08/03/2018 6:28:40 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: Lysandru
Back in the late Cold War, I remember the aphorism that the attitude of West Germans towards the U.S. Army was a function of how close to the Iron Curtain one was.

The same was true in South Korea. Even Seoul, which was within artillery range of the DMZ, was a wasteland of anti-Americanism as far back as 1980, when I did my first of three tours to Korea, although I was assigned to Camp Casey, Tongdeuchon, all three times.

64 posted on 08/03/2018 6:29:00 AM PDT by BlueLancer (Antifa and Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) = SturmAbteilung)
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To: granada

OK, Bye!


65 posted on 08/03/2018 7:09:30 AM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: Lysandru

“...the aphorism that the attitude of West Germans towards the U.S. Army was a function of how close to the Iron Curtain one was.”

I was stationed there 1981-83. The saying among us was that the closer a town was to the IGB, the more likely one of its streets was named Karl-Marx-Strasse and its merchants were ready to accept East German Reichsmarks.


66 posted on 08/03/2018 7:11:26 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("The Second Amendment is more important than Islam. Buy ammo.")
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To: granada

Ok, auf wiedersehen!


67 posted on 08/03/2018 7:12:18 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Chickensoup

“all of Europe can take care of itself.”

They certainly *should*

They’ve lived under the US greenhouse for so long, they don’t have any idea how weak they are. How unprepared to face an enemy alone.

Nor how vicious their enemies are.


68 posted on 08/03/2018 7:14:17 AM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: wastedyears
Why do we need it?

I explained that in my post. It doesn't need to be in Germany though. As others pointed out it could be in Poland or Italy or...

69 posted on 08/03/2018 7:15:32 AM PDT by Boomer (Leftism is the Mental/Moral Equivalent of End Stage Cancer)
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To: MrBambaLaMamba
1004 out of ~83 million is probably not a representative sample ……………… How about half million Germans flocked to streets to worship Obama in 2008?
70 posted on 08/03/2018 7:16:45 AM PDT by granada
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To: granada

Great!

Bring the Troops home and sell all the bases for top dollar to the krauts.


71 posted on 08/03/2018 7:18:08 AM PDT by JPJones (More tariffs, less income tax.)
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To: Reverend Wright

That is a very depressing map. U.S. forces should exit pronto. Why should our troops die for a bunch of ungrateful Eurobastards?

Only....there’s the Poles, the Hungarians, and now the Slovakians & Austrians who are fighting to keep the muzzies out and they need our help. It’s a dilemma. Even Italy is woke, now.


72 posted on 08/03/2018 7:18:48 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("The Second Amendment is more important than Islam. Buy ammo.")
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To: granada
urope Doesn't Need U.S. Protection, Most Germans Say

U-Rope is what you use to secure items in your U-Haul.

73 posted on 08/03/2018 7:19:34 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The New York Times is so openly dishonest, even their crossword puzzles lie.)
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To: granada

I am skeptical of this entire story. What sort of poll was used, Was it a push poll?

None of it make any sense, in that we hear weekly about atrocities in Germany by the Muslim hoards who have invaded their country at the invitation of Angela Merkel. She is not popular, and that does not translate into anti-Americanism. This sounds like fake news to me.

I do think the Germans need to rethink their attitudes regarding self-defense. Hitler’s legacy is still resonating among the population as they are totally in guilt mode even 73 years after his death. It gives them a false feeling that they are above military preparedness. However, when the idea of withdrawing all American troops and bases from Germany is mentioned, their reaction is one of alarm. They know they need protection from Russia.

I still think this is fake news.


74 posted on 08/03/2018 7:27:32 AM PDT by Gumdrop
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To: Soul of the South
...the odds the Russians are going to invade Germany and the rest of eastern Europe are zero.

That's just about it. There was a time in the seventies when the USSR probably could have defeated NATO, and the only thing keeping them at bay was the threat of a nuclear response from the U.S., France, and the U.K.

Now, despite Putin's bluster, the Russian military is in no better shape than NATO. The Russian population is collapsing into a bottle of vodka.

Time for NATO to go away, or become the ETO and leave us out of it.

75 posted on 08/03/2018 7:28:35 AM PDT by Rinnwald
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To: granada

Good, then we need to get out of there.

A German friend said if it weren’t for the US military’s money and civilian jobs, Germany wouldn’t be able to keep it’s head above water.


76 posted on 08/03/2018 7:29:59 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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To: granada

Just like a fire extinguisher or car insurance, they really don’t need America.....until they do. Then they need America absolutely desperately. That’s the way it goes with security threats.

But hey, I’m MORE than happy to take them up on their views by withdrawing from NATO and bringing the boys home. When the SHTF - and it always does sooner or later - they can fend for themselves.


77 posted on 08/03/2018 7:40:06 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: Gumdrop

It would be a fake news if Hillary were the president.

It has been proven that Germans regard America as an ally when the POTUS is a democrat.(since 1990)


78 posted on 08/03/2018 7:45:07 AM PDT by granada
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To: Boomer

That’s just the thing. We don’t need it. We don’t need to meddle in the Middle East. Our energy production is rising steadily and the ever shrinking shortfall can be made up for by Canadian imports. We simply do not need the Middle East. Why should we pay with our blood and treasure to protect the flow of oil for others? Let them pay for that themselves. Europe, China, time to pony up the cash and the troops fellas.


79 posted on 08/03/2018 7:45:28 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: Chewbarkah

Let ‘em kill each other if that is their desire. We have paid far too high of a price in our people’s blood and treasure saving them multiple times in the last 100 years. Withdraw from NATO, bring the boys home and sit it out if and when they set to killing each other again.


80 posted on 08/03/2018 7:55:47 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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