Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

EXPLAINER: Why Europe lacks voice, power in Ukraine crisis
AP ^ | Feb 3, 2022 | RAF CASERT

Posted on 02/02/2022 11:32:25 PM PST by McGruff

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-49 next last

1 posted on 02/02/2022 11:32:25 PM PST by McGruff
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: McGruff

The reason the Europeans are talking about this is because of Joe Biden’s Afghanistan disaster, erratic behavior, and declining cognition.

The thought of their fate riding on that meat puppet scares the hell out of them. Now the grifting Eurotrash sit there with no military, totally dependent on Russian energy, and an American public that wants to tell them to pound sand.

Schadenfreude.


2 posted on 02/02/2022 11:54:46 PM PST by WMarshal ("No war for communism")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

I’m more interested in figure skating at this year’s Olympics.


3 posted on 02/03/2022 12:11:09 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGruff
The EU has grown into a global economic powerhouse, but never developed security and defense clout to match.

Looks like Ass Press has caught up to what we retrograde knuckle-dragging Neanderthals have been saying for, oh I don't know, the last 40 years? It was a sweet deal for social spending but it depended on the United States being capable of enough leadership to make deterrence credible. What we have now is a ruling class full of thumb-sucking cretins headed by a fool who craps his pants on a regular basis. If I were European I'd be looking at this mess with horror too.

4 posted on 02/03/2022 12:19:47 AM PST by Billthedrill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Billthedrill

Hahaha.

What a description!


5 posted on 02/03/2022 12:34:32 AM PST by Red6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: McGruff
Scarred by losing tens of millions of lives on their soil in two world wars, many European Union nations have been wary ever since about military spending.

What a bizarre, illogical attitude!

So, Poland - attacked on two sides and torn apart in the last war - should be "wary" of spending too much for defense?

Laughable!

Regards,

6 posted on 02/03/2022 12:44:59 AM PST by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: WMarshal
Now the grifting Eurotrash sit there with no military, ...

After World War One, and again after World War Two, Germany was banned from becoming too strong militarily. They've also been guilt-tripped against taking pride in classic Prussian militarism.

Are you now blaming the Germans for being militarily weak? You might blame some other European nations for that, but Germany is according to the Allies' postwar design.

7 posted on 02/03/2022 1:05:47 AM PST by Angelino97
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Billthedrill
It was a sweet deal for social spending but it depended on the United States being capable of enough leadership to make deterrence credible.

The American Deep State wanted the U.S. to be the unparalleled superpower. We share the blame for Europe's military weakness and woke culture (which we exported to Europe via Hollywood and other channels).

8 posted on 02/03/2022 1:08:20 AM PST by Angelino97
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: alexander_busek

In all honesty, even they’d spend all their money on defense, it is not going to help much. They’d better try better diplomacy.


9 posted on 02/03/2022 1:28:25 AM PST by NorseViking
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Angelino97

I would also point out that NATO was really designed to protect Europe from Germany more than the Soviet Union.


10 posted on 02/03/2022 1:34:41 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Mr. Potato Head ... Mr. Potato Head! Back doors are not secrets.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Angelino97
"Are you now blaming the Germans for being militarily weak? You might blame some other European nations for that, but Germany is according to the Allies' postwar design.

Your are damned right I am going to blame Germany.

President Trump tried for four years to get NATO allies to spend more on their own defense and to grow their militaries and they refused to do so. You seem to have forgotten that - or did you?

Europeans are freaking out now about being totally dependent on Russia gas and President Trump warned them to build more LNG terminals, not to decommission their nuclear energy, and to quit being such useless spongers and many ignored him, especially Germany under Frau Merkel.

The Europeans were just happy to laugh at us behind their back while they took our money and Evan to think that America, and all the suckers in it, belonged to them. They were even starting to demand the right to vote in our elections when the execrable GWB was president.

If the Kraut led EU wants to fight a Third World War then they can do it on their own.

11 posted on 02/03/2022 1:46:39 AM PST by WMarshal ("No war for communism")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: WMarshal
If the Kraut led EU wants to fight a Third World War then they can do it on their own.

"Kraut"? Why are some Freepers still fighting World War Two?

As whites are the most demonized of all races, I refuse to use racial or ethnic slurs against any fellow white. Not against Germans, Russians, French, Italians, or anyone else. Nor do I tolerate it in others.

If I disagree with a fellow white, I will do so without resorting to anti-white hate speech.

12 posted on 02/03/2022 2:17:52 AM PST by Angelino97
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

Scarred by losing tens of millions of lives on their soil in two world wars, many European Union nations have been wary ever since about military spending. Now, as Russian pressure builds at the Ukrainian border, they face a painful reality: Europe remains heavily reliant on U.S. might to deter another potentially big conflict on its turf.

Makes it sound like the U.S. sat out WW1&2.


13 posted on 02/03/2022 2:42:38 AM PST by Flick Lives (The CDC. Brought to you by Pfizer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGruff
"Even today, 15 years after committing toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense, 13 European NATO members still don’t make the grade. Last year, major nations — like Spain with 1.02%, Italy with 1.41%, and Germany with 1.53% — still fell well short."
14 posted on 02/03/2022 3:14:00 AM PST by tlozo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

This has been obvious for decades. Its not just that the Yurps have no balls - which they don’t. It is also that the Yurps are addicted to socialism. All that socialism has sucked up all the money and left none for national defense.

Some of them like Germany are animated not only by a distinct lack of testicles and by their greedy government needing ever more money because of all the socialism but also by a massive case of butt-hurt towards the greatest benefactor their country has ever had, the USA. That pettiness combined with their ridiculous Gaia Worship has caused them to make themselves completely dependent on Russia for their energy needs.

Its the same pettiness as well as greed for more cash to lavish on the socialism at home that causes them to go out of their way to do business with tyrannical regimes like Cuba, Iran, Iraq under Saddam, etc as soon as the US sanctions them.

Thus they have zero diplomatic leverage. They are too militarily weak and too greedy for anybody to take them seriously in diplomatic terms.


15 posted on 02/03/2022 3:56:00 AM PST by FLT-bird
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

To quote Robert Gates, “Biden has been wrong on every major foreign policy decision in last 4 decades”

Now Europe & the rest of NATO may just reap the whirlwind that Biden creates.
I worry that Dimjo is going to escalate what should be a minor Eastern European problem into World War 3.


16 posted on 02/03/2022 3:57:00 AM PST by Tupelo (“Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*ck things up” (Barack Obama))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: WMarshal

Watching the Yurps squirm is the one truly entertaining thing about watching team Biden fumble around and show its massive incompetence at every turn internationally.

Its starting to dawn on them that the gravy train won’t last forever.


17 posted on 02/03/2022 3:57:47 AM PST by FLT-bird
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Flick Lives
Makes it sound like the U.S. sat out WW1&2.

What Europe suffered in its World Wars dwarfs America's sufferings in those wars.

The Civil War, especially the South's experience, better mirrors Europe experiences in its World Wars. Whole cities demolished. Farmland devastated. Bankruptcies, famine, disease, enemy occupation, and massive casualties, both military and civilian.

18 posted on 02/03/2022 4:08:07 AM PST by Angelino97
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

Scarred by losing tens of millions of lives on their soil in two world wars, many European Union nations have been wary ever since about military spending.

That sentence alone shows their ignorance. Losing 10s of millions of lives in two wars is why you should have a massive military for deterennce.


19 posted on 02/03/2022 4:15:43 AM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: everyone
Why defend yourselves. Let those stupid Americans do it for you.
20 posted on 02/03/2022 4:17:14 AM PST by McGruff (Trump/DeSantis 2024)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-49 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
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

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