Posted on 06/09/2023 5:32:59 AM PDT by elpadre
America has long been the biggest military spender of any of its allies, but other nations aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. It’s time to rethink NATO burden sharing, says Justin Logan of the Cato Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank that studies many public policy issues, including a more restrained foreign policy that keeps the U.S. strong for future generations.
As of last year, the U.S. can include 50 of the world’s countries as formal allies, plus dozens of other informal partnerships. The U.S. shoulders a vastly disproportionate amount of the economic burden: While U.S. allies account for about 36% of world economic output, they contribute just 24% of global military spending.
This imbalance allows allies to spend money on domestic priorities while U.S. taxpayers pick up the tab for their national security. Every U.S. president since Eisenhower has called this out, but the solution is far from simple. It likely involves reevaluating our alliances, pulling back from firm commitments, and following a three-pronged approach to spurring allies to take on more economic responsibility involving institutions, military deployments, and diplomatic signals.
Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, recently published a policy analysis breaking down this financial tradition. Here, he answers some questions about how we can reset the table and improve NATO burden sharing with our allies.
(Excerpt) Read more at standtogether.org ...
I recommend a deep dive into what the US is actually spending.
This requires an education in macroeconomics, but fortunately you can self-educate.
You want your 30 days vacation?
Here it is - Medical spending, % GDP - World Bank numbers
US - 18.82% of GDP
Germany - 12.81%
Defense spending % GDP
US - 3.5% of GDP
Germany - 1.3%
US medical costs are ridiculous. This is forced on the US by political, regulatory and legal idiocy. And nearly all of this is mandated costs, as even “private” spending, say on company medical insurance, is a regulatory “tax” - off budget.
The cost of this waste, vs any other advanced country, dwarfs the US defense budget. And you can go on from there in every other category of social spending.
The US, as a society, is vastly inefficient.
“Ukrainian Armored Columns Got SMASHED and AMBUSHED”
Pretty much what everyone (except the Leftists) expected.
Dima is now saying that the Ukrainians are looking to talk peace terms with Russia based on their trashing so far, so don’t be surprised if the Neocons nuke Kiev.
“The Russian invasion has changed a lot of that by increasing military budgets...”
Now the question will become whether NATO can come up with weapons that Russia doesn’t turn into minced meat.
The US government (and the politico-economic system, of which it is just a part) doesnt waste money quite as much as it forces the private sector to pay for mandates “off the books”.
It wastes vastly more of other people’s money than its own.
Hah hah, Ukes have gotten their butts kicked. Those guys are doing the dying for NATO.
“Dima is now saying that the Ukrainians are looking to talk peace terms with Russia based on their trashing so far, so don’t be surprised if the Neocons nuke Kiev.”
But only after (right after) they get the latest $2billion from US taxpayers that the Democrats are planning on donating to their Ukraine laundromat. It’s for their own retirement offshore funds, after all....so more is always better.
“Europe has reversed this one. Or, rather, Putin has. Military budgets are increasing all over Europe.”
Bluster. Europe barely stepped up during the Cold War.
Once Russia finishes liberating Ukraine and Europe realizes that Putin is no threat to them, the Europeans will very likely go back to being...well, Europeans, and the money will move back to trying to deal with their HUGE (and growing) migrant community and other social programs.
War is losses.
One bombardment doesn’t make a battle.
European Nato had thousands of tanks and aircraft, and millions of men serving, plus several times more that it could mobilize.
All of continental Europe had conscription and mandatory military service throughout the Cold War, while the US did not, after 1973.
Do some research before extracting your bile. Maybe you will feel better in general.
I saw their GNP spending levels during the Cold War. Higher than today, but didn’t hold a candle to us (other then the UK). Similar to the proportions between the US and Europe today.
So take your pathetic attempt to re-write history and shove it on others.
What brainiac is sending these guys to their doom ? No air support, not even drones.
No problem, the slit eyed dwarf ,Zelinsky, will be making the rounds, rattling his tin cup for a few billion more.
Zman, you inbred dwarf, how are you going to replace the equipment ?
Both sides use drones for artillery spotting. There is no “air cover” that would prevent that.
Both sides are engaged in a back and forth drone-anti-drone struggle. This is cutting edge stuff.
America is being overrun by freeloading, thieving foreigners and the demented pedophile is sending all of our money to the forkin’ Ukies. It sure would be nice to know where the hell all those billions are going. You can bet the FIBBIES and CIA haven’t a clue what happened to it.
As I said, bile. You need to check that. It’s not good.
“As I said, bile. You need to check that. It’s not good.”
Keep trying, but most of us are also old enough to remember the HUGE PROTESTS against NATO in Germany and other countries, under both Carter and Reagan.
Others can decide what to think of your attempted re-write of history.
UKRAINE NEEDS TO RETHINK HOW TO FIGHT
Zaporizhzhia Offensive dwindled to just south of M.Tokmachka
Why? Have you something more with which to detail your critique?
Having lived and worked in Europe over decades (and elsewhere), it has been my experience that some Europeans expect the US to pick up the tab for much. Some here say too much. But some thought "not enough."
Reading Der Spiegel with some frequency, I will tell that their editorial stance anti-Trump in darn near every issue for years. And some of my German neighbors accepted Der Spiegel's stance and so were contemptuous of Trump, such that my occasional defense was greeter with some surprise. Ah, Europe and Uncle Sam, Evil Trump and Uncle Sucker who beat him in the last election. Or not.
Looking forward to your adding something more content-filled to "drivelous balderdash."
Lol. There are perfectly legal actions that can be done. Anything is better than scribbling essays that our adversaries don’t read and would laugh at if they did. It’s not either submission or revolution. There’s a lot of room in between.
Maybe NATO used a time machine and brought some French Generals from 1939 to organize the offensive.
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