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What we are seeing is the growing irrelevance of Europe as a global power. Economically, Europe is still one of the main players, but militarily it does not carry its weight. Europe is dying. Declining, aging populations don't have the wherewithal to support a meaningful defense establishment and still meet the demands of generous social welfare systems. Europe is spending less and less of its GDP on defense.

And why should they with the US providing the security umbrella for the free world. Europe has been living on US security welfare for so long, it has shaped its world view. Europe places its faith in international organizations like the UN to resolve conflicts and believes that negotiation and diplomacy can replace the ability to project military power. The US spends more on defense than the rest of NATO combined. Our technology and level of sophistication in weaponry has reduced our interoperability with most of NATO to almost zero.

The US cannot continue to bear this level of defense spending as our social entitlement systems are threatening to gobble up most of our budget. Tony Blair called the US the indispensable nation, but we won't have the resources much longer to continue to provide the rest of the world with security.

I don't consider the current UK hostage crisis with Iran as being a product of declining military expenditures, but it does reduce the UK's options and typifies the kinds of problems that may arise in the future as Europe declines as a military power and lacks the ability to project its influence globally.

Again you are talking about a continent of disparate nations as if it was one nation.

I have more in common with you (and you with me) than with a guy sitting in Finland, Malta or Latvia.

If you wish to talk about Britain then fine, but the rest have nothing to do with me, any more than you should feel responsible for the policies of Mexico or Canada.