Posted on 03/14/2024 11:00:45 PM PDT by McGruff
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell Wednesday that former President Trump "is right" about NATO countries needing to spend more on their own defense.
Trump ignited a controversy during a campaign speech last month in South Carolina when he said he once told an unnamed country he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members that did not meet spending guidelines on defense.
"NATO was busted until I came along," Trump said at the rally. "I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.' They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?' I said, 'Absolutely not.' They couldn't believe the answer."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
How are they keeping Andrea upright? and in the anchor chair? Does she have something on someone?
He has every right to call for it. He also has every right to dream on about getting it.
Being allied with Europe and helping them to defend themselves is in the US interest — but not if we have to carry them.
“Being allied with Europe and helping them to defend themselves is in the US interest — but not if we have to carry them.”
Why should we defend countries that won’t defend themselves? All those mooching countries got the peace dividend, we didn’t. Our defense budgets never went down.
Arguably, if Europe is a bunch of dependents reliant on the US for their defense, we gain considerable leverage over them and can induce them to favor US interests. Yet the better arrangement obviously is that they pay their share of defense costs.
The situation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJPLJCLsVc4
This fellow is in Malaysia or Singapore. He has spent a lot of time studying Ukraine v. Russia.
Lately, he has taken a break, away from that particular situation, and now has some general observations that may interest.
Understanding his English speech patterns, may take a while.
“and can induce them to favor US interests.”
That would be nice, but we never do it. We always seem to forego our interests in favor of everyone else, even our enemies.
Just remember, if you don’t pay your dues, your local firefighters may not save your house.
Democrats are fine with that.
European and other allied economies are effectively part of the US economic system, with their economic strength, technology, medical advances, and science being available to the US. For example, the daughter of close friends is a technology scout for the DoD. In secrecy, she travels through Europe and the Pacific assessing and helping acquire useful bits of military tech for the US Navy.
In addition, Europe and other allies buy our Treasury debt and subsidize Medicare, Social Security, and other federal budget busters that I and millions of other American rely on in the last years of life. In effect, the dollar is used as a trade and reserve currency around the world in considerable part because it comes with global US military power behind it. Unlike the dollar, gold and euros do not come with the backing of aircraft carriers, B-2 bombers, M-1 tanks, and the US Marines.
Finally, Europe, Canada, and our Pacific allies provide important support in international affairs. For example, during the Iranian hostage crisis, Canada hid Americans and then smuggled them out of the Iran. More generally, the US has effective control of key international economic institutions and agencies due to the help and support of our allies.
I have a cousin with an advanced economics degree who lives in Japan and is married to a Japanese woman. He works in Tokyo for a company that evaluates proposed development projects for international lenders. In the so-called Belt and Road initiative, China tried copying the system that the US and our allies have but botched it badly by predatory tactics.
In effect, my cousin is part of an evaluation process that helps assure that US and allied dollar lending goes to genuinely useful development projects on terms that do not rape Third World countries.
This system grew up piece by piece over decades. Like it or not, it is part of how the US remains a global superpower and assures its security. Most Americans have little sense of how the system works, but it keeps order and peace in a hostile and dangerous world.
Trump is of course correct that in many details, the US has subordinated its interests to other countries, especially on the terms of trade and alliance burden-sharing. Those details need to be renegotiated in the US favor, but the system will endure because it has such great value for the US and its allies.
“Europe and other allies buy our Treasury debt”
Why, isn’t that generous of them. They save billions of dollars by downgrading their militaries and then turn around and lend it to us so we can pay to defend them.
Informative post, thanks.
Even worse, when we do try to induce favor, Europe just thumbs their nose in America’s direction and tells us to pee-off!
The return on investment initially was very high after WWII, but the ROI over the last 30 years has been a net LOSS!! And it is getting worse!
Defend them against who or what?
The ussr is no more and apparently russia cannot conquer Ukraine.
Unable to shed an imperial past and a taste for autocratic rule, Russia is aggressive and thuggish by nature, which makes her a menace to her immediate neighbors and to American allies in the region. Without US and NATO help, Russia would consume Ukraine. Russian statements indicate that they regard the entire former Warsaw Pact area as naturally subject to Russian control or influence. That puts Eastern and Central Europe to the Elbe river in Germany on the Russia menu.
Yeah, probably true.
Eastern Europe up to the Elbe. Quite a few countries there.
And then Western Europe behind Germany. Quite a few countries there also.
Yeah, probably true.
Eastern Europe up to the Elbe. Quite a few countries there.
And then Western Europe behind Germany. Quite a few countries there also.
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