FRONT AND CENTER: President Donald Trump jovially greeted fellow world leaders on Wednesday afternoon at the opening ceremony of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's leader's summit in Brussels
Ramon Marks, National Interest: Reality Check: NATO's Defense Budget Woes Won't Disappear
Europe cannot hide forever behind the military skirts of the United States.
Western Europe and the United States are at loggerheads over any number of issues, ranging from Iran, the Climate Accord, trade, the recognition of Jerusalem, to NATO military contributions. While the Atlantic partners share common democratic values and feed off the prosperity of one and other, fundamental geopolitical fissures are emerging that are more than surface frictions created by passing political personalities on either side of the ocean. Two crowning achievements of the post World War II era, NATO and the European Union, are experiencing real strains reflecting long developing imbalances. If these institutions are to remain effective contributors to global stability in the twenty-first century, the need for strategic adjustment is inevitable.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: NATO and Europe have changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately .... many European governments are still living in the past, expecting the U.S. to shoulder the financial burden of supporting NATO. Will this mindset change? In the short term the answer is a definite no.
3 comments:
Europe represents a breed of democracy that is top down, considers itself enlightened, cultivates intimate relations with the media, entertainment and big business and is well compensated compared to the ruled. They don't consider themselves infallible, but they sometimes act like they think they are.
Trump is currently President of a nation that can't quite decide if it wants the Euro model or wants something more grass roots directed.
Hence the conflict. Its a conflict of values that inform governing philosophy. Defense spending conflicts are just a tiny part of the differences in policy. Why climate treaties would be such a big deal is more instructive than defense. Defense spending addresses threats that can be predicted based upon existing capabilities. Climate treaties are great leaps into fortune telling based upon little but GIGO computer algorithms. Yet Germany is much peeved by the US withdrawing from that deal and hardly cares about its own defenses.
Good post Anon!
Very good comment by Anon.
Post a Comment