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I think it is disingenuous to call for the U.S. to "pull out" of NATO after all NATO was our idea, and I suspect a great deal of persuasion on member nations. That being said, I would interested in arguments pro and con of dissolving the alliance, which is a very different issue.
My personal thought is that EU is capable of defending itself and as an entity is perhaps less threatening to Russia. The U.S. can still have a military commitment to assist to defense of the EU if needed but not in the posture and with the our present military footprint. But is that appeasement in the face of Putin's bullying or just a recognition of Russian concerns, I don't know.
Who's idea was it? Not the American taxpayers whom benefit not a whit from its creation. Wake me up when Russia is a threat to mainland US. The EU can fend for itself.
France, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and others , don't seem to care about NATO anyway. They don't perceive any kind of threat. Many Americans like to say we are "wasting our money protecting Europe", but we're really not. There's nobody to protect them from. We are in Europe because it gives us logistical capability throughout MENA.
The countries we are "protecting" are countries that are in eastern Europe and afraid of Russian aggression, like Poland and Estonia. They actually appreciate our involvement, the question is : what exactly do we get out of the deal?
I think it is disingenuous to call for the U.S. to "pull out" of NATO after all NATO was our idea, and I suspect a great deal of persuasion on member nations.
#1 NATO kind of being "our idea" back in 1949 is not a reason to stay in it in 2016 in and of itself. Also, this point of it being "our idea" is debatable as it acts like we were the sole people thinking of alliances to check Soviet aggression.
#2 The whole premise is flimsy as Margaret Thatcher pointed out on population and GDP lines.
European Union:
508 Million People
$19.2 Trillion GDP
USA:
322 Million People
$18.1 Trillion GDP
Russia:
144 Million People
$3.7 Trillion GDP
Which one needs help defending from which potential aggressor?!?!
Anyways, liberals were attacking Mitt Romney for saying that Russia was a geopolitical adversary (which is 100% true) -- now liberals are attacking Trump for saying we should pull out of NATO, because Russia is emboldened right now and we need to stand with our allies!
NATO is just another money pit that the US pays 2/3rd of it's budget. It's time has come and gone. It's time for the US to cut the cord and leave. Europe should take care of itself. If not, send us a certified check for services to be rendered.
NATO is just another money pit that the US pays 2/3rd of it's budget. It's time has come and gone. It's time for the US to cut the cord and leave. Europe should take care of itself. If not, send us a certified check for services to be rendered.
America is the most money-obsessed nation on the planet and their elites don't invest into things when there's no reward in return. The "look at how heroic we are for protecting Europe from Russia" rhetoric is so transparent.
I don't doubt that the U.S. provides military assistance, but their presence in Europe is primarily for their own geopolitical interests. Therefore, it's disingenuous for Americans to expect Europe to worship them for NATO.
My god, that outrageous - it's the cost of 5 F-35s!
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