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Why do Americans care more about Europe's security than the Europeans do?
I am surprised you really seem to be asking this self evident question.
America got involved in both WW1 & WW2 and lost a lot of treasure as a result. So NATO was put into place to stop communist insurgency and also help to keep the peace in that region of the world. Now with Europe under siege with Muslim extremists (some of it due to their own stupidity), NATO can help to prevent them from taking over and then forcing us to come in and clean up the mess.
We have a strategic interest in Europe and the Middle East, and do not want to be forced to repel another nation/s hell bent of world domination. NATO thus protects Europe while also protecting our own interests.
I don't think anyone is arguing this point? It seems that most here understand that but say it in a different way.
But by suggesting it isn't fair implies like they 'owe' something.
They don't. Every country could raise their budget to 2% (and by the way there are no restrictions or conditions on what is in that military budget -- just the military budget total is suppose to be 2%) and it changes nothing at NATO. Absolutely nothing. Nobody will be actually physically paying more or less to anybody but their own military budget.
But by suggesting it isn't fair implies like they 'owe' something.
They don't. Every country could raise their budget to 2% (and by the way there are no restrictions or conditions on what is in that military budget -- just the military budget total is suppose to be 2%) and it changes nothing at NATO. Absolutely nothing. Nobody will be actually physically paying more or less to anybody but their own military budget.
What's the point? This is stupid. If NATO member nations see no point in paying more, then why should they pay more?
The United States just keeps trying to shoehorn itself into the affairs of other regions. If the European nations don't value NATO as much as we do, then we're the idiots, not them! Why do Americans care more about Europe's security than the Europeans do? Again, these are our economic competitors, and spending billions of US taxpayer money on their defense while they take six week annual vacations and enjoy universal health coverage is insulting and SHOULD be insulting to the average American.
"Why does Trump keep browbeating NATO members to "pay more?""
"What's the point? This is stupid. If NATO member nations see no point in paying more, then why should they pay more?
They SIGNED a document stating that they would pay their share
Just like a contract.
Gee, and I thought you knew everything.Let me ask ypu a questionYou stop paying your car insurance and it expires and have an accidentDo you think they should cover the repair costs?
Because Trump thinks that everyone should pay more - except him, of course. This is part of the problem of hiring an ignorant so-called businessman with no experience in government. He thinks of everything in terms of profit and winner-take-all.
"Because Trump thinks that everyone should pay more - except him, of course"
"Ignorance is bliss"
Trump, we, ARE paying our obligated "share"
They are NOT.
And some on the left can't figure ouy how they have LOST over 1,400 political seats!
Who gives a damn about what they agreed to? They don't! The alliance is for THEIR security, not ours. So why do you want to demand that someone spends more money on their own security, and attempt to shame them into doing so by spending more of MY tax money when I don't need the damn alliance?
That's the height of stupidity. You can't see that?
People here want to gut entitlement spending, but they should be happy to kick in billions for NATO nations that don't wanna pony up? That makes sense to you?
You don't have universal healthcare, and you damn sure don't have six week paid vacations with cradle to grave social benefits....what other nation is subsidizing YOUR nation's defense while you vacation in Ibiza?
That alliance has kept the Europeans killing each other for the past 70 years and has firmly established American economic and military hegemon on two continents and allows us to project power into the Middle East. We don't do it to protect them so much as we do it to protect our common economic interests.
Shocking as it may sound, it's not our military spending that keeps the US from enjoying paid leave and universal healthcare coverage. The money is there, it's our lack of political will and kowtowing to special interests.
"We don't do it to protect them so much as we do it to protect our common economic interests."
That concept is over his head.
He think being isolationist is the right way to go.
"Why does Trump keep browbeating NATO members to "pay more?""
"What's the point? This is stupid. If NATO member nations see no point in paying more, then why should they pay more?
They SIGNED a document stating that they would pay their share
Just like a contract.
Gee, and I thought you knew everything.Let me ask ypu a questionYou stop paying your car insurance and it expires and have an accidentDo you think they should cover the repair costs?
"This is stupid."
No, your question is STUPID!
No they did not sign a contract.
all the countries agreed to a GUIDELINE of 2% of GDP for their own military budget -- to be reached by 2024.
IMO, NATO needs to be disbanded since it's a left over institution from the days of the Soviet Union when the U.S.S.R. was trying to expand westward. It's obsolete.
Are you sure they have no current designs on expansion?
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