@maporsche,
maporsche wrote:
You're complaining because other countries are putting their interests in front of America's?
They can, they should, and they have pursued their own interests.
They can really do whatever they want, but if they wish to maintain their integrity as a nation they should avoid open hostility with the president of the nation on which they so heavily depend for their national security. However, if a great many of them won't even live up to their agreements on defense spending levels, why should we expect any integrity from them?
For too long most of the EU nations have played the US for a chump: Depending upon our wealth to fund their defense and provide the engine for the global economy, while they use theirs on social welfare programs. With the notable exception of the UK and a few other nations, when the time comes to join us in military actions intended to (rightly or wrongly) preserve security, they stand on the sidelines.
I don't have a major problem with this as respects their pursuing their nations' interests. It's pretty clever what they've done. I do though have a problem with our nation's leaders going along with it. There are good reasons for the US wanting Europe to remain free, but they are not greater (nor should they be) for the Europeans to want Europe to remain free. Should Europe fall (and I fervently hope it never will), the US will not topple in a domino effect. We will remain not only free but quite capable of defending ourselves against whatever forces felled Europe.
It's all the rage in Europe to denounce Trump. Fine, they don't have to like him. They should though, put their money where their snarky mouths are and either remove his undeniably valid criticism of them for not meeting their agreements, or tell him to pound sand, pull out of NATO and go it alone (or they could all get together and expel the US from NATO)
One thing is fairly certain, should Trump ever live up to the absurd, hyperbolic predictions of becoming some neo-Nazi authoritarian with visions of global conquest, it won't be the EU that rises to confront him.