›
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Gates on NATO, or "I've never met a European willing to die for the EU."

dsfdsf
edited June 2011 in Politics
A bit of hyperbole but hey who cares. So Defense Secretary Robert Gates is on his way out and he makes this speech regarding NATO:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/11/world/europe/11nato.html
The original Role of NATO as per it's first Secretary General, Gen. Lord Ismay: the alliance was to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down. So given that and the two decades since the collapse of the Berlin wall, The US is contributing nearly 75% of NATO's funding. All the while crushing teachers collective bargaining rights and instituting a pretty ineffective health care policy(I'm a Military Vet and my Health care provider just dropped me and then I also saw this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43479572/ns/health-health_care/?GT1=43001.)

Flame on

Comments

  • CremlianCremlian
    NPR has a great segment this morning on this. Europe is really taking advantage of our willingness to protect them without any proportional assistance.
  • Not nineNot nine
    Flame on[.]
    Put it in the flamewars thread if you want flames.
    "I've never met a European willing to die for the EU."
    Never met an American willing to die for the Americas either.
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    edited June 2011
    NPR has a great segment this morning on this. Europe is really taking advantage of our willingness to protect them without any proportional assistance.
    Oh please, NATO after the end of the cold war has been nothing more than a glorified tupperware sales club for american made military equipment. It was a tupperware scheme before that too, but at least then you had a good reason for wanting all the plastic containers.

    As for the altruistically US looking out for the Europeans, I call bullshit on that as well. Read up on military strategy and look up the term "buffer zone".
    Post edited by Dr. Timo on
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    Are we in danger of being attacked? I was not aware of this.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Never met an American willing to die for the Americas either.
    I have.
  • RymRym
    As for the altruistically US looking out for the Europeans, I call bullshit on that as well. Read up on military strategy and look up the term "buffer zone".
    True, but it's largely unnecessary in the modern world. Russia isn't exactly prepared to roll tanks roll over Western Europe. ;^)

    I see NATO as being nothing more than a US-led and US-run peacekeeping organization with a stamp of legitimacy from the other "members" at this point.
  • AprecheApreche
    roll tanks roll

  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    roll tanks roll
    image
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited June 2011
    That's not an argument against europeans. That's an argument against death!
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
Sign In or Register to comment.