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Why the framing of alliances like it’s a boolean? The question of “can we trust the American government” is now being asked more often. Existing alliances and

Why the framing of alliances like it’s a boolean? The question of “can we trust the American government” is now being asked more often. Existing alliances and new potential alliances face that question, whether or not you personally believe that they should trust America. Even if no concrete actions are being performed with asking that question, the fact that question is even being asked is a major drop from where we were.

ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
You're right, alliances are not boolean. From the US perspective, we have been asking ourselves "can we trust Europe's military capacity" for a very long time and the answer (prior to 2025) was: NO. With Trump on one side and Russia on the other, it seems like the answer has shifted to: MAYBE.
- Yoric 1y ago
  Frankly, this sounds like you're repeating propaganda. When the US called its allies to its wars, NATO responded. Now that the rest of NATO is being threatened, the US is playing neutral, trying to see which side will bid highest for their help.
  - ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
    Which NATO ally is being threatened?
    - redserk 1y ago
      Poland[1, 3], Latvia [2], Lithuania [3] 1. https://apnews.com/article/russia-nato-members-borders-airspace-violations-4a7d6c3eabf76c82ebaff434401b3331 https://apnews.com/article/russia-nato-members-borders-airsp... 2. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-that-crashed-latvia-carried-explosives-latvian-military-says-2024-09-09/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-that-cras... 3. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-says-russian-military-intelligence-was-behind-ikea-arson-last-year-2025-03-17/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-says-russian-... Among other events, like drones being spotted near commercial airports. Are you suggesting repeated airspace intrusions and acts against civilians are merely acts of innocence?
- organsnyder 1y ago
  > From the US perspective, we have been asking ourselves "can we trust Europe's military capacity" for a very long time and the answer (prior to 2025) was: NO. NATO's mutual defense clause has only been activated once: after 9/11, when the United States declared war on the Taliban in Afghanistan. Out of the 3621 deaths of coalition soldiers, 1160 of them were from nations other than the United States, including 457 from the UK, 159 from Canada, and 90 from France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghan...
  - ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
    Yes I served with those people so I am not denigrating their sacrifice when I say: 2001 was 24 years ago. A lot has changed since then. Europe's militaries are much degraded and the threats are much enhanced.

ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago

You're right, alliances are not boolean. From the US perspective, we have been asking ourselves "can we trust Europe's military capacity" for a very long time and the answer (prior to 2025) was: NO. With Trump on one side and Russia on the other, it seems like the answer has shifted to: MAYBE.

Yoric 1y ago
Frankly, this sounds like you're repeating propaganda. When the US called its allies to its wars, NATO responded. Now that the rest of NATO is being threatened, the US is playing neutral, trying to see which side will bid highest for their help.
- ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
  Which NATO ally is being threatened?
  - redserk 1y ago
    Poland[1, 3], Latvia [2], Lithuania [3] 1. https://apnews.com/article/russia-nato-members-borders-airspace-violations-4a7d6c3eabf76c82ebaff434401b3331 https://apnews.com/article/russia-nato-members-borders-airsp... 2. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-that-crashed-latvia-carried-explosives-latvian-military-says-2024-09-09/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-that-cras... 3. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-says-russian-military-intelligence-was-behind-ikea-arson-last-year-2025-03-17/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-says-russian-... Among other events, like drones being spotted near commercial airports. Are you suggesting repeated airspace intrusions and acts against civilians are merely acts of innocence?
organsnyder 1y ago
> From the US perspective, we have been asking ourselves "can we trust Europe's military capacity" for a very long time and the answer (prior to 2025) was: NO. NATO's mutual defense clause has only been activated once: after 9/11, when the United States declared war on the Taliban in Afghanistan. Out of the 3621 deaths of coalition soldiers, 1160 of them were from nations other than the United States, including 457 from the UK, 159 from Canada, and 90 from France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghan...
- ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
  Yes I served with those people so I am not denigrating their sacrifice when I say: 2001 was 24 years ago. A lot has changed since then. Europe's militaries are much degraded and the threats are much enhanced.