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> To the extent they felt threatened. That amounted to an increase from ~1.3% of GDP to ~1.55% between 2015 and 2020. Yet continued to trade as usual with Russ

> To the extent they felt threatened. That amounted to an increase from ~1.3% of GDP to ~1.55% between 2015 and 2020. Yet continued to trade as usual with Russia and took no steps to reduce reliance on Russia in strategic sectors. Like I said, deal with the Russians on your own now. The only state we can even somewhat trust to help us in the Indo-Pac is France. > France... You realize France has territories in the Pacific that saw severe instability instigated by Chinese disinformation networks [0] right? > I'm saying that defense spending is fundamentally wasted money. It may be necessary if you feel threatened... Which we in the US are when looking at our presence in Pacific. If European nations cannot handle their own affairs, then we may as well put them in their place. [0] - https://www.aspi.org.au/report/when-china-knocks-door-new-caledonia/ https://www.aspi.org.au/report/when-china-knocks-door-new-ca...

jltsiren 11mo ago
> Yet continued to trade as usual with Russia and took no steps to reduce reliance on Russia in strategic sectors. And some European countries are still doing that. They are even trying to strengthen their ties with Russia. Because they are sovereign states with their own interests, which do not always align with the EU, NATO, or the US.
- alephnerd 11mo ago
  Absolutely, and as such, we as the United States are pivoting for our own strategic reasons.
  - jltsiren 11mo ago
    And the outcome of that pivot might not be what you wanted. Because the American world order does not maintain itself on its own. Not even in Europe. Without American commitment, Europe will likely become more fragmented. Some countries will remain aligned with the US. Some will become unaligned, and some will align with Russia and/or China.