Pretty tough talk

[Pekka]

You guys trash Germany way too much. And for the record, the toughest dude alive is German and has been seen in Berlin, may I present ... the TECHNO VIKING!!

[Combat Ingrid]

WTF is Canada?

[Wezil]

Originally posted by DanS
Just curious.

Nobody reads those CanPol threads, anyway.

I was wondering how you had missed my position on that. I am obviously a (unpopular) minority on that issue (wrt US/Can/Brit posters anyway) so I have been defending the position with little help from others.

Then I realized where most of the discussion happened so I knew why you were unaware.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by DanS
It's amazing how little that the German public will allow its politicians to do, even though the cause is just and the country is bound by treaty to help.

It's a defensive treaty. So far, the Taliban has not invaded Europe.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
It's a defensive treaty. So far, the Taliban has not invaded Europe.

I suggest you look up article 5 of the treaty before saying more stupid things.

[Wezil]

Article 5
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all....

[germanos]

Originally posted by DanS
It's amazing how little that the German public will allow its politicians to do, even though the cause is just and the country is bound by treaty to help.

IIRC Germany has a contitutional ban on sending troops outside it's borders (or was it NATO borders?).

The German government allready went out on a limb by claiming this ban was only for combat troops, and thus they could in fact support NATO's operations in Afghanistan by providing recon, medic and other support roles.


Public support for this mission has most certainly suffered because of the not-so-just cause of the Iraq war, where effectively the benefector of the NATO-assistance seriously comprimised the efforts of their NATO-aidees in Afghanistan.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by germanos
IIRC Germany has a contitutional ban on sending troops outside it's borders (or was it NATO borders?).

So essentially what your saying is that Germany serves little purpose to the alliance and is essentially a free rider?

[germanos]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
So essentially what your saying is that Germany serves little purpose to the alliance and is essentially a free rider?

Given the fact that in the event of a Soviet invasion Germany would have been the main battlefield, I would hardly describe them as a free rider .

[Wezil]

What Article allows for past risk to = future slouching?

[germanos]

Originally posted by Wezil
What Article allows for past risk to = future slouching?

None. It rather shows that the NATO treaty wasn't designed with Afghanistan in mind.
Consider as well that Germany only regained full souverignty after the unification in 1990, so one can question who drafted this constitutional ban .

[Spec]

Originally posted by Pekka
You guys trash Germany way too much. And for the record, the toughest dude alive is German and has been seen in Berlin, may I present ... the TECHNO VIKING!!

Spec.