Robert Gates on NATO

[giblets]

Why didn't the US occupy North Vietnam? I've never understood that.

[BeBMan]

****ing Euro freeloaders.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...pentagon-chief

In light of all this, would you still prefer Merkel?

[C0ckney]

it's the same old crap. we've been fighting in afghanistan for almost 10 years now. we should leave, we should do that in any case but doubly so if all the americans can do is carp and moan about our contributions.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

And the shots at Europe from a country that couldn't defeat North Vietnam, took 10 years to kill a hermit, and still struggles in Iraq is amusing considering the difference in scale of the militaries.

18 consecutive years of Stanley cup winning and counting

[Dauphin]

What is the benefit in being a member of NATO these days anyhow? Who is it defending against? It's had no real purpose for the last 20 years.

If there were a potential enemy to fight, maybe Europe would increase its spending, but if not, why bother?

[Asher]

18+ years of Stanley cup winning and counting

Canadian spies winning the cup still counts for Canada.

[Dauphin]

Russia was able to pwn Georgia until Bush managed to get them to call it quits.

Remind me, how did Bush do that?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Canadian spies winning the cup still counts for Canada.

We import a lot of things.

[Tupac Shakur]

a new young generation of US leaders could abandon the key pillar of transatlantic security established in 1949.

[Docfeelgood]

deja vu?

[Cort Haus]

What is the benefit in being a member of NATO these days anyhow? Who is it defending against? It's had no real purpose for the last 20 years.

If there were a potential enemy to fight, maybe Europe would increase its spending, but if not, why bother?

Enemies can be conjured up with propaganda, spin, and in this case, directionless confusion but the real question here is why is a defensive alliance intervening in civil wars?

This shouldn't be about too-little war-making by NATO, but too-much.

Defensive alliances
Aggression against sovereign states

[Asher]

Cort Haus

[OneFootInTheGrave]

, and in this case, directionless confusion

so true

and the rest of the statement

[VetLegion]

It's a sad indictment of the US when they're whining that no one else is "willing" to wage war and is more interested in peacekeeping.

I'd say this thread backfired from the very first quote, to anyone reasonable.

QFT

[Felch]

When the war is instigated by our allies, it'd be real nice to see them fight it without needing us to bankroll it.