As we face societal and environmental breakdown, the idea that we should be investing more money into NATO makes no sense to me.
Western nations have been the aggressors, and if they withdrew their money and troops, the world would be a more peaceful place.
Isn't that what we want?
War serves no purpose except to kill and destroy, at a time when we're experiencing so many overlapping crises. I'd rather see our countries invest in diplomacy, environmental restoration and stronger social safety nets. Peace is the only sensible path forward, and putting more money into NATO would take us in the wrong direction.
There’s no doubt that the obscene amounts being spent on military forces in the world is money that is not being spent on something better. But getting from here to a much less militarized world is a complicated process that would involve major tension-reduction among power blocks and that can’t happen unilaterally. And also some very serious diplomacy on both nuclear and conventional forces - something that Trump’s government has shown no sign it has the diplomatic and strategic skills to accomplish.
The reorientation of European defense spending right now has to do not just with Russia but with the US. It’s true that Russia hasn’t threatened to invade any NATO countries. But the Trump 2.0 Administration *has* made explicit threats to invade both Canada and especially Denmark over Greenland. Not to mention its threats against non-NATO countries like Panama and Mexico. And Trump has literally attacked Iran in an illegal act of military aggression. Europe actually does have very practical reasons to decouple itself militarily from the US and fortify its defenses against a genuinely more threatening US. And the more Europe distances itself from the US militarily, the less the US will be able to use the European countries now in NATO as force multipliers.
I agree that the USA, Bruce, especially under Trump, is a threat. However, I also think NATO has lost its relevance.
And I agree that reducing military spending and tensions would be a complex process and would require diplomacy.
It also seems to me that the countries considered to be most threatening to the western worlds, namely China and Russia, are seen as a threat because of their economic development, which was carefully planned and has pulled most of their citizens out of poverty.
And I think that's the real threat. The western world with its neoliberal politics and astronomical discrepancy between rich and poor was designed to work for the very rich. There's no desire on the part of western power brokers to improve the standard of living for their citizens, or to make any kinds of societal or environmental improvements. They want cheap labour and the ability to extract resources without having to worry about the constraints that environmental regulations would impose.
For me, that's not OK. And, however difficult a task it is, the system needs to be changed in a way that will benefit everyone and encourage peace between countries.
As we face societal and environmental breakdown, the idea that we should be investing more money into NATO makes no sense to me.
Western nations have been the aggressors, and if they withdrew their money and troops, the world would be a more peaceful place.
Isn't that what we want?
War serves no purpose except to kill and destroy, at a time when we're experiencing so many overlapping crises. I'd rather see our countries invest in diplomacy, environmental restoration and stronger social safety nets. Peace is the only sensible path forward, and putting more money into NATO would take us in the wrong direction.
As far as Russia goes? It's never threatened to invade Europe. Here's a good summary of why it's fighting Ukraine. https://consortiumnews.com/2025/02/25/ukraine-timeline-tells-the-tale/
There’s no doubt that the obscene amounts being spent on military forces in the world is money that is not being spent on something better. But getting from here to a much less militarized world is a complicated process that would involve major tension-reduction among power blocks and that can’t happen unilaterally. And also some very serious diplomacy on both nuclear and conventional forces - something that Trump’s government has shown no sign it has the diplomatic and strategic skills to accomplish.
The reorientation of European defense spending right now has to do not just with Russia but with the US. It’s true that Russia hasn’t threatened to invade any NATO countries. But the Trump 2.0 Administration *has* made explicit threats to invade both Canada and especially Denmark over Greenland. Not to mention its threats against non-NATO countries like Panama and Mexico. And Trump has literally attacked Iran in an illegal act of military aggression. Europe actually does have very practical reasons to decouple itself militarily from the US and fortify its defenses against a genuinely more threatening US. And the more Europe distances itself from the US militarily, the less the US will be able to use the European countries now in NATO as force multipliers.
I agree that the USA, Bruce, especially under Trump, is a threat. However, I also think NATO has lost its relevance.
And I agree that reducing military spending and tensions would be a complex process and would require diplomacy.
It also seems to me that the countries considered to be most threatening to the western worlds, namely China and Russia, are seen as a threat because of their economic development, which was carefully planned and has pulled most of their citizens out of poverty.
And I think that's the real threat. The western world with its neoliberal politics and astronomical discrepancy between rich and poor was designed to work for the very rich. There's no desire on the part of western power brokers to improve the standard of living for their citizens, or to make any kinds of societal or environmental improvements. They want cheap labour and the ability to extract resources without having to worry about the constraints that environmental regulations would impose.
For me, that's not OK. And, however difficult a task it is, the system needs to be changed in a way that will benefit everyone and encourage peace between countries.