tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post9122663873034117472..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Gates keeps irritating meUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-9549380771175140962010-03-03T10:14:02.382+01:002010-03-03T10:14:02.382+01:00The article author ignores completely the most imp...The article author ignores completely the most important factor:<br />The cooperation between Europe and U.S. is at a completely different level and more closely than between Europe and Russia.<br /><br />(Besides, the latter tends to have less requests and attempts of domination that could piss you off.)<br /><br />It's completely natural to expect better from someone you're cooperating closely with than from someone with whom you cooperate little and just hope to get a closer cooperation.<br /><br />Furthermore the Russians are coming from a totalitarian regime and have a broken economy and national pride as well as serious trouble to prevent further disintegration. It's again natural to expect less from them than from a well-established Western power than pretended tirelessly that it's a (the) good example for the world.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-61319274991730615312010-03-03T08:24:47.331+01:002010-03-03T08:24:47.331+01:00What get's me irritated is this kind of attitu...What get's me irritated is this kind of attitude in Europe.<br /><br />http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15578042Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-36707432701768966842010-03-01T23:16:31.034+01:002010-03-01T23:16:31.034+01:00Gates follows the same old rhetoric which European...Gates follows the same old rhetoric which Europeans have grown accustomed to ever since the end of the Cold War. It shows once again that the guy is (was, actually) much flash and not very much substance. He certainly is not the savior of US military capabilities planning as some folks have painted him.<br /><br />European countries having their own say and ideas about their defence policies is an impediment to just one issue, namely US unipolar political ambitions. Sure there are interests shared by "The Western World". And they will remain common interests, as long as the members of this ill-defined sphere adhere to them. If eventually some of them are getting different ideas, the globe wont stop spinning around.<br /><br />Every time someone connects NATO-obligations to some colonial war in some far-flung corner of the world, I want to ram my forehead against some nearby wall.paranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-10028937201312263502010-03-01T21:20:30.222+01:002010-03-01T21:20:30.222+01:00That's actually irrelevant as article V does n...That's actually irrelevant as article V does no require us to do more (or anything) in Afghanistan.<br /><br />The original regime that gave a safe haven to religious-political criminals who attacked the U.S. - that regime is long gone. NATO somehow forgot to make the end of article V activation official in 2002, which means nothing.<br /><br />I have yet to see a present or historical alliance that demands its members to hunt down all party followers of the leading party of a power that was friendly to non-state actors who attacked an alliance meber ... and continue to do so even long after that party lost power.<br /><br />The claim that European NATO does not fulfill the North Atlantic treaty by not provinding mroe auxiliary troops for U.S. adventures appears sometimes and it's simply ridiculous.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the war of aggression against Iraq was a clear violation of the North Atlantic Treaty.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-24324419623705817672010-03-01T20:49:54.487+01:002010-03-01T20:49:54.487+01:00I suspect anonymous talks about Afghanistan?
Mayb...I suspect anonymous talks about Afghanistan?<br /><br />Maybe he/she doesn´t remember what actually happened there?<br /><br />In late 2001/ early 2002 the US administration (Rumsfeld) didn´t accept any then offered European NATO troops except for some special forces under US command (remember: want a free hand, don´t want any consultations?).<br />After a time they reluctantly allowed some European NATO troops to deploy to Afghanistan but restricted them to Kabul only.<br />And then some time later they warmed to the idea of some NATO "Provincial Reconstruction Teams" I think they were called.<br /><br />Always months or even years too late because all the attention was on Iraq. Remember that the Bush administration didn´t even ask for any civilian aid money for Afghanistan in their 2003 federal budget?<br />Is it any wonder that European governments by now are a bit skeptical? <br /><br />And now after 8 years of messing up Afghanistan, the USA seems to look for a scapegoat. :)<br /><br />It´s all the fault of the "sclerotic", "pacifist", "socialist" Europeans "from Venus". And never ever the fault of "manly" Americans "from Mars".Detlefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-11341234230132541352010-03-01T17:52:10.911+01:002010-03-01T17:52:10.911+01:00The only thing that would come close to "not ...The only thing that would come close to "not owning up to obligations" is that the 2% GDP goal wis being missed by some European states (not Europe as a whole).<br />Such goals were missed routinely during the Cold War as well and the arms racing still proved to be more than enough.<br /><br />Gates should be quiet about NATO obligations, though. The USA has violated the North Atlantic Treaty more than any other member.<br /><br />http://defense-and-freedom.blogspot.com/2008/09/overly-aggressive-allies.htmlS Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-26701725764452882472010-03-01T17:38:00.657+01:002010-03-01T17:38:00.657+01:00Gates is complaining about European Countries not ...Gates is complaining about European Countries not owning up to their NATO obligations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com