Europe Becomes a Union
Audio Recording by George Hahn
The president is pulling back the security blanket that’s protected Europe since 1945 and imposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, claiming the European Union was formed to “screw” the United States. As the U.S. upends transatlantic ties, the EU is awakening to the reality that its rich uncle has lost his shit and can no longer be trusted, much less depended on. As dangerous as this is, we should ask “What could go right?” This rift presents an opportunity for the EU to harness its economic strength and finally become a union.
Europe at a Crossroads
Skepticism is warranted. The bloc of 27 member states has a host of problems: waning competitiveness against the U.S. and China, lagging investment, costly regulation, lack of coordination, sclerotic decision-making, and political division. Only 4 of the world’s top 50 tech companies are European, according to a report last year led by Mario Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank. Without radical change, Draghi said, Europe’s “reason for being” is at risk.
But with American brand equity eroding at a breathtaking pace, Europe could fill the void. Under Trump, the U.S. is caving to Russia, a murderous autocracy. The pre-orchestrated ambush of a democratically elected leader in Ukraine was a low point in American history. Typical head-up-your-ass thinking from a leader who’s decided to alienate allies, raise costs for American consumers, and reduce demand for our products overseas. The definition of stupid is harming yourself while harming others. These policies are … stupid.
Wake-Up Call
So, how should Europe respond? First, it’s critical the EU significantly boost its spending. EU defense investment last year accounted for just 1.9% of its GDP, well short of the level of 3.5% that’s needed to respond to today’s existential crisis.
Europe is finally getting serious about security. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, set out a plan to mobilize €800 billion for defense, including a €150 billion loan program to pay for weapons and technology, while Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, stressed the need for “independence” from the U.S. Merz’s center-right Christian Democrats and the leaders of his likely coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats, have agreed to relax limitations on German borrowing and inject hundreds of billions into the country’s military and infrastructure — a seismic shift in policy.
Despite its numerous challenges, Europe has economic heft it can leverage. Europe has a GDP 10 times the size of Russia’s, but Putin is spending 40% more on the war than Ukraine and all its allies, including the U.S., combined.
Seize the Moment — and the Money
The next step is seizing more than €200 billion of frozen Russian assets held in Brussels. While the interest generated from those funds is being used to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, European countries stopped short of confiscating the funds amid fears that it could breach international law and undermine trust in Europe as a place to invest. The risk to investment in the EU is dwarfed by the importance of setting a clear incentive to think twice before invading a neighbor.
It’s worth noting that about £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea Football Club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is just sitting in a bank account amid protracted talks about how the money will be unlocked. It’s time to pull the trigger on the frozen funds. This would move the EU upstream of the policies of the U.S. president, and remove his leverage to force a surrender.
Winston Starmer
Another positive emerging from the chaos is stronger collaboration between the EU and the U.K. Almost nine years after Britain voted to leave the bloc — one of the biggest self-inflicted injuries in history — the U.K. is moving closer to Europe again. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proposed forming a “coalition of the willing” to police any ceasefire in Ukraine, with his country ready to “put boots on the ground and planes in the air.” Britain has also shown support for a multilateral fund and joint military financing to fortify Europe’s defenses.
At a time when European countries are already under financial pressure, pouring more money into defense will be painful. In the U.K., Starmer has drawn fire over his plan to cut the foreign aid budget to fund the military. But the prime minister has “found a new purpose abroad” after getting off to a shaky start, as the Economist notes in a cover story this week under the headline “Winston Starmer.”
Conflict Breeds Innovation
Putting the moral argument to support Ukraine aside, leaders can make an economic case for military investment, as it paves the way for innovation. Consider the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The agency, better known as DARPA, played a critical role in breakthroughs including GPS navigation, stealth technology, and mRNA vaccines. In Israel, where technology and national security go hand in hand, the military serves as an incubator of startups. Or look at Ukraine, which has revolutionized drone warfare.
The Trump administration fails to see what may have been the best investment by the U.S. in recent history. The $67 billion the U.S. has provided in military aid to Ukraine is a significant sum, and Americans justifiably question funding a war thousands of miles away when they can’t find jobs or afford diabetes medication. However, much of that spending benefits U.S. military suppliers, creating jobs and stimulating the economy. (As it happens, mostly in red states, but that’s a different post.) What’s more, using the equivalent of about 7% of our defense budget, we’re crippling Russia’s army, hobbling Putin’s economy, and castrating proxies that pose a terrorist threat. All without putting a single American boot on the ground. We’ve taken out a third of an enemy’s kinetic power and sent a message to China regarding its long-contemplated invasion of Taiwan. They’ve no doubt taken notice of how formidable a motivated fighting force can be defending their homeland when armed with Western armaments and intelligence.
Economic Pivot
The U.S. retreat presents an opportunity for Europe. In Germany, bold plans to step up investment in defense and infrastructure are sparking optimism that the manufacturing sector will get a much-needed boost. Weapons maker Rheinmetall aims to convert some car-part plants to produce military equipment, and Hensoldt, which makes sensors and radars, is considering hiring software engineers from automotive suppliers that have experienced huge job cuts.
Rheinmetall, French warplane maker Dassault Aviation, Italian defense and aerospace company Leonardo, Britain’s BAE Systems, and Sweden’s Saab, a maker of jets, submarines and anti-tank systems, have all seen dramatic rallies in their share prices as investors anticipate an increase in military spending.
The benefits could spill over into other sectors, too, giving a lift to a sluggish European economy. It’s estimated that a debt-financed increase in defense spending to 3.5% of GDP — with those funds directed to infrastructure, R&D, and manufacturing from European sources — could increase economic output by as much as 1.5% per year.
If Europe successfully adapts, it will expand in promising areas including AI, semiconductors, digital infrastructure, and quantum computing. Building on its manufacturing, technology, and intellectual property prowess, it could level up to its global competitors.
Can Europe Rise to the Occasion?
Europe has economic influence. But it also needs resolve, a resource in abundance in Russia. Think about what Ukraine and its allies are up against. Putin has shown a willingness to shed a staggering amount of blood, sending waves of young men forward into a “meat grinder,” as the strategy is known, in a bid to overwhelm the enemy. Ukraine estimates Russia lost 150,000 soldiers in 2024 alone — almost three times the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War. How does Russia recruit? In some regions, through substantial upfront payments.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plays down the importance of values relative to hard power. “You can’t shoot values. You can’t shoot flags,” he says. He’s wrong. Afghanistan, Vietnam, 1939 Britain, and the 13 American colonies all faced bigger fighting forces. And they prevailed. The EU lacks the funds, but this can be fixed. The real question is: Do they have the resolve?
Gas Masks
When my mom was a young girl growing up in London during World War II, she and her family had to endure the Blitz. They were forced to sleep in dark tube stations, where they’d pass out gas masks shaped like Disney characters so scared children would agree to put them on. Eight decades after Germany surrendered, how many Europeans are willing to sleep underground to live through the night?
What Could Go Right
Achieving peace, security, and stability will require tough decisions and sacrifices. The kind of sacrifices that win wars. Is the EU willing to make them? As Trump advances with his America First agenda, it’s easy for proponents of liberty and democracy to despair. But there’s nothing like the threat of a brutal autocrat in Russia and an unpredictable president in the White House to bring unity to the continent. The bad news is the EU can no longer count on the U.S. The good news: They may not need us.
Life is so rich,
P.S. My Raging Moderates co-host Jessica Tarlov and I will be hosting a live podcast recording at the 92nd Street Y in NYC on April 17. Join us online or in person. Sign up here.
P.P.S. Last call to sign up for my AMA on Thriving in the Age of AI next week. RSVP here.
Prof.G, I enjoy your newsletter and your podcasts. Though you may see Europes’ ability to unite a bit too positive here, you are right on many aspects. Well done. Thank you for sharing your perspective. Sybille (Germany)
Scott, I read your “No Mercy/No Malice” articles and listen to “Pivot” and “Prof G” regularly. I appreciate your take on things. I must say, however, that when I hear de-regulation, I get twitchy because regulations are what keep us safe, and all one need do is look quickly around the US and the globe to see clearly that regulations are required. Yes, regulations increase cost in most cases, but, arguably, the costs for items that we have all paid to date are artificially low because we fail to account for environmental damage and damage to human health outcomes. Industry will scream that they do what is legally required, but that is a low bar at the best of times. I do not believe that relying on the “market system” that has delivered us to this point can be relied upon to deliver us from the damages that we are piling up daily. #47 is showing in spades that the underlying foundation of the First World is corrupt and fixated only on money/profits. We need fundamental change. We can orchestrate it or “Mother Nature” will do so for us and, ultimately, not gently.
I love your newsletter and your podcast. Thank you for sharing your perspective!
I see MSNBC is holding up Tim Walz as a paragon of manhood.
Thanks, MSNBC, for setting the bar for manhood so low.
If Tim Walz were really an actual man, he wouldn’t have tried to characterize J.D. Vance, who has several kids, as an incel as a slur. If that was his way of expressing his manhood, Walz did the opposite. Going after Vance in such an immature way made Walz sound like he has a masculinity crisis every time Gwen has a headache.
Dear Prof G. I’m new to your audience, currently listening to your podcast. Thank you for this episode. I stumbled upon one sentence though. It was the following: “Putting the moral argument to support Ukraine aside, leaders can make an economic case for military investment, as it paves the way for innovation.”
Please don’t limit US’s help to Ukraine to “moral argument” and “economic case”. Main reason for US’s support is the Budapest Memorandum.
Thank you for your solidarity. I hope the US one day returns to the brotherhood of democratic nations willing to stand together.
The problem I see with the thinking of Europe is that it relies on decades of Russophobia even though Russia has never invaded Europe but Europe has invaded Russia several times till Russia pushed back and helped destroy Nazis.
But years of US activism and disregard for UN in favor of coalition of the willing destroying Iran, bonbing Serbia, Lybia, and what we see in Middle East and all the havoc is what has brought us Trump and a coalition of the willing domestically. Europe is next to Russia, Russia is not going anywhere. Europe needs to think how it solves their Russophobia and get this East West bias out of their head.
Sounds True…
Sorry but this is not true. Russia has attacked Europe several times. Only in the 20th century Russia was the aggressor in conflicts:
– Polish-Soviet War – 1919-1921
– Soviet invasion of Poland – 1939
– Winter War (Finnish-Soviet War) – 1939-1940
– Hungarian Revolution of 1956
– Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia – 1968
– First Chechen War – 1994 – 1996
– Second Chechen War – 1999 – 2000
– Russo-Georgian War – 2008
– Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation – 2014
– Russian invasion of Ukraine – 2022-now
The far right Republicans, which today includes all Republicans in the House and Senate, have no intention of spending the modest amount of money saved on things that benefit the American people. They exist only to give huge tax breaks to the richest of the rich. I am tired of the comments about Americans being justifiably upset about the money being spent on Ukraine when it could be used for such good things at home to help Americans,. The people making this complaint are a minority of Republicans, Trump supporters, all right wing Republicans, Russian bots and the far “left” wing taken in by the “it’s all NATO’s fault for provoking Russia” false Russian claim about a promise that was never made.
Great to hear you’re safe in your London bunker. What about the rest of us stuck in the US?
Still waiting to read the press release that Galloway and his kids have signed up to fight the Russians and are being deployed to the meatgrinder war that he is so fond of.
80 years is long enough to mature into trousers. Took an actual no from the US to encourage donning them.
God, só many negative comments!
Europe has a long, long history.
We’ve been fighting each other for 400 years, while forming empires. Mainly overseas.
After the collapse, due to WW2, we were forced to look inwards and started to cooperate.
For the first 40 years we were split between ruZZia and the USA; after that we slowly started to reintegrate. By now we are Europe: A cooperation of multi-party democracies. And I think we’re doing great. Well, not great, but good. We just have to step up our production to defeat the last empire on our European grounds.
600mln Europeans cannot be defeated by 140mln ruZZians, unless we let them.
Oh. And ps.: Real Leadership means cooperation, not isolation.
If WW2 has learned us 1 thing, it is that Yalta was a réally bad idea.
We don’t need a strong leader, we need strong cooperation between leaders.
In order to end this war an understanding of why Putin felt it was necessary to begin this “police action” to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO , and bringing more U.S. weapons and troops to the Russian border is required . ( If my memory serves me well, the United States named its original entry into Vietnam a police action)
Putin believed he could easily and quickly force a change in the relatively new government of Ukraine.
He was quite wrong and it has cost him and his land dearly , but he cannot give up without winning something , after having already sacrificed so much politically, financially ,and in terms of Russian lives. He would like get out, but he must be given some way to save face .
Zelenskyy , who has gone from a TV comedian to a wealthy world figure , will not end the war as long as it is being financed .
Trump understands this and will likely end the war , saving lives , both Russian and Ukraininan , and probably saving more money than Dr Galloways’ projected fruits of investing in the conflict could possibly make.
While I believe that the Trump administration is may well be the greatest tradgedy the U.S. has experienced since the civil war , it is strange and ironic that Trumps effort to force Zelenskyy into a negoitiated peace might even gain him the Nobel peace prize
.I will close be stating as I have before that JFK was willing to start WW 111 , to prevent Russia
from installing nuclear weapons in Cuba.
I posted a comment here, and because my intended comment was too long , I broke it up into a comment, and two replys . Perhaps because my first comment was critical, my reply was apparently not approved and disappeared. I then posted my reply as a new comment, and it disappeared, so then I attemped to post it again, but was told it was a duplicate, and therefore not allowed. ?
Dr. Galloway , Usually I am in total agreement with your observations over the U.S. social and economic conditions and I look forward each week to your posts which often bring a much needed touch of sanity to the social media world. Sadly , here I must disagree with almost your entire article , and I find your post shows a kind of narrow point of view and nationalism , which unintentionally “damages both yourself and others ” .
By making a case for the financing and building of greater and better “meatgrinders ” instead of seeking a way to find a negoitiated peace you seem to alighn yourself with the “masters of war ” , who have been written about by Vonnegut, Salinger, and Chomsky in earlier years.
Regrettably Professor Chomsky from whom it appears you could learn much, is now no longer able to talk or write .
Scott, You said “much of that spending benefits US military suppliers, creating jobs and stimulating the economy (mostly in red states).” I would love for you to put on your marketing hat and explain why that message was drowned out in the presidential campaign. We have a president with such a solid ideological grip on his electorate that he can march the economy voluntarily into a recession, lose millions of lives through a botched response to a pandemic, and still win. Why is ineptitude winning the propaganda war against progress and prosperity?
3/4 of a century of psyops
Because the majority of our voting population is stupid, thoughtless or angry. Or all of these.
Curios, Scott
Do you see any value in the US questioning our financial and military positions post WW2? Trumps style (or lack of it) is usually awful, but he is questioning the ways things have been for a very a long time. Are you suggesting that unlike individuals or businesses it’s never appropriate to rethink and reprioritize?
During July, 2020, Pfizer inked a $1.95 billion advance purchase deal with the US government’s Operation Warp Speed, the multiagency effort to rush a vaccine to market. The deal was a guarantee to purchase 100 million doses of an effective Covid vaccine that met specific criteria. Pfizer, despite Trump’s numerous false claims, received no money up front. Any funds received would be upon delivery of an effective vaccine by a date certain. Pfizer did not accept federal funding to help develop or manufacture the vaccine, unlike Moderna and AstraZeneca. Both types of government support are valid, credible means of getting innovation to market. But to be clear, Pfizer received zero up-font dollars.
Really enjoyed this weeks read, and lines up with many conversations i have been having at my work place( i am in Australia, but work for a european institution.)
European Commission to use 10 trillion Euros of citizens’ savings for EU defence
11 March 2025
The European Commission estimates the total level of unused savings of EU citizens at 10 trillion Euros, and it intends to find ways to mobilise this money to finance its plans to militarise Europe and support the European military-industrial complex, according to a statement by European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investment Union Maria Luís Albuquerque, distributed by the EC press service, TASS reports
If the European Union GRABS that Savings account money, and issues (maybe) a sort of I.O.U. to the account holders, there’s no telling when or if they will get any of their money back! Most __thinking__ people understand this.
It is also possible that Europe will implement CAPITAL CONTROLS just before they actually do this, so as to PREVENT people from getting their money out.
So people like Galloway that are so upset that the cash flow to fight a Forever War that is never ever meant to be won and never ever meant to end is being turned off should cheer up.
The government is just going to seize your account to fund the Forever War.
I hope Dr Galloway has read and thought about your comment, and mine.
As doomberg pointed out recently, Europe can’t really build more of a defense industry because “it doesn’t have the joules.” The joules reference was to an earlier recent piece of theirs, which pointed out that Europe and the UK were destined to continue to DE-industrialize because of their foolish energy policies.
re Trump, whatever else he is, he is a master manipulator. The arab states were studiously avoiding the issue of what’s supposed to happen to Gaza until Trump said he’d turn it into a resort. Immediately Egypt called a conference of arab states to produce a Gaza plan. Similarly, Europe was content to free ride on U.S. defense spending until Trump said the U.S. wouldn’t defend countries that didn’t meet their commitments, and then eviscerated Zelensky and cut off Ukraine, at least for the moment. Immediately Germany abolished its debt brake and europe made moves towards significantly increased defense spending. Hardly coincedences.
I suggest the addition of Bell Laboratories as an extraordinary example of US Government-funded innovation – albeit indirectly funded. Bell Laboratories was funded by its parent company, AT&T, a federally regulated monopoly. AT&T was permitted through a series of consent decrees with the US Department of Justice, to operate a nationwide telephone network until is breakup in the 1980s.
As a regulated monopoly, AT&T generously funded Bell Laboratories, an organization responsible for information theory, the transistor, solar panels, laser, UNIX operating system, C programming language, etc.
A refreshing commentary, thank you. I’d add a couple of points to your perspective:
Trump & Co go on about how badly the US has been abused by it’s neighbours and friends. I’d remind you of the stated purpose of the Marshall Plan from the US National Archive: “For the United States, the Marshall Plan provided markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe. Congress’s approval of the Marshall Plan signaled an extension of the bipartisanship of World War II into the postwar years.” It has suited the US to have all these nations dependent as it affords control – the F35 being a prime example of how military control has led to industrial domination. The same applies to the tech companies you mention. My point being that this was intentional, not accidental or because the EU was disorganized – which is true – but cultivated and sustained by the US. (Same applies to Canada.) Arguably the EU should have started to get it’s act together after the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989?) but remember, until eight weeks ago, control was still US Policy!
I grew up in Kent and a V1 narrowly missed me and family (I was 1, no recall!) but the crater in the back yard was a reminder of what could have been.
Keep up the great work Scott.
hey CHAT GPT:
WHat is the total dollar amount of aid the USA has provided UKRAINE in money, weapons and supplies?
As of early March 2025, the United States has provided substantial support to Ukraine in the form of military assistance, financial aid, and humanitarian supplies. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, by the end of September 2024, the U.S. had allocated approximately $175 billion in aid related to the conflict, with about $106 billion directed as direct aid to Ukraine.
CFR.ORG
This aid encompasses:
Military Assistance: The U.S. has delivered or allocated over €64 billion (approximately $70 billion) since January 2022, including weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment.
REUTERS.COM
Financial Aid: Direct financial support to the Ukrainian government has been significant, with reports indicating around $31.5 billion in budgetary assistance.
REUTERS.COM
Humanitarian Supplies: The U.S. has also provided substantial humanitarian aid, though specific figures vary among sources.
GAO.GOV
It’s important to note that these figures may vary depending on the source and the inclusion criteria, as some reports may count loans, grants, or other financial instruments differently.
The EU will NEVER be competitive as long as their heavy handed over regulation persists. The socialist mindset must be discarded- and it’s inbred in their culture. This is over before it begins.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, as the old saying goes.
Seriously, it’s hard to imagine a European rebirth given immigration policies of the past and present. Europe is finished.
Plenty of stupid going on.
On the other hand, if the EU?! actually coughs up, where’s the harm?
The Londoners who slept in Tube ststions during the Blitz were within living memory of WWI and the horrors of that war. Only Boomers remember Viet Nam war and the dread of body bags on the TV news.
This need not be a binary choice: manufacture weapons or don’t. As we see in the U.S., weapons suck the air out of the caring economy and then you get a crummy quality of life, which leads to revolution. That is what Trump is trying to reverse in terms of military spending ( he’ll probably give the savings to billionaires in tax breaks, but that’s another issue). So, what about Europe doing a New Deal for military AND health care spending AND transition to renewables—not ONLY military, which at a certain point in our AI/ drone dominated world, just seems like a waste?
Marvelous response Elizabeth. Earth is a closed system; endless growth is impossible. We need innovations that work on health and thriving for everybody before we do anything more for the 1%!
Thirty two countries belong to NATO, in 2022 10 of those countries spent the recommended 2% of GDP on defense. Even now, the estimate for 2024 is 25 countries will meet the 2% threshold. Now multiply that under investment by 10 or 15 years and you get a very unprepared NATO except for US.
What did I miss? Trump not fully committing to spill American blood or spend American resources, no matter how little the other NATO countries have spent to help out on their defense is a bad thing?
And people want you Scott, to run for President? Please go back to business topics where you seem to have a better understanding of the issues.
Scott, I love your posts, witty and to the point. To some extent you seem like you ARE a European haha. You are absolutely right in your assessment, the only BIG question or even a litmus’s test will be to see if Europe can really create “union” and act like one. I pray for this to happen, however if you Study history of this continent – the chances are very slim. The French and Germans always loved Russia for two different reasons. The South is far and does not understand the “evil empire” and the right-wing governments winning here like the USA lately show, how uneducated masses influence the future of this planet. I stay positive that maybe this time it happens, the potential monetary wise of the European continent dwarf the Russia to the micro-state.
Europe lacks leadership. Very badly. Without this, there is no chance that Europe maintains an important role in global politics, commerce, finance and do forth…
Precise and brilliant.How on hell USA can tell other economies “Steal them ” when they are the richer economy and it’s multinationals rule the world . Simply stupid. But American society has failed to it’s origins . What will the founding fathers think of situation . They that immigrated to get away from European Kleptocracy ?
These are all great stats, but they are missing key points. 1) Europe is over (I come from France); it has failed miserably and has bankrupted and devastated key sectors (French Agriculture) on the altar of globalism. 2) Despite every effort from Macron to Von Der Leyen to (blinded by mad ideologogy) to scare the populace that Russian invasion is imminent, Nations are now squarely seeking to regain their full sovereignty. 3) European technocrats can continue to act like the clowns they are, and add trillions to the crushing debt in so-called “re-armement” and defensive weapons, Russia is NOT going anywhere. 4) The lie was to tell the world that Ukraine would join Nato or the EU…This will NEVER happen. (Woke, DEI) Ideology is so dangerous, and I am baffled to see that instead of cheering for a President who wants PEACE, eradicate DEFICITS (our “clear and present danger”), and CUT MILITARY SPENT in HALF, the Dems continue on their self-destruction path….(and yes, I was a dem for many years, until I woke up and realized I had been DUPED)
God you’re an idiot. Another fucking maga cult member
Ahahahahah moron you of the year prize assigned
I can’t imagine that 27 countries are I going to agree about a European defense. The EU parlaimant is just a place to park politicians who have fallen from grace but been faithful to the party. Most of the time 90% of its members are absent. I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t see it happening. I live in Spain, and here you have to make a pact the devil to get anything done. Multiply that by 27.
Thank you as always for your insight
Reference my previous comment on running for president, what I mean you have unique charisma is, you are not slick like Galvin Newsome and you come across as the Everyman not an elitist pretending to be something they are not. Like Bernie but you have youth.
You must have missed Scott’s podcasts, in which he laughed about the following. (At least he’s honest about it.)
1. Rolling around in his private jet while complaining about climate change.
2. Buying $20 dollar pastries and $10 coffees while high in SOHO on edibles. A great example for others.
3. Saying he wants Newsom to be President because he’s so good looking.
4. Backing one of the most inarticulate, horrible candidates for President, ever in Kamala Harris.
5. Betting over $350K that Kamala Harris would win the election. Gheez, why would anyone ever admit to placing a bet of that size, let alone on Harris? It just reeks of douchenozzle.
Unfortunately, Scott is one of the global elites (moved his family to London and sent his kid to boarding school.) He and his fellow elites have completely lost touch with the average American who is broke from taxes, corrupt government spending and 100% unchecked immigration which has destroyed American towns and cities across the US, while burying schools and social services with children not remotely able to learn at levels they need to, in order to keep up.
I used to be a huge fan and religious listener, but now I read Scott’s stuff for nothing more than the comedy that it is. I’m starting to believe that it’s simply satire.
All this rhetoric that tries to bring arguments along with the fact that war -depending on the author, must be continued – is what must be remembered about the 21st century, frankly, it is a losing rhetoric. We have come, as people and humanity, to the point where it seems logical and absolutely normal to agree that the only industry in which it is worth investing or increasing spending is that of death. Armament.
And that living in peacetime is no longer an option. Which, in my opinion, is sick!
Everything, from head to toe, is absurd, against any logic of a peaceful future and nothing seems to matter anymore if it is not related to a theater of operations.
Europe has no reason to arm itself additionally. No matter whether the USA will support it or not. And the Russian scarecrow is monumentally hilarious.
In almost 3 years of savage war, Putin has not been able to conquer and permanently keep some poor villages or slightly larger towns, a few strips of land. Despite the huge war effort made, despite the huge loss of human lives and the dizzying sums that it has been pumping into weapons and war industry.
How could it conquer and keep anything in Europe?
Your GDP figures for Russia are off the mark. Most academic, Wall Street and international agencies economists use purchasing power parity to calculate GDP when comparing national GDPs. The alternative current exchange rate methodology is flawed since it can vary minute to minute based on spot exchange rates. Estimates for 2024 from the World Bank: China $T37.0, US $T29.2, India $T16.0, Russia $T6.9, Japan $T6.6, Germany $T6.0, Brazil $T4.7 and Indonesia $T4.7. By the way, the IMF and CIA figures are very similar to the World Bank figures. In addition, China’s industrial base is larger than the combined figures for Europe, Japan and the U.S. combined, and their production efficiencies and cost are significantly lower than those of the West. Lastly, BRICS is now the largest trading bloc in the world and will only grow stronger in the years to come as a result of adding new members and maintaining higher growth rates. Americans and the West need to acknowledge these realities and base their economic and geopolitical strategies on them instead of trying to convince ourselves and others that we are still #1.
Hear hear amongst everything else that was disgustingly stated in that article notably the celebration aspect of not worrying about who’s boots are on the ground as long is we stick it to Russia. It’s a cult of death the military industrial complex.
You stole my thought! He’s forcing Europe to become independent from US support, and requiring them to grow EU defense industries and technologies. My hope is that they can act quickly enough to save Ukraine. Trump’s actions and attitude are already losing us the title “Leader of the Free World”.
This trade war between three of the world’s largest trading partners will go down in history as the greatest lost. Opportunity for economic expansion and security. Had the United States taken a different approach to Canada and Mexico, its loyal business partners, perhaps an economic union could have been put together that would have benefited all countries greatly. Between the three countries, we have everything that’s needed, from raw materials, intellectual property, stable workforce, infrastructure and many shared values to be an economic and political powerhouse. If only had the United States approached its partners with the attitude of “let’s help each other out with the things that we’re deficient in” and “let’s help each other out with the things that we’re more efficient at. Instead, the United States has turned Canada and Mexico into competing business partners. The U.S. has lost the opportunity to create a union that would have shown the world that we may be philosophically separate, but we are united as a mutually beneficial business entity.
Oh, what might have been had the man who says he’s the dealmaker actually tried to make a deal, instead of trying to use a blunt force instrument — a.k.a. tariffs — to subjugate his two most important allies and trading partners. Unfortunately the deal-maker-and chief has become the steal-maker and-chief. Canada has had a wake-up call.
Please give consideration to running for president! You communicate in such a way that complex ideas are easy for EVERYONE to understand; demystifier! And you have a true robust masculinity that is very appealing to working class people. You are charismatic in a unique way.
Please give consideration to running for president! You communicate in such a way that complex ideas are easy for EVERYONE to understand; demystifier! And you have a true robust masculinity that is very appealing to working class people. You are charismatic in a unique way.
Europe, the US and other countries need to get to the bottom of what Putin et al. have done to manipulate elections in other countries. And put in place sufficient counter-measures. Otherwise Europe’s ability to work together will be impaired, much less our own urgent need to rid ourselves of the cancer that’s destroying America’s democracy before our eyes.
Exactly right. The bright spot in having our drunk uncle drive our country off a cliff is that it will make Canada, Europe and liberal democracies stronger. We’ve provided a blue print for what not to do. The question for us is how we come out the other side. If Trump meddles further with free elections — it’s coming — that is when Americans might put down their devices and do something.
The original idea for the E.U. was to prevent war between France and Germany (and europe in general). However could this union ever have been achieved without Pax Americana providing military and energy security? I would maintain not. Even the late Peter Drucker argued that this organization would not go the distance. Now we find out after essentially the exorbitamt privilege of riding the coattails of America.
There are two major issues to EU’s coming together as a cohesive political union:
First, across all major EU countries you have a slate or right-wing parties who have been flirting with Putin for decades. These parties are not fringe entities anymore. This means that an EU political entity whose reason of being is to defend Europe from Russia would have to be supported by every single party to the left of the extreme right: from the liberal right, centrist Christian Democrats, all the way to the Labor parties and Green in the left. Unlikely, particularly if what is on the agenda is not the length of bananas but spending 5% of GDP in defense expenses (many left wing parties are already going on record today saying they oppose this)
Second, Europe is not a cultural mono-block (like the US, China and Russia). It is parochialism heaven where the result is a level distrust among member countries. Generally speaking, north vs. south but even between France and Germany or all western countries vs. former eastern block. The dysfunctionalities have been pretty evident on the way immigration has been managed in the past 2 decades. Imagine now these countries agreeing on a defense / offense strategy in a quasi-war context. Impossible
Rather than describing Europe as a nephew “awakening to the reality that its rich uncle has lost his shit and can no longer be trusted” a better analogy would be that the uncle, who is not that rich anymore, has awakened to the reality that his 30 year old nephew living in the basement has to grow some balls and move out of the house.
Close, but not exactly. The rich uncle is plenty rich, but he has “business associates” who want a greater and greater share of his wealth. That translates into austerity for all the hangers on, which includes the EU.
The Rich Uncle just made more money in a crypto scam than he ever made on any other business venture. Trump may be a business failure if you look at the scoreboard but selling out the US government proved to be the only game that mattered.
I love this, I want Europe to kick ass and not need to rely on the US for anything. It will take us years to recover from the damage this administration will inflict and kick authoritarianism to the curb.
It was going to take us years to recover from the damage done in Trump’s first term, mostly due to the Supreme Court. This is possibly more of a multi-generational issue. If we toss out the checks and balances built into our government for a monarchical executive branch, it is a very very long road back.
THIS – what great deal for the U.S. – “using the equivalent of about 7% of our defense budget, we’re crippling Russia’s army, hobbling Putin’s economy, and castrating proxies that pose a terrorist threat. All without putting a single American boot on the ground. We’ve taken out a third of an enemy’s kinetic power and sent a message to China regarding its long-contemplated invasion of Taiwan.”
Please come with Jessica to the PNW! We have raging moderate here in Portland, too!