XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war-world-war-three, or.politics
XPost: seattle.politics, ca.politics

Remember when US Presidents would repeatedly and nicely ask the
NATO countries to live up to the standards and properly increase
their % of GDP to be put into defense spending.
And they would make excuses, and promise they will try better,,,
but never quite make it, safe under the US nuclear umbrella.

from NYT

Europe’s paradox
Author Headshot
By Katrin Bennhold

I cover international politics from London.

As the United States deserts Ukraine, and Europe with it, leaders on the continent are closing ranks and arming up to defend their democracies
against Russia. In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer elicits
comparisons to Winston Churchill. In France, President Emmanuel Macron
is channeling Charles de Gaulle’s argument for independence from
Washington. Germany changed its strict budget rules to spend more on
defense. Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, came to Brussels
yesterday to urge them on.

But Russia isn’t the only threat to democracy in Europe. Far-right and autocratic parties here have gained ground for a decade. They’re already
part of the government in six capitals. And the impulse to ramp up
defense may energize their voters.

Europe is rearming to battle fascism and autocracy abroad.
Unfortunately, this may also empower fascism and autocracy at home.

Welfare vs. warfare

To understand why, remember the state of European politics: Economies
are stagnating, governments are unpopular and efforts to keep the far
right out of coalition governments are barely holding. Now, as critics
see it, leaders want to spend money containing Russia instead of helping
their citizens.

In Britain, Starmer plans to increase military spending from 2.3 percent
of the economy today to 3 percent early in the next decade. At the same
time, he plans to cut Britain’s annual welfare bill by some 5 billion
pounds (about 6.5 million dollars) a year. It’s a risky proposition
after the economy shrank in January and at a time when the hard-right
Reform U.K. party is snapping at Labour’s heels in some working-class regions. British voters say welfare spending is more important than
military spending. “Welfare Not Warfare,” read a banner at protests last week.

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