NATO | OC Politics and Sports

Bick
Administrator

Posts: 6,900

NATO Jan 28, 2019 15:12:18 GMT -8

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Post by Bick on Jan 28, 2019 15:12:18 GMT -8

Anyone notice this being splashed all across the mainstream news sources? Me Neither.

President Donald Trump "is committed to NATO" and deserves credit in obtaining $100 billion more in defense spending for the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said Sunday.

"President Trump has been very clear: He is committed to NATO. He stated that clearly just a few days ago and also at the NATO summit in July," Stoltenberg said on "Fox News Sunday."

Stoltenberg's comment stands in contrast to Democrats who fear Trump wants to pull out of NATO, and some who have expressed concern he could be undermining the military alliance because it benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A New York Times report earlier this month said Trump repeatedly told aides he wanted to pull out of the alliance. In response to the report, Democrats pushed for legislation requiring congressional approval of any move to leave NATO.

Trump has also been criticized for his aggressive approach in insisting America's "delinquent" allies pay a greater share toward the collective defense agreement. At the summit in July, he demanded the other members "immediately" increase their contributions.

Stoltenberg said the tough approach paid off.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/01/27/nato-chief-credits-trump/2695799002/

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Credo
Master Eminence Grise

Posts: 6,242

NATO Jan 28, 2019 15:32:27 GMT -8

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Post by Credo on Jan 28, 2019 15:32:27 GMT -8

The media hysteria du jour about NATO is simply another opportunity to shoehorn the Russia Hoax into what is now rumor or mere hypotheticals. (Should come with an "if true" disclaimer.) Alan Dershowitz has aptly called this the criminalization of policy differences. It's probably a good thing for us to periodically re-evaluate these kinds of alliances and commitments, but the ossified government/military/media complex shrieks like a banshee whenever Donald Trump clears his throat. Better not to even pay attention to these kinds of stories.

The story you quoted below is the real news, so of course it won't be reported on places like CNN or MSNBC.

Luca
Master Statesman

Posts: 1,316

NATO Jan 28, 2019 17:48:36 GMT -8

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Post by Luca on Jan 28, 2019 17:48:36 GMT -8

I don't really know what the "Democratic Party" wants these days or what its platform is. The people getting the most attention in the party are pushing for "Medicare for all", free college tuition, "income equality", even socialism. But the party itself has not made clear - at least as far as I know - what the current policy goals are.

Instead it seems their intent is simply to oppose whatever it is that the President wants. If he wants to build a wall - even though Democratic leaders themselves also wanted it built several years ago - then they will oppose it. If he wants to reduce American military involvement in Europe, which the Democrat's have historically wanted to do, then they will oppose it. If he wants to pull out of Syria, they will oppose it.

I think all of us remember the days when the Republicans were much more focused on higher defense spending, opposition to Russia in general, strong involvement in NATO and a too-interventionist foreign policy. But now it seems the sides have to a degree switched, not because of any change in philosophy but because it is now what the President wants.

May be he should try a little reverse psychology. Tell them he wants to increase taxes, eliminate ICE, reduce defense pending, provide college tuition for all, etc. We'd see photo ops of Nancy Pelosi putting bricks in a symbolic wall down in Calexico.....................Luca

Bick
Administrator

Posts: 6,900

NATO Jan 28, 2019 18:35:17 GMT -8

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Post by Bick on Jan 28, 2019 18:35:17 GMT -8

The contrast between how Obama and Trump have been received in the EU is truly striking. Obama was a rock star - Trump is Kim Jong Il.

But as far as American interests are concerned, Trump wins hands down. Yet 1/2 the people he serves consider him a pariah.

His approach to NATO under-funding is classic hardball tactics, and this is a HUGE win. According to the Secy General, this under-funding by NATO has been going on for a very long time. Any thoughts on how this might impact the social services they supply to their constituency?

"And you have to remember that the increase we now see in defense spending by European and NATO allies comes after years of decline. So before they were cutting billions. Now they're actually adding billions," he said.

It's likely one of the biggest foreign policy wins in a very long time...but it's literally crickets out there on this.

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