CNN: Trump gets a big win on NATO — but key questions over the alliance remain

CNN makes it sound like President Trump is personally benefiting from European countries paying for their own defense.

Not very long ago, President Trump was jawboning European countries to get them to meet their commitment to dedicate a paltry 2% of their GDP to defense spending.  Many were butt-hurt that Trump wasn’t promising to save them from Putin if they didn’t pay their NATO dues.

Six months later, and after President Trump smoothed out conflicts between India/Pakistan, Serbia/Croatia, and Israel/Iran, the NATO crowd is enthusiastic about bumping the NATO guideline to 5%.   Dropping a shitload of explosives on Iran to resolve a decades-long problem was persuasive.

Looking at how NATO countries are doing is interesting.

It’s understandable that several former Soviet satellite countries are serious about NATO.  It’s interesting to find Greece up there with them.  I don’t know what that’s about.

A bunch of countries don’t want to get yelled at by America again, so just reach the threshold.

Several southern European countries are culturally lax and uninterested.  Spain needs to up their game so they are not conspicuously in last place.

Luxembourg, by World Bank stats, is the richest country in the world.  By size and population, it’s smaller than Rhode Island, but has outlandish political influence in Europe.  The elitists in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are comfortable letting other countries pay the freight.  They have probably been talking to their neighbor, Belgium, and convinced them to skip out on the bill.

Canada is a normal country with people who make things.  Why are they so cheap?

It may seem like Canada isn’t near a threatening country, but fly over the North Pole, and Russia is right there.  Or, fly over Alaska.  About a quarter of one percent of Americans live in Alaska.  The rest of us are far from a significant threat like Russia or China.

America is in NATO because we are stand-up guys who will defend the western world.  Or Christendom or whatever you want to call normal countries where people make things.

America is the big man on campus.  Countries like France or the UK are serious countries who participate in keeping order.  They are the popular seniors who keep the freshman from dicking around too much.  Canada is like our little brother, who gets to sit at our table in the cafeteria.  They have more swagger than they’ve earned, and don’t add to the conversation. 

If Canada wants to sit at the table with the big kids, they need to start earning their seat.  Otherwise, they can drop out of NATO, and sit with Mexico and Brazil.