NATO Chief thanks President Trump

Interesting which 4 countries met their spending levels. US and Britain, no surprise. But Estonia and Greece?

hislegacy said:

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.dail...to-chief-thanks-trump-boost-defense-spending/

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Good for Donald.

Tanj said:

Interesting which 4 countries met their spending levels. US and Britain, no surprise. But Estonia and Greece?

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As I mention elsewhere, the Greeks spent about 2.4% of GDP on defence spending last year....but it was largely to fund pensions for retired servicemen...!

So much for Donnie’s obsession with the “2%” factor....

hislegacy said:

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.dail...to-chief-thanks-trump-boost-defense-spending/

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Stoltenberg has taken his cue from Kim ...... flatter Donald and he’ll eat out of your hand......ego-stroking was never so simple...

Allandavid said:

Stoltenberg has taken his cue from Kim ...... flatter Donald and he’ll eat out of your hand......ego-stroking was never so simple...

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You’d think, but Trump got the praise he clearly craves and then went off on one with an amazing exercise in projection about Russia.

I’m all for energy independence from Russia, but what is the alternative America is offering here? Energy sales that are only going to get tariffed anyway when Trump throws his next strop?

This is before we get into his lack of grasp of how NATO is funded. I am wondering if he proposed NATO members fund militaries to the tune of 4% because that is about the percentage the US is spending on it. Even though most NATO members are clients of US security guarantees and not providers of US security guarantees.

Trump is NOT going about this in a reasonable way. He's publically airing the complaints which only serves to do the bidding of Vladimir Putin to destabilize western alliances. Yes, other presidents have rankled at the burden sharing, but remember, WE wanted NATO from the beginning if only so that WE could control the various dangers inherent in Europe after WWII (eg a resurgent military in Germany AND holding back the Russians).

For Trump to act like we are somehow put upon to "defend Europe" is absurd in the extreme. Our lives are made MUCH BETTER with a safer Europe and one in which we are the dominant military.

I'd be A-OK with Europe adding more to the pot but that was never really the end goal.

The weird part of this current kerfluffle is that Trump is so NAKEDLY doing Putin's bidding. Trump, being TV guy who is "media savvy" (or so we are told by his supporters) must KNOW that his public approach to constantly undermining the value and commitment to NATO is a PERFECT way to achieve those things.

Think of your workplace. You may really hate your management and the workplace and think that they are doing everything wrong, but would you then go out and publically slag your company? Do you think that would work out for you in the long run? No, most people would endeavor to change it from within, keep it inside the office. Because publically slagging your workplace will likely end up either with you out of a job (fired) or your company being harmed and you out of a job (laid off due to collapse of the company).

I believe this is called STRATEGY. Something Trump seems to know NOTHING about.

hislegacy said:

Go to time stamp 1:40

“It’s because of your leadership”

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Stellar.

Looks like President Trump got their attention.

It's about time somebody did.

Enough is enough.

hislegacy said:

What did he get for it?

Did the President back off?

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Well, one must consider that NATO had already pledged to meet its 2% spending back in 2014 -- now, it's certainly possible that Donald's ranting has lit the fire under certain members to do what they had already pledged to do. Thanking Donald and allowing to take full credit (which he has) is the more diplomatic maneuver than correcting him by telling him the efforts were already underway.

Although I suspect Donald already knew that.

hislegacy said:

And yet, the President was thanked for his leadership.

I guess the President like results over lip service.

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I think that's backwards -- the process was already in the works -- granted, his bellowing might have sped things along. The important thing is that NATO gave him the chance to take full credit for what may or may not have happened anyway.

brinny said:

Stellar.

Looks like President Trump got their attention.

It's about time somebody did.

Enough is enough.

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Enough is enough? You mean enough cohesive resistance to Russia? Definitely Trump is achieving that.

With every open airing of his displeasure with NATO Trump makes Putin smile.

I am LOVING the fact that the US President who sells the West out to the Russian Bear will be a Conservative Republican.

Bravo, GOP. Bravo.

Trump is closer to a former KGB officer than he is to our Western Allies. I am SO impressed. I always thought that it would be the Left who let Russia run us over...turns out it was the Republican Party all along!

Trump couldn't do better if he were to exhume the rotting corpse of Ronald Reagan and perform unspeakable acts with it.

Bravo, GOP. Well played.

hislegacy said:

Then what did he thank the president for?

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As I said, while NATO was already on its way to achieving that target goal, Donald may have prodded along some of its slower members into picking up the pace. Now, if Donald wishes to take sole credit for it happening so he can crow about it to his base(which he does, and he is), that's no skin off NATO's nose; everyone gets what they want.

It's simple, really:

• The US is NATO's strongest member.
• Donald thrives on praise from his base.
• The US's policy is directed in no small part on Donald's mood at any given moment.
• ergo, a happy Donald means a cooperative US.

Really, it's win-win for everyone involved; NATO meets its goals; Donald gets something to boast about.

Gotta give credit to Stoltenberg for some shrewd diplomacy... and really, so do Donald's supporters, because it's the exact same type of diplomacy they've praised Donald for using on Kim Jong Un... only better.

hislegacy said:

Then what did he thank the president for?

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If you listen to what other NATO members state they basically re-affirmed their dedication to a 2014 agreement in which they would move their support to be at 2% of their GDP.

2014 was long before Trump too office.

I would like to take credit for the sun rising tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I actually GET credit for it. No matter who thanks me.

theQuincunx5 said:

If you listen to what other NATO members state they basically re-affirmed their dedication to a 2014 agreement in which they would move their support to be at 2% of their GDP.

2014 was long before Trump too office.

I would like to take credit for the sun rising tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I actually GET credit for it. No matter who thanks me.

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Yes, but you don't have a throng of cheering supporters who would believe the sun rose and set on your word if you claimed it.