Trump's creation: A Europe that spends more on defense but can stand up to US | Hacker News Reader

Trump's creation: A Europe that spends more on defense but can stand up to US

politico.eu

9 pointssaubeidl20 comments

Sometimes, you resort to a stick (threats, disparagement, etc.) rather than a carrot, to get your friends to be more self-reliant and mature.

It makes them stronger and then you can apply your energies to other matters.

The problem is, once you use a stick, they might become self-reliant, but they might not want to be your friends anymore.

Possibly.

On the other hand, it is reasonable to argue that the alternative has been tried for decades and didn't work. Moreover, since the stakes have gotten so much higher with China's ascendency, it is worth the risk.

When you keep on giving money to a friend to help them, they never learn to stand on their own feet. It creates a dependency not of true friendship, but of subservience.

It pushes your former friend to align closer with China, making it a geopolitical own goal...

Risk worth taking. The EU and China have vastly different political, economic, and social orientation, so while they might align more closely on some things, I think America and the EU will always be much closer to each other.

The same can be said for the EU and the US - what do they have in common in the areas you mentioned?

But they are kind of forced to buy US defense equipement, that to have US tatical nukes (any significant invasion army will be nuked).

So Trump is a mastermind playing 4D chess?

Yeah, no.

Never forget the system works because people believe in it. America has just given up the privileges they have enjoyed for many years now. Also, do not count on the USA credit rating to be set in stone. For me personally, I have moved my pension fund to a fund, which does not invest in US treasury and I have a feeling a lot of other people will be doing this too. Its going to be a slow painful heat death for the USA frogs.

https://archive.ph/W8AMd

Reply on news.ycombinator.com