Why should the US be paying the bulk of the freight to defend Europe from largely nonexistent threats? From Brian Cloughley at strategic-culture.org:
In the military a rearguard action is defined as ‘a defensive action carried out by a retreating army’ and it is an appropriate description of the desperate scrabbling by NATO to convince the rest of the world — and especially Donald Trump — that its existence is justified.
President-elect Trump has never said that the US should actually leave NATO. Certainly Hillary Clinton declared that he ‘wants to pull out of NATO’ but this was just another of her lies, and what he said back in April was that it is ‘obsolete’ which is a gentle way of indicating that it’s hopeless. He did, after all, tell a town hall meeting in Wisconsin: «Maybe Nato will dissolve and that’s OK, not the worst thing in the world», but although that may have sent shivers up the supple spine of NATO’s Secretary General Stoltenberg, it was by no means a definitive statement of intention.
The fact remains that The Donald is unhappy with NATO, and he’s perfectly right to consider that it’s a vastly expensive and largely ineffective military grouping that indeed should be disbanded. On the other hand, the massive propaganda campaign waged against Russia has convinced much of the world that Moscow has expansionist plans and that the only way to counter its supposed ambitions is to spend more money — lots and lots more money — and deploy troops and aircraft and ships all over the place to make it look as if gallant little NATO is defending the so-called Free World against the might of an illusory aggressor.
To continue reading: NATO’s Rear-Guard Actions
First of all I want to say great blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask
if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and
clear your mind prior to writing. I’ve had trouble clearing
my mind in getting my thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing but it
just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply just trying to figure
out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Thank you!
Thanks for your comment on SLL. You ask a good question about writing. I find that when I’m having trouble writing, either when I first start something or later on, it is often because I am worrying too much about style, or I have not thought enough about what I’m saying. When I’m worried too much about style, I remind myself to put what’s in my brain on the screen and not worry about style until I edit. It usually helps if I shorten up my sentences and simplify their structure. As for not having thought through what I’m trying to say, there’s nothing wrong with staring at the screen while you’re thinking. I do it all the time. You are not wasting your time, you’re thinking. Writing is the purest reflection of thought, because unlike speech, the writer gets a chance to correct, revise, and edit. The first paragraph or two on anything you write determine if the reader will continue on or quit reading. Don’t worry if you don’t start writing after you turn on the computer. Give your ideas time to bubble around in your brain, as well as how you are going to express those ideas. You’ll know when it’s time to begin. Far too much is written without enough thought beforehand. And don’t worry that what you put down isn’t “perfect”; it won’t be. At least 75 percent of good writing is ruthless editing, but that comes later.