I think the French would be happy if the Germans would pay for a European military that France controls. Until then, Europe relies on America for defense. But when the European Union can kill NATO and force Europe to protect itself, the proto-imperial EU will be on its way to ridding itself of the prefix.
The only real problem for France is that the Germans are unwilling to pay for the capabilities:
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer doubled down Tuesday on her assertion that Europe must continue to rely on U.S. security guarantees, citing “sobering facts” in a response to criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Kramp-Karrenbauer had become embroiled in an unusual public spat with Macron after the latter, in an interview with Le Grand Continent published Monday, criticized her over an op-ed in POLITICO in which she had argued that “Europe still needs America.”
The French president said that he “profoundly” disagrees with Kramp-Karrenbauer’s position and described her argument as “a historical misinterpretation,” claiming that German Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t agree either.
The Europeans are well aware that they need America for real military power and resent us for that immensely. If money for defense wasn't an issue, this debate in the halls of Brussels would be over and NATO would be on the glide path to bureaucratic starvation in Europe, with an American withdrawal from the continent not far behind.
Europe is a latent threat to America if it is unwatched. Which is one reason I strongly support NATO.
Supporting the European Union's goal of making Europe a political term rather than a geographic term is not in America's interest, no matter how much nuance you slather on that pig.
NOTE: Sentence in second paragraph corrected for clarity.
