America kept Europe in the West and expanded the West in two world wars and one Cold War. Let's not throw away what we achieved with shortsighted urges to to "come home." Threats will follow us home.
We don't want Russia or any other hostile government to control the people, industry, technology, and military power of Europe.
Should America tell Europe to have a nice life and best wishes?
The U.S.-European security relationship has therefore become progressively divorced from reality. If it is to change, what Europe needs is not more resources but greater political will and self-confidence. Washington, for its part, must jettison the axiom that it has no choice but to serve as Europe’s perpetual protector par excellence.
Such a shift is nowhere on the horizon. It will happen only when foreign-policy experts in the United States and Europe rework their assumptions and have an honest, fact-based strategic discussion about the obsolescence of the current trans-Atlantic security relationship.
The idea that Europe can defend itself without American help is wrong on two counts.
One, Russia's faltering in Ukraine shows America can for now view Europe as an economy-of-force front. But European countries need America to knit together their separate military elements into a coherent whole and be able to surge reinforcements. Otherwise Russia can pick off one country after another over time, gathering their resources and preparing for another lunge west for an ever larger buffer.
Don't assume Russia can't learn from their mistakes. And Russia hasn't lost their invasion of Ukraine yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves by assuming too much.
And two, the issue isn't only whether Europe has the resources to defend itself. Europe doing the job isn't just an America-less NATO. We should not want the proto-imperial European Union to do that job of consolidating European defense assets. Don't forget that Europe is an
objective and not a charity case.
Remember, too, that Western Europe is the home to so many democracies because of America:
It is easy to forget--and this was a useful reminder to me--that Europe with its autocracies and monarchies was not fully part of a free West (although obviously part of the Western tradition) until we rebuilt Western Europe in that template after World War II. And NATO expansion after defeating the Soviet Union was more explicit in demanding democracy and rule of law for new members.
Don't assume that friendly and allied democracies in Europe are a constant and that the variable of American military presence and leadership can be set to zero without consequences. Will we really risk seeing Western Europe slide back on democracy and build bad old habits?
Keeping Europe friendly is a longstanding American security interest that letting Europe defend itself would undermine in the long run. Keep NATO and keep American forces in Europe. It's a wise and relatively inexpensive precaution in a dangerous world.
And if I may be so bold, it is an honest, fact-based strategic conclusion.
NOTE: Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
