Fanboy analysis of "Europe" is sickening to behold.
This author wants Europe to take over their defense responsibilities from the United States. The author concludes with historical amnesia:
This is the freedom that Europeans won for themselves when they evicted Russian troops from their sovereign soil all those years ago: The freedom not just to choose their domestic political systems and international allegiances, but to choose the best available option for preserving regional security. In the past, that meant relying on the United States. Today, it means pursuing an independent path. For the sake of all Europe, a rebalancing of the transatlantic alliance cannot come soon enough.
The amnesia comes in two ways. One, Europeans won for themselves freedom when Europeans evicted the Soviets? And that's the evidence Europe can handle the job on their own? Really? The EU never would have formed without America. And there is no way Europe would have ejected the Soviets from Europe and sent them back to rump Russia during the Cold War. Pretending this is historical fact is just bizarre wishful thinking.
Okay, it's plain lying.
And two, the freedom to choose their domestic political systems and international allegiances wasn't that great before America stayed in Europe after World War II (citing this writer):
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.
We really do need Europe in our team. Which is one reason I am a firm supporters of America's leading role in NATO and do not think the alliance is obsolete.
But Europe does have a role in keeping America in Europe by remaining worthy of defending--as we designed it to be. Which is why I so vocally despise the European Union.
Finally, saying the trans-Atlantic alliance would be "rebalanced" by Europe--that is, the European Union--by reducing the need for America is highly misleading. If Europe can defend itself without America, that means NATO is gone even if the office space is still occupied, churning out reports. The "rebalance" means America is ejected from Europe.
Which is a Brussels wet dream. Do not fall for the call to build a so-called NATO 3.0 to bridge the gap between America and the European Union. That will result in the NATO bridge being burned by the proto-imperial European Union as it uses new defense powers to erase that pesky prefix.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War (and the expanded war on Hezbollah) in this post.NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.