Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by peepeepoopoo89 570 days ago
NATO as it exists today is a welfare program where US taxpayers subsidize the defense budgets of European countries so they can afford lavish social benefits programs for their citizens while the US drowns in both personal and federal debt. You were never going to come help us, and the exploitative relationship between our countries is now over. Good luck.
2 comments

This is a fascinating perspective. Because a lot of people would rather say that NATO is a US-led project intended to protect US hegemony.
You are both right, that's why this "partnership" stands.
NATO needs the US a lot more than the US needs NATO. It wasn't always this way, but today we really don't get anything out of being allied with a deindustrialized and demilitarized Europe that is currently doing its absolute best to provoke an irrational and unstable neighboring world power.
I might be mistaken, but as far as I remember, there were NATO troops (that were not US troops) in Afghanistan, for decades, not because any European country declared war to Afghanistan.

I am not expert in history, but I cannot recall Europeans using US troops in an active war since creation of NATO. The opposite can be said in this century, though.

I do not deny that having the back of US, that has possibly the biggest military in the world, is favourable for European countries.

But I am absolutely tired of this discourse that NATO only benefits the others, and that USA doesn't get any benefit from it.

It is beneficial for all parts, and that is the reason it is an alliance. And USA has used it for its benefit for quite long; thus, it is not unreasonable that allies might rely on its help.

Besides, it is beneficial for USA to keep Europe stable and in peace — most clearly, for macro-economic reasons.

In volume, maybe, not in % though. https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/8b366e9a-5353-4a83-9510-bad111a54d...

Which should still leave plenty for lavish social benefits programs, since other places can afford it.

Genuinely looking forward seeing the US folks get a better coverage soon.