| > You can't be rich as a country without having the power to stay rich unless you are a little mountain region country or riding on the coat tails of a country that is. Countries become rich because of stable, competent institutions, not because they can maintain a military empire. Ireland, Singapore are both examples of this. > You will need to protect your supply lines if you are an actor in a globalized world. So you have to become that country if you want to stay independent, and want to be supplied with the goods that you depend on. Protect supply lines from whom? how are military bases in Turkey, Germany, Poland, etc protecting "supply lines"? one of the most important supply lines for europe (hydrocarbons from russia) has been stifled for the past 4 years - why havent our bases or military been able to keep it open? similarly, why are our numerous bases in Middle East failing to protect supply lines? i would argue that in both those cases, our aggressive military expansion (nato, israel expansion + gulf bases) caused the closure of those critical supply lines. |
Sure, if you ignore all of their history...
> Protect supply lines from whom? how are military bases in Turkey, Germany, Poland, etc protecting "supply lines"?
Because they are on friendly territory that remains friendly on account of that. Mutual defense again, coupled with some more history. Why do you think the USA wants to use its bases in Europe for the war against Iran?
> i would argue that in both those cases, our aggressive military expansion (nato, israel expansion + gulf bases) caused the closure of those critical supply lines.
NATO is not 'aggressive military expansion' even though Trump seems to think it should be. As for Israel, that really is a US problem, Israel in part became the belligerent that it is today because it has been shielded and supported militarily well beyond defense. This is going to cause trouble for at least another century, maybe more.