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As Europe rearms, will it turn away from Asia?

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Posted By: Moritz55, 3/16/2025 3:41:10 PM

A few years ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that the EU wanted to "take a more active role in the Indo-Pacific." Now, the future of that commitment is in doubt as Europe is set to undergo a once-in-a-generation rearmament drive. The United States under President Donald Trump has mused out loud about rolling back security guarantees, potentially leaving European states to shoulder the burden of an uncertain ceasefire in Ukraine and, eventually, other conflicts sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We are in an era of rearmament," von der Leyen said on March 4, as the Commission launched the "ReArm Europe" program, which aims to mobilize around €800 billion

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Reply 1 - Posted by: JimBob 3/16/2025 4:32:05 PM (No. 1915571)
Yap! Yap! Yap! Oh, their big program which "aims to mobilize around €800 billion" You don't 'mobilize' money that is transferred around by computers. You 'mobilize' an ARMY! I'll believe it when I see SOLDIERS IN UNIFORM! It's easy to Talk Big when you're sitting safe in an air-conditioned office. How many of these European Elites are willing to send THEIR OWN CHILDREN off to war?
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Reply 2 - Posted by: kono 3/16/2025 6:11:02 PM (No. 1915614)
Will the USA face the armies of a newly rearmed Europe before or after we wind have border skirmishes with Mexico?
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Reply 3 - Posted by: Jesuslover54 3/16/2025 7:54:11 PM (No. 1915663)
Europe rearm? Don't make me laugh.
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Reply 4 - Posted by: franco 3/16/2025 11:02:28 PM (No. 1915740)
Back of envelope arithmetic: The euro trades presently a few cents above the dollar. So over 4 years, the EU will spend 800 million euros or so on defense. We spend that on our defense department every year. So I'll take the EU seriously as a military power once they match us in spending and built-up capabilities. Presently, the gap is huge because the EU countries have been spending their "Peace Dividend" savings since the end of the Cold War 30+ years ago on social programs. A recent pie-chart I saw shows that 75% of NATO's budget comes from the US. So start spending, Ms. von der Leyen -- you have a long way to go to catch up. And who knows -- when you get to the point where the EU military is the same size as the US, *maybe* the Russians will stop threatening you.
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As Europe rearms, will it turn away from Asia? 4 replies
Posted by Moritz55 3/16/2025 3:41:10 PM Post Reply
A few years ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that the EU wanted to "take a more active role in the Indo-Pacific." Now, the future of that commitment is in doubt as Europe is set to undergo a once-in-a-generation rearmament drive. The United States under President Donald Trump has mused out loud about rolling back security guarantees, potentially leaving European states to shoulder the burden of an uncertain ceasefire in Ukraine and, eventually, other conflicts sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We are in an era of rearmament," von der Leyen said on March 4, as the Commission launched the "ReArm Europe" program, which aims to mobilize around €800 billion
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