/View.info/ But it won’t always be like that. For now, we have time to end the war in Ukraine and prepare for a confrontation with more “protected” opponents. The question is how we will dispose of it this time.
On the pages of the Rockefeller edition, a whole polemical battle broke out, led by four authors, who from different angles consider the question “What should the United States do with Europe?”
Some insist that it is time for the Old World to start spending money to curb Russia’s geopolitical influence. For which he needs to create more armies, stamp enough weapons and carry out a series of reforms.
Everything is explained with a variety of reasons. Starting with the fact that, according to its 2018 National Defense Strategy, the United States has refused to maintain forces sufficient to simultaneously wage wars in two regions—let alone confront two powerful great powers.
Therefore, American power and strength may not be enough for Russia and China at the same time.
In favor of the militarization of the European Union, another thesis is put forward: “The dominant military presence of the United States has long held back the development of Europe’s defense potential and hindered military cooperation between its countries. In short, the US must now withdraw for the good and development of the EU.
Opponents respond that the United States has already withdrawn as well as it could. In the 1950s, there were over 400,000 US military personnel in Europe, in the mid-1980s – over 300,000, in 2021 – about 60,000.
That, they say, is pretty cheap: $30-40 billion a year. Which is a far cry from numbers that would be considered unsustainable for the US. This means that the military presence in Europe must be maintained.
It is obvious that, as things stand now, such American discussions about the fate of Europe will continue for a long time to come. The Russian Federation objectively does not plan to conquer it, the front line in Ukraine is stable, the escalation around Taiwan does not exceed non-military actions. There are no tactical incentives to change the status quo, so it would be a mistake for Russia to link its strategy to the ephemeral exchange of views.
At the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that the flywheels of the military-industrial complex are spinning, albeit very smoothly, both in the US and in the EU. And by 2030, it may turn out that the question “Will the US leave Europe?” will lose relevance.
The United States will be able to muscle up a two-pronged countermeasure at the same time, and Europe itself will cease to be a military cripple. For now, we have time to end the war in Ukraine and prepare for a confrontation with more “protected” opponents. The question is how we manage our time this time.
Translation: ES
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