cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39664905
Lieutenant General Christian Freuding fears the longstanding military partnership between the two allies is unravelling under President Trump’s administration
The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.
The United States has traditionally treated Germany as one of its most important European allies. It is thought to have about 35,000 soldiers stationed at German bases such as Ramstein and Stuttgart, which serve as staging posts for American operations across Africa and the Middle East.
Since President Trump’s return to power in January, the relationship between the countries has become markedly cooler.
Germany should probably consider expelling all US troops stationed in Germany in response and make a public announcement that this is being discussed at least. You can‘t just sit still when a supposedly close ally suddenly slaps the door at you.
Frankly I’ve always thought the concept of military bases on foreign soil was creepy at best. And it’s hilarious how many people welcome it and the. Freak out when Saudi Arabia is looking at a base in the US. Now you know how it feels.
Contrary to certain narratives, and while it has some merit, US bases are in said countries at the explicit request of host countries because there is a perceived bigger and more existential threat next door. The host country is basically subcontracting the defense to the United States. Trolls would tell you that these countries were “influenced” or “coerced” to let American troops be stationed. Well, the US is not the one claiming the entirety of South China Sea, or invading Ukraine. South East Asia and EU want US troops to stay because of this. Poland is very US friendly, and so are Taiwan, Vietnam and Philippines. The Philippines elected to kick the American soldiers out 34 years ago, but are now regretting it with the benefit of hindsight due to territorrial dispute in South Chins Sea. Certain actors who push for US withdrawal stand to benefit from it for obvious reasons.
I think rammstein was a capitulation cost wasn’t it?
In the cold war it made sense. West Germany was a shattered shell of what it had been and what it would become. There was a concern that the USSR might invade, which Bonn had no hope of repelling by itself, probably the only effective method they might have would be to develop nuclear weapons. Nobody wanted more nuclear weapons, so alliances were developed and to get US skin in the game, troops were put in the firing line as an insurance policy
It still does make sense considering that russia is literally invading Ukraine (at least once a decade…) and continue to probe NATO nations. Because, in that regard, it is less a “military base on foreign soil” and more just a NATO base on NATO soil. And, in theory, it is a good idea to let the country dumb enough to spend most of their GDP on a massive standing military to foot the bill.
But considering that the US is just as likely to be on russia’s side in WW3…
It seems like the US is prepared to cede foreign policy in that region to who ever has the biggest stick. Trump is already losing influence and it doesn’t look like any one else on the right has the ability to hold the MAGA movement together? Maybe MGT?
Anyway, way back in the Obama years, the US was already pivoting to the Asia pacific as its primary focus. Trump just ripped the band aid off Europe in his usual “diplomatic” fashion.
That’s why almost no one does it other than the US, we get to have over 750 of them in more than 80 countries! And at the same time, we would absolutely lose our freedom-loving minds if another country wanted to build one in America.
We have American border police at our airports, and they are able to act as if they’re on home turf and not our fucking land – including arresting us to take to America. I have a thought as to whom we can expel from here, obviously!
Some of them welcome the bases (or so we are told) to help with defense. But seeing what’s going on in Ukraine, it seems like we can’t rely on allies to help out. Maybe still a deterrent though?
I’m guessing there’s a lot of smaller steps they could take to make the US hurt, but yes, they shouldn’t ignore it. Going to the media was probably step 1.
That would be the sensible and forward thinking action which prioritizes Germany’s future well being, yes.
Trump is doing Putin’s work.
If Trump is a Russian asset, why didnt the US pull out of NATO months ago? Why did Mueller’s report conclude that there was no collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia?
If Russia is blamed for Trump’s election, we avoid the unpleasant reality of our failed democratic institutions and decaying empire. We avoid facing the inevitable rise of a Christianised fascism borne out of widespread impoverishment, rage, despair and abandonment. We avoid acknowledging the complicity of the Democratic Party in the orchestration of the largest social inequality in our nation’s history, the evisceration of our basic civil liberties, endless wars and an electoral system bankrolled by the billionaire class, which is legalised bribery. The myth allows us to believe that Democratic politicians, like the establishment Republicans who have joined them, are the guarantors of a democracy they destroyed.
All the investigations into Trump’s ties with Russia are unequivocal. There was no collusion. The Steele dossier, financed at first by Republican opponents of Trump and later by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and compiled by former MI6 British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele, was a fake. The charges in the dossier — which included reports of Trump receiving a ‘golden shower’ from prostituted women in a Moscow hotel room and claims that Trump and the Kremlin had ties going back five years — were discredited by the FBI. Sources, including the one that claimed Trump had long-held ties to the Kremlin, turned out to be fabricated. Special Counsel Robert S Mueller concluded that his investigation ‘did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.’ Mueller did not indict or accuse anyone of criminally conspiring with Russia.
- Chris Hedges
- because it is easier to disturb operations from within the organisation.
- the report did not talk about collusion, because that was supposed to be decided by a court. That didn’t happen because they did not want to interfere with the election.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueller_report#Findings See “false no collusion claims”
because it is easier to disturb operations from within the organisation.
And what disturbances do you mean? NATO spending has exploded in recent years. Last year NATO allies increased spending by 18%. Why would a Russian asset set about a plan that drastically increases the funding for Russia’s primary enemy? Why is Trump’s whole schtick that Europe needs to start spending more on defense?
Why would Putin kick off the Ukraine war immediately after his “agent” leaves office?
Why, in his first term, was Trump commanding Germany and EU to stop buying Russian gas? Going so far as to sanction comoanies involved with the Nordstream pipeline?
Meanwhile, in 2018, the US expelled more than 60 Russian officials after identifying them as intelligence officers. To put it bluntly, any gains Russia might have achieved through Trump’s good offices are far outweighed by the strategic, economic, and counterintelligence realities that have emerged during his presidency.
But any Russian intelligence officer would need to consider whether Trump really cares enough about kompromat and Russian money. Indeed, why enrol him as an agent of influence – a move that carries enormous consequences for both parties – when Russia could opt for a convenient friend in Washington?
In reality, even if Russia sees Trump as an asset, we’re not talking about Trump being a new Kim Philby (of Cambridge Five fame). We’re talking about Trump being a self-interested businessman who’s happy to do a favour if it works to his own best interests – and that includes staying out of jail. There’s no evidence that Trump knowingly associated with any Russian intelligence officers. And there’s a big distinction between making the wrong kind of friends and committing treason.
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2021/02/title-240459-en.html
Collusion/conspiracy/coordinate… just semantics.
[Mueller] did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.
Trump is not a Russian asset. He’s an easily-manipulated businessman who does things in his own self interest, and that is as American as apple pie. There is no need to invoke Putin. Our descent into Christian Fascism is our own doing - one that Russia no doubt took advantage of. If you truly believe Trump is a Russian asset, then you have to concede that the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the Five Eyes have all been captured by Russia as well.
“If you truly believe Trump is a Russian asset, then you have to concede that the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the Five Eyes have all been captured by Russia as well.”
Would not surprise me. Of course at this point, it is a conspiracy theory, but too many things tie Trump to Russia in the 80s and 90s. I think that is when it started. It’s been a slow roll since then and trumps mismanage of his assets, over time, has put him in a position that he owes the oligarchs of Russia a lot money or favors. As a matter of fact, the conspiracy theory suggest Melanie Trump, origanally from a Russian controlled territory, was forced to marry trump to keep him in line.
Conspiracy theories are outlandish. Everything points to the fact that the majority of GOP was bought off by Russia. Pretending that just Trump is compromised is the only “conspiracy theory”.
People also like to ignore that Trump armed Ukraine with Javelins during his first presidency.
I don’t see a Russian asset doing this.
Oh, wee, so cool. If he had supplied em with more than just that, Russia’s aggression would’ve been pushed back.
Do you two think that being a asset/,spy/double agent means you also don’t do things to make you look less suspicious?
If he pulled out of Nato too soon, it wouldn’t look good. He made it into a show. Gave it reasons to be done.
Oh, he gave some Javs? That at most just slowed down the Russians? Ya, if he would have given them tanks, Helicopters, jets, and supplies, the Russians would’ve been beaten back.
It’s called making a scene. He’s being told what he can and can’t do. The only saving grace is that Russia is obviously overconfident, and they all believe they are some unstoppable force.
Ukraine has made do with what they got and have proven Russians are nothing but Brutes.
I guarantee dollars to doughnuts if we take out Russia. I mean, destroyed them, Putin turned into a red mist, and all that followed him the same. Trumps whole thing would fall apart.
Do you two think that being a asset/,spy/double agent means you also don’t do things to make you look less suspicious?
Why would Trump/Putin be afraid of looking suspicious? I thought yalls whole thing was that Trump’s status as a Russian spy is clear as day and known to all.
Trump could have easily not gave Javelins to the Ukrainians as not even Obama gave lethal aid to Ukraine!! This alone makes your assertion of him merely trying to avoid suspicion, untenable.
Imagine how that must feel for Germany. First, they decide they want to tie Russia down to eternal peace by dangling infinite oil and gas riches in the face of Putin, and he decides to hell with riches, he wants WAR!
Then they have this relationship that lasted for 80 years with a former occupying nation that they submitted to and obeyed. They braved nationwide dissent over that nation stationing nuclear missiles on its peace-loving soil. They criminalized everything that nation disliked. As recently as (checks notes) now they supported a genocidal regime because they were told that’s the thing to do.
And now all this sensible foreign policy blows up in their face, and they did nothing wrong, except bet on the crazy horses.
I mean, it beats BEING the genocidal regime, or - worse - being the target of the genocidal regime. But it does give one the impression that being sensible is not all that it’s cracked up to be.
