Stormy Daniels
Gold Member
- Mar 19, 2018
- 7,106
- 2,393
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And the best way to accomplish that is for the United States to reduce its military spending.
The purpose of NATO isn't to mandate defense spending levels. NATO is the greatest power balance stabilizing force in the world. And it preserves US global dominance far better than we can accomplish alone, regardless of the current defense spending levels of all the other member states.
There is no reason for the US to withdraw from NATO because every spending scenario either produces no result, or would produce better results by staying in NATO.
If the US withdraws, we might significantly reduce military spending. This would make sense because we would no longer be involved in providing or promising the defense and security of European states. We can defend ourselves in isolation for far less than our current spending levels that are designed to provide worldwide defense of many nations. The problem here is that the US can significantly reduce military spending while remaining in NATO, so nothing is gained but an important alliance is lost.
A second possibility is that the US could keep military spending at the same levels. The problem with this is that we once again accomplish nothing while losing an important alliance.
The third option is that we could increase military spending after withdrawing. Now this would make no sense, given that the complaint is lack of spending by other NATO members.
The solution, therefore, is for the US to remain in NATO, and to decrease military spending. This will force European states to increase their own defense spending in order to maintain the status quo. The current expectation of spending 4% of GDP is an arbitrary, at the end of the day. What makes this the magic number that is necessary in order to accomplish the overreaching goals of NATO? The fact that NATO has been effective in its mission for decades, even as other states failed to meet the spending level goal, demonstrates that 4% of the total GDP of all states is an overestimation of the defense spending necessary for each state to provide for individual defense while also contributing to group defense. NATO should therefore reduce its expectations for defense spending, and the United States should take the lead by reducing military spending to 2% of GDP, and continue to readjust until a more even equilibrium is established among NATO members.
The purpose of NATO isn't to mandate defense spending levels. NATO is the greatest power balance stabilizing force in the world. And it preserves US global dominance far better than we can accomplish alone, regardless of the current defense spending levels of all the other member states.
There is no reason for the US to withdraw from NATO because every spending scenario either produces no result, or would produce better results by staying in NATO.
If the US withdraws, we might significantly reduce military spending. This would make sense because we would no longer be involved in providing or promising the defense and security of European states. We can defend ourselves in isolation for far less than our current spending levels that are designed to provide worldwide defense of many nations. The problem here is that the US can significantly reduce military spending while remaining in NATO, so nothing is gained but an important alliance is lost.
A second possibility is that the US could keep military spending at the same levels. The problem with this is that we once again accomplish nothing while losing an important alliance.
The third option is that we could increase military spending after withdrawing. Now this would make no sense, given that the complaint is lack of spending by other NATO members.
The solution, therefore, is for the US to remain in NATO, and to decrease military spending. This will force European states to increase their own defense spending in order to maintain the status quo. The current expectation of spending 4% of GDP is an arbitrary, at the end of the day. What makes this the magic number that is necessary in order to accomplish the overreaching goals of NATO? The fact that NATO has been effective in its mission for decades, even as other states failed to meet the spending level goal, demonstrates that 4% of the total GDP of all states is an overestimation of the defense spending necessary for each state to provide for individual defense while also contributing to group defense. NATO should therefore reduce its expectations for defense spending, and the United States should take the lead by reducing military spending to 2% of GDP, and continue to readjust until a more even equilibrium is established among NATO members.
