Free Trade and Defense
We assisted our allies in many ways to recover from World War II and the Korean War. We helped rebuild Europe. We defended the "free world" from a take over by communism and we helped their economies by entering into trade agreements that did not always help the American citizen.
I am proud of what we did. I also acknowledge that most often we also benefited from our decisions.
However, That was then and this is now.
Many of the allies that we helped are now strong; both politically and economically. In fact a number of them are our strongest competitors on the economic scene. It is time that we stop subsidizing them economically with biased trade practices and require that they contribute more to their national defense.
The two issues, trade and defense, are related. It is costing the American taxpayer dearly to bare the brunt of defending Germany, Japan, Korea and our other allies. This defense burden puts us at an unfair disadvantage when we must compete with these same allies in the global economy.
These issues are not going to be solved just at the negotiation table. Parts of a fair trade policy will need to be implemented without worldwide agreement. We are all sovereign nations with our sovereign self interest. It is time to move forward.
I am proud of what we did. I also acknowledge that most often we also benefited from our decisions.
However, That was then and this is now.
Many of the allies that we helped are now strong; both politically and economically. In fact a number of them are our strongest competitors on the economic scene. It is time that we stop subsidizing them economically with biased trade practices and require that they contribute more to their national defense.
The two issues, trade and defense, are related. It is costing the American taxpayer dearly to bare the brunt of defending Germany, Japan, Korea and our other allies. This defense burden puts us at an unfair disadvantage when we must compete with these same allies in the global economy.
These issues are not going to be solved just at the negotiation table. Parts of a fair trade policy will need to be implemented without worldwide agreement. We are all sovereign nations with our sovereign self interest. It is time to move forward.
Very simply solution. Close your bases in Germany, Japan, Korea etc., and withdraw your troops. Dismantle NATO. Who's stopping the US to do that? The governments and voters in the host countries? Hardly.
ReplyDeleteUS troop presences in the places you mentioned are the result of war time occupations, not of an act of conscious benevolence by the US.
Also, what's mainly driving up US defence spending are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have zip to do with defending your allies from anything.
Your intentions may be good, but maybe you should remove the ideological blinders before doing your analysis and suggesting solutions to things you only dimly understand.
ReplyDeleteFor one, you are not bearing the burden of 'defending' anybody because there is nothing to defend against. You are spending your own money on your own imperialist dreams.
The world's 'defense' doesn't need more than 1,000 US military bases around the world. Nor does it need more than 400 in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor the 100-acre US 'embassy' in Baghdad. You go for global domination of the world, then cry that the world isn't paying its share of the military base required to dominate it. Cute.
You might want to review your post WWII history, since it appears you have some glaring gaps in your knowledge. Do a search on the UK Sterling Balances at the end of the war, and learn how the price your country charged the UK to 'help' them rebuild, was in fact the collapse of the British Empire and repudiation of all UK debts to all other countries.
Your country's policies were uncoscionably predatory, and there is no way to spin that. So get off your high horse and stop blaming everyone else for your troubles. The mess you are in is yours. You made it. You fix it.
The war in Iraq should never have happened. Afghanistan is a different story. Our defense against Islam extremist is not only benefiting the United States; it is benefiting the rest of the non-Muslim world also. We are paying more than our share of the burden. The rest of the world sits back because they know we won't.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, we will fix it.