As IF Times

Source: Leaving NATO Would Make The U.S. And The World Less Safe | HuffPost

There has been ample teeth gnashing over recent geopolitical events, centering of course, around the adventures of Donald Trump.  This nemesis of the entrenched status quo has dared to question the arrangement of the decades old NATO agreement.  We did some research on the history of NATO because there should be a reality check on the howls of outrage emanating from the usual quarters.

As the link shows, the formation of NATO post WW2 was envisioned as a bulwark against the intrusion of influence from communist states, namely the old Soviet Union. Financial and military support would be provided to member nations, principally by the US and Great Britain, to rebuild after WW2 and to create stability to those nations with preferred western alliances.  The treaty provided a collective defense: if one of their nations were attacked, then all of the nations were bound to defend them.

This has worked quite well, since in the many years following the war, East Germany is gone and many of the old Soviet satellite states have moved into the western orbit.  The Soviet Union has shrunk to become the Russian Federation and their geographic reach has been reduced considerably.  Economically, Germany, France, Poland, Italy and Spain and many former Eastern bloc nations have flourished in world trade.  There’s no question that Europe has recovered.  And yet, the Americans are still providing the bulk of the funding for NATO’s defense operations even as the contracted amount of GDP spending of member nations for their own defense has fallen.  For those who believe in statistics, here is a graphic depiction of the trend:

This is an old set of statistics sourced from NATO and the trend clearly shows that the US bears the majority of the costs involved not only in absolute dollars but even worse, in terms of percentage of GDP.

So this is very much analogous to a parent giving financial support to their children while they develop and then to see the children buying iPhones and electric cars instead of providing for their own self sustenance.

The bizarre part of this is that while the alliance was established to protect them from an adversary, long since diminished, many of these countries have willingly allowed themselves to be effectively taken over by massive immigration, principally by refugees from Muslim dominated regions.  It’s not a secret that the flood of immigration has brought along all kinds of social and political unrest in the host nations even as funds are funneled towards supporting these policies and away from self defense.  So, while everyone watches the front door for an enemy long gone, their nations are hollowed out, with open arms, by enemies welcomed at the rear door.

Why would they be characterized as enemies?  Well, historically when a group comes into a nation en masse and wants to change the entire form of government, the foundations of religion and the very structure of society including language and law, that was considered an invasion.  NATO is worrying about the dog at the door, long gone, while the mice are ravaging the rest of the home.

link U.N. chief warns of humanitarian disaster as Libya meeting opens – CNN.com.

To whom is this guy addressing his warning?  Banned From The Moon is essentially pleading for more money (what else?) to head off an ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Libya.   Since the U.S. is the largest contributor to the U.N., it logically means, he’s asking that Americans pony up more dough.  China and Russia are already helping by graciously agreeing to buy Libya’s oil.  The U.S., through NATO are only contributing bombs and bullets.

Someone may want to give the earnest head of the U.N. a map of the region.  He will note that immediately to the north and east of Libya are found the most moneyed states in the world today.  He may want to pass the collection plate around their tables.  While the U.S. has always come to the table in the past for almost any cause,  at the moment, their credit card balance is a bit high.  It can’t be that hard for some of the neighboring Arab states to toss a few hundred million into the aid pot to help a neighbour.    The Arab nations in the middle east have always existed on very fine balance.  Running most of the wealthy states are autocratic families who receive most of the oil wealth with the support of western countries and in return, support those western countries in order to keep hostile religious factions at bay.  Over the past half year, the yawning chasm of wealth between these rulers and their restive subjects has boiled over into mob insurrection.  Tunisia and Egypt were the first to go. 

If anyone can figure out which side of the combatants in Libya are worthy of support, it would be the immediate neighbors, since they’ll have to live with them later on.   It doesn’t really matter which side the Americans take, it will be the wrong side from someone’s perspective.  Factions and tribes have been battling each other over there for centuries and grudges and animosities persist.  It’s somewhat similar to 14 year old girls who are united against little Suzy, until she’s out of the picture and then they go back to hating each other.   There is the old Arab saying, ” the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.     Better off not giving anything, just stick with the artillery. 

There are humanitarian emergencies all over the world at any given time.  The calamity in Japan recently is a genuine emergency with no political root to the devastation.  Everyone was just minding their own business, when kaboom, the ground shook and the waves came.  If anyone deserves donations, it’s the Japanese.  They are living in peace.  They are contributing to the world.  The only jihad they spread is by technology advances and karaoke.  It makes more sense to help peaceful people than people who would behead you in your sleep.   The humanitarian crisis being warned of is man made.  Who’s to say there isn’t another one after this one?  I’d say they had better keep the collection plate in circulation.