Europe at War

[Madiel]

Guam has 54 US bases? Can that be right? It's 30 miles long.

The first basic problem with that data is that Guam isn't even a country. It's American territory.

So is Puerto Rico.

The reliability of the rest of the graphic is seriously thrown into question when it's counting domestic bases.

[drogulus]

     Someone hacked Dmitry Medvedev. The message said the goal of Russia is to restore its empire. I'm shocked. See, I thought the goal was to restore the Russian empire. I've said that right here in Big Brainland. Is Medvedev a lying Commie bastard or no? Maybe he told a truth he thought would remain secret, but how secret could it be if everyone knows it?

     Everyone does know it, right? Raise your hand if you don't.

     Poland knows. They know for instance that Europe is at war. Some people don't know that. They don't know the restoration of the Russian empire has lots of war in it. I don't know how they don't know that. Given the intensity of the war for many months and the huge effort to support Ukraine it would seem obvious. I'll file this under unpleasant truths too painful to acknowledge. That's the best explanation I can come up with.

[Todd]

Winter is coming: Vladimir Putin faces his "Hitler moment"

Salon offers a thinky piece.

[Madiel]

A little bit of research also establishes that you only have that number of US bases if you define "base" as widely as you possibly can - I found one of the possible sources of this data, the Quincy Institute, and it says "oh well, how you define a base is a political question", while failing to explain or justify why it's chosen wide definition is better.

Apparently you also get to define "military" really widely if you feel like it, because the unquestionable US base in Australia, Pine Gap, is not run by the military but by intelligence services. Hands up who thinks the CIA is part of the military?

The graphic is bunk, in other words.

The Quincy Institute basically advocates for less US military overseas, so it has an obvious interest in claiming that the US has a lot of military overseas so that it can get people to say "gosh, that's too high".

[71 dB]

As predicted: Thank you Italy! 
🇮🇹

[drogulus]

     According to certain genius analysts Sweden and Finland should not be allowed into NATO becaaauuussse Europe doesn't contribute enough to its own defense! The odor of dead brain cells wafts through the air.

     Since NATO is essential to US forward defense any contribution by Europeans to the alliance is a fukin' gift horse, the very opposite of a drain on resources. 

     We could plead for a larger contribution to keeping the US safe, but whatever the outcome of our pleading we are in this alliance for ourselves first, and then for others.

     If we started with a blank sheet of paper we'd design US defense around an alliance of cooperating nations that would inevitably look a lot like the one we have. We'd ally with cooperators with economic and political ties already in place, and opposed to the most hostile nations to that order.

[71 dB]

95 - 1

Thank you the United States of America! 
🇺🇸

[LKB]

71 dB, as an American I'm proud to say,  " You're welcome. " 

[krummholz]

71 dB, as an American I'm proud to say,  " You're welcome. " 

+1000

[milk]

Really? Does the US nominate, or influence the election of, the president / prime-minister of UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Canada, Aiustralia or [insert adavnce country of choice]? If those counries' policies are not in line with what the US want at any given time, does the US interfere, directly or indirectly, to change those policies along desired lines?

I think the U.S. has had a hand in Japanese politics over the years. That's safe to say. It has interfered.

[71 dB]

71 dB, as an American I'm proud to say,  " You're welcome. " 

+1000

1000 x

I'm pretty sure Josh Hawley is now Todd's favorite senator. 

[Todd]

I think the U.S. has had a hand in Japanese politics over the years. That's safe to say. It has interfered.

I took the question to be asking if the US installs puppet governments like it did in Afghanistan and Iraq.  That is a crude form of imperialism.  The US does not do that with high income, long-standing allies.  It leans on governments all the time, and forces changes on even high income, long-standing allies.  FATCA is a perfect example of that, and the FCPA is another.  The latter causes no little discomfort for Europeans. 

I'm pretty sure Josh Hawley is now Todd's favorite senator.

A vote regarding small, weak European countries is not sufficient to sway my senatorial preferences.  That written, Hawley's concerns are correct.

[drogulus]

     Intercepted phone calls are a good source for determining what's going on with Russian soldiers. I've listened to scores of them since they became available.

     https://www.youtube.com/v/g2zLfFNDHK4

     Putin thinks he has all of these soldiers that only exist for the purpose of collecting their pay. For the purpose of fighting they don't.

     This soldier also indicates the heavy artillery is not firing. Could this be because the ammo dumps have been blown up? Maybe he doesn't know. We know, though.

     

[Todd]

Winter in Europe May Be Springtime for Putin

Originally published in the WSJ, and co-authored by Daniel Yergin.

[ritter]

The glee with which our esteemed fellow GMGer from the Pacific Northwest regularly provides links to articles that shed a negative light on, or spell doom for, Europe (or, more specifically, the EU) is rather amusing, in that it's reminiscent of the enthusiasm with which another cherished GMGer (from Northern Europe) would engage in America-bashing not too long ago....

[Todd]

The glee with which our esteemed fellow GMGer from the Pacific Northwest regularly provides links to articles that shed a negative light on, or spell doom for, Europe (or, more specifically, the EU) is rather amusing, in that it's reminiscent of the enthusiasm with which another cherished GMGer (from Northern Europe) would engage in America-bashing not too long ago....

I am glad I can bring some amusement to your day.

Keep the faith, though, Europe is not doomed.  It will muddle along, toyed with by great powers, with war-related deaths relegated to the east.  Perhaps one day, Europeans will tire of being second-tier global players and will form a more perfect union, one capable of driving world events in their preferred direction.  Or not.

[Florestan]

a more perfect union

Only the American rebels could have rebelled against English language too ... 

[drogulus]

     As suzereigns go the US is a pushover, and Europe knows it, which is why they don't feel obliged to pay any defense tax they don't want to pay. They are aware that the US best defends itself (and incidentally their own selves) far from its shores. If I put myself in the shoes of a European, could I reasonably wish for better?

     From an enlightened US perspective (my own) being the kind of pushover we are has the advantage of making alliance with us a good deal all around. Even when we think allies misjudge their own self interests (Germany is a super example, as they have learned) they are free to make their mistakes. Such a degree of freedom is almost unsuzereign-ish. Me like.

[Florestan]

A former President of Romania put it squarely a few years ago: I'd blowjob the POTUS rather than the President of the Russian Federation. 

[ritter]

A man of impeccable manners, that former President of yours. A true gentleman! 

Good evening to you, Andrei. Gioia e pace per mill'anni.