Macron.. Europe should build Army to protect itself from Russia, China & the USA ??

[Acidbaron]

Well, polls suggest something different, but ok. Considering the amount of travel I do within Europe year by year it becomes harder and harder for me to identify not with Europe as a whole.

Okay, what does the european identity look like as regards to believes and mentality, west, south and east differ quite a bit and northerns call us pretty much insane with our drinking habits. But it goes far beyond that. So i couldn't for the life tell me what an european identity looks like as personal freedoms over everything is not something all appreciate as the south and the east still have deep catholic roots to the point homosexuality or to be homosexual what is a personal freedom is considered a plague upon society.

So i'll gladly hear it what this european identity is suppose to be since to me we still have quite a bit of different world views and priorities.

[Mayhem]

Okay, what does the european identity look like as regards to believes and mentality, west, south and east differ quite a bit and northerns call us pretty much insane with our drinking habits. But it goes far beyond that. So i couldn't for the life tell me what an european identity looks like as personal freedoms over everything is not something all appreciate as the south and the east still have deep catholic roots to the point homosexuality or to be homosexual what is a personal freedom is considered a plague upon society.

So i'll gladly hear it what this european identity is suppose to be since to me we still have quite a bit of different world views and priorities.

Well going by that I probably couldn't even identify with my district. I don't care about what divides us, I care for what we all have in common, and regardless if you're from Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands or Poland or wherever from within Europe, we have a good amount of things in common. So maybe I'm just happy with identifying with the idea of a unified Europe.

[Xarkan]

The USA .. Why does Europe need an army to protect it from one its NATO Allies ?

Have you considered that Macron might have said we should defend ourselves from hacking from certain countries in a quote seperate from the quote about the military?

[js3915]

I can't believe this nonsense still makes the rounds. The US is providing less to NATO funding than the EU. LESS

Thats the way... Move the goal mark to win your argument. Of course, the EU pays more it has more countries we are talking about individual country vs country.

TBH US should just leave NATO it does us no good anyway.

[D Luniz]

Thats the way... Move the goal mark to win your argument. Of course, the EU pays more it has more countries we are talking about individual country vs country.

TBH US should just leave NATO it does us no good anyway.

...said with all the knowledge of person that would say "I dont have a kid, why am I paying taxes on public education"

[js3915]

...said with all the knowledge of person that would say "I dont have a kid, why am I paying taxes on public education"

What does education have to do with anything in regards to fighting a war?

[Felya]

What does education have to do with anything in regards to fighting a war?

What war are you talking about?

[Acidbaron]

Well going by that I probably couldn't even identify with my district. I don't care about what divides us, I care for what we all have in common, and regardless if you're from Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands or Poland or wherever from within Europe, we have a good amount of things in common. So maybe I'm just happy with identifying with the idea of a unified Europe.

Going to be the devil's advocate here and ask what exactly unites all those people?

I mean beyond peace and prosperity, i can't think of much else.

[Eveningforest]

Going to be the devil's advocate here and ask what exactly unites all those people?

I mean beyond peace and prosperity, i can't think of much else.

Common mentality on many issues, certain level of maturity, disdain for simplicity, refusal to see the world in only black and white, love of tradition, pride in history and culture...

I think what you're trying analyze here falls under lumping vs. splitting. Neither is wrong, it's simply a matter of personality.

I agree with Mayhem and find Europeans much more similar to each other than not, but I've lived in the US for many years, so I'm looking at things from a very zoomed out perspective.

[Adolecent]

We are stronger together.

Damn sure we are.

(great read again Skroe)

[Noradin]

1. Words on a page. Look at how Merkel's unilateral decision to take in all the world's refugees landed the entire EU with a huge "refugee" crisis.

That didn't happen.
She didn't make any such decision and she couldn't even make any such decision, because her office does not come with that power.

- - - Updated - - -

2. The obvious solution to the constitutional aspects is trivial. First, you would't use German soldiers in Germany (or French soldiers in France, etc) - you'd always send them where they'd be seen as foreigners, just on general principles. Second, the soldiers you did use in Germany wouldn't be bound by the German constitution in the same way that German soldiers are. Now, we know that the German constitution allows large numbers of foreign soldiers to hang around and do stuff, up to and including garrisoning the country, because they've been there and doing that kind of thing since the end of WW2.

Yes, you have no clue... next?

[Flarelaine]

Well going by that I probably couldn't even identify with my district. I don't care about what divides us, I care for what we all have in common, and regardless if you're from Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands or Poland or wherever from within Europe, we have a good amount of things in common. So maybe I'm just happy with identifying with the idea of a unified Europe.

Preach it, brother.

Alle Menschen werden Brüder.

[Realitytrembles]

You will adapt and treat other nations with respect again

When you earn it

or you will be ignored, just like we ignore Russia. And god, I love me a bully that's being ignored... they make so funny faces!

Like you can, lol. As I said, if there's ever an existential threat to the US, everyone is going down with us

[Slant]

When you earn it




Like you can, lol. As I said, if there's ever an existential threat to the US, everyone is going down with us

We're ignoring you now, if you haven't noticed. Or did you think we'd actually stop picking up trade with Iran again just because your baby president is on his cycle? Or do you see us dropping sanctions against Russia because your baby president wants us to? If you pick a fight with China, you will be on your own. Mark my words.

[Mihalik]

A joint EU army offers a number of major advantages whether within or without NATO.

It would eliminate redundancy, streamline logistics, equip the smaller nations with more modern equipment (like thinking in US terms, which states would be able to afford better hardware, Alabama and Louisiana or Massachusetts and New York), reduce costs, raise across the board standards and increase the power projection capabilities of European nations.

Right now much of the European defense spending is literally just wasted on running 27 (28 while the UK is still a member) parallel bureaucracies.

[Teleros]

That didn't happen.
She didn't make any such decision and she couldn't even make any such decision, because her office does not come with that power.

It doesn't matter a damn whether her office has the legal power to do so if the result of her treasonous behaviour in basically saying "everyone's welcome in Germany" is millions of mostly fighting age men coming into Europe. But anyway...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-10470062.html
https://www.vox.com/2015/8/28/922039...migrant-crisis
https://www.euractiv.com/section/mig...rian-refugees/

Etc. Fine, quibble over whether it was "Merkel" or "Merkel's government", but ultimately the buck stops with her, as Chancellor.

Yes, you have no clue... next?

Not an argument.

[Dendrek]

My hind end you are. Always whining, always complaining about how we do things. But never mind that your entire continent would be under either the swastika or the hammer & sickle but for our intervention.

1 exception: the UK. They are family; the rest of you are annoyances.

For someone whose name contains the word "reality" you certainly don't live in it. The US did not win the war against Germany. Russia did, largely thanks to Hitler's hubris. The US were not the heroes of WW2. Unless you count dragging your feet and refusing to help until millions of Jews have been killed and your allies have been completely decimated, and then only joining after you've been attacked to be heroic.

[Eveningforest]

For someone whose name contains the word "reality" you certainly don't live in it. The US did not win the war against Germany. Russia did, largely thanks to Hitler's hubris. The US were not the heroes of WW2. Unless you count dragging your feet and refusing to help until millions of Jews have been killed and your allies have been completely decimated, and then only joining after you've been attacked to be heroic.

As much as I identify with the US and despise Russia, I thank you for this contribution.

[Laerrus]

You better be arming up, because when you see civil war break out on US shores, an entire world at conflict is not going to be that far behind.

[Omega10]

You better be arming up, because when you see civil war break out on US shores, an entire world at conflict is not going to be that far behind.

I suspect they'll be celebrating, not fighting. The only thing they would really have to worry about if the US had a civil war would be a Reality Trembles kind of person having enough power to do exactly what he supports: If we are going down, we are going to take down the rest of the world too.

On a practical note, there is no arming that would be useful for the rest of the world to do. If the President, or someone else, decided to launch our nukes at the rest of the world, all the world could really do would be to enjoy their last half an hour of life. However, the human race WOULD likely survive: there is a good chance that the southern hemisphere would have large areas un-nuked.