Majorities have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. in nearly every country surveyed. Tell me again why we're paying 75% of the cost for NATO for countries that despise us?

submitted by Chipit from pewresearch.org

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[–]Rah 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Everyone would like the US more if Israel didnt whip it around to do what it wants.

[–]jet199 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A lot of Europeans dislike Israel because they see it as a tool of America, not the other way round.

[–]Druullus 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What about the leftist media in those countries?

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (9 children)

Because NATO is just yet another tool of US bullying of their "allies".

[–]Chipit[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

NATO is overwhelmingly to the benefit of Europe. They don't have to pay for ruinously expensive defense, and we get to do it for them. Then, they despise us for being fascist militarists. European intellectuals are nearly unanimous in the conviction that Americans and Europeans no longer share a common “strategic culture.” America is dominated by a “culture of death,” its warlike temperament the natural product of a violent society where every man has a gun and the death penalty reigns.

Why are we pledged to fight to the death on behalf of people who clearly hate our guts?

[–]Cockbongbiden 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Because your afraid of russia

[–]Chipit[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Russia is no threat to America, and Europeans don't take it seriously either. If they're not worried, why are we?

The US fought the Cold War to keep the Russians off Western European soil, and mitigated ethnic tensions in the region, and all we got in return was European propaganda about how imperialistic and colonial the US is from the very guys who fucked the world up in the first place. It's a total farce and it's high time it came to a screeching halt.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Russia has total military technology superiority. They could annihilate the entire USA before the USA could say "But". But of course they aren't doing that. They, contrary to the power that directs the USA, are not monsters.

Push them too far however, and your whole nation just might one day say "but" and then die. That is exactly what those who direct your politicians and deep state would love to see, given their absolute hatred for your people.

[–]Chipit[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Wut.

Russia is not even close to being as rich, is less populated, in a bad geostrategical position, with a budget stretched extremely thin and terrible availability rates.

If you just look at wikipedia, the Russian army looks numerous and well equipped but the truth is that it is divided between a state of the art and well trained spearhead that amounts to about 100~200k soldiers and conscripts with outdated hardware that suffered for almost two decades of poor maintenance.

Russia is a paper tiger.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

They can nuke anybody including the USA into oblivion and you wouldn't have time to say "Wut." much less launch a counter-attack. Their nuclear-propelled, smart self-steering missiles are that fast.

This is 2020, troop numbers mean nothing. Technological superiority is everything.

[–]Chipit[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

You're seriously stating with a straight face that the Russian military is technologically superior. Gimme a break! The US military is leaps and bounds ahead of them.

Please provide some citations for your howler of a proposition.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I will leave you to your blissful ignorance, I have wasted too much time on your drivel already. Why did I not block you yet is a mystery.

Going to fix that right away.

[–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You didn't provide any citations.

[–]C3P0 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What does "favorable opinion" even mean? No one knows.

The least pewdie pie research could do is weight the results by population.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What are the figures for the US?

[–]AirSeddit88 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The US pays 75% of NATO costs because NATO is 100% a US army of occupation "protecting" the occupied nations. NATO maintained the exorbitant privilege of the petrodollar by which the world has subsidized US living standards since WWII. That privilege, by the way, has been revoked by the BRICS nations. The US is about to discover what it means to be a third-world country.

[–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

by which the world has subsidized US living standards since WWII.

Negative. It is the US which subsidized the rest of the world. Here's a great video that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIdUSqsz0Io

[–]Algebruh 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Our surveillance state and internal bullshit hasn't helped. When you look at the shitty behavior of our Govt(past and present) and how a significant chunk of our media/academia/politicians loudly say we're Satan why wouldn't foreigners believe them? Only way they'd be less bitchy about us is if they were scared of Russia again. The poll could also be bullshit, ours certainly are.

[–]jet199 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

No disagreement from me. The UK should be investing far more on their military. Cutting down too much there is a real false economy. But this is what happens if you have a real push for small government, the bits with guns get cut first not the services. Instead money gets wasted on large salaries for politicians' mates.

[–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

OK that was a really weird take. "Small government" isn't the issue. The UK is one of the few NATO allies that actually pulls its weight. But nice of you to twist something and shoehorn in your pet hate issue.

[–]jet199 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Small government isn't a pet hate issue for me. You're crap as a mindreader.

America is just weird in that the party which supposedly supports small government then supports spending billions on the military and police which support the power of the government. Those two things don't go together many other places. Mostly where there's a push to cut government size or spending there a push to cut their power too. I guess American doesn't have that problem too much as they keep their military quite outward facing, soldiers aren't rolling around towns bothering people (though police are).

The UK barely pulls its weight. In truth we waste a lot of money on things we can't use but they create jobs, such as aircraft carriers we can't fit our planes on. The military have little government or public support in the UK so there's constant cost cutting for the stuff they actually need. Most military chiefs admit we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves if we faced a serious military attack. https://www.ft.com/content/36f47240-7c0e-11e6-ae24-f193b105145e

[–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The aircraft carriers are meant to fit into US battle groups, but I wouldn't expect you to know that.

America is just weird in that the party which supposedly supports small government then supports spending billions on the military and police which support the power of the government.

The GOP establishment in DC is basically indistinguishable from the Democrats. D and R are just outward labels, they agree on just about everything. The small government people are outsiders who are getting constricted and crushed by ever-expanding regulations, which the GOP establishment couldn't care less about. But I wouldn't expect you to know that, either.

The UK barely pulls its weight.

But you do pull your weight. That's the important part. That means a lot. The rest of those worthless assholes in NATO can go fuck themselves. Americans are tired of wasting money on the ungrateful pricks of NATO, bases in Germany, etc. A complete waste of money that we can't afford, and which serves no purpose. If Russia wants to annex the Ukraine I don't care at all, not even a tiny bit.

https://www.ft.com/content/36f47240-7c0e-11e6-ae24-f193b105145e

Financial Times is a subscription-only site, but you pay for it so naturally it never occurs to you that everyone else doesn't. I would have expected you to know that, but I guess not. That speaks volumes about who you are and why you think the way you do. Freakin' FT.com, jesus.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    European intellectuals are nearly unanimous in the conviction that Americans and Europeans no longer share a common “strategic culture.” America is dominated by a “culture of death,” its warlike temperament the natural product of a violent society where every man has a gun and the death penalty reigns.

    https://www.hoover.org/research/power-and-weakness