Trump to World: Pay Up for Hosting US Troops
ANGLO AMERICA, MILITARISM, 11 Mar 2019
Jose Nino | Big League Politics – TRANSCEND Media Service
8 Mar 2019 – President Trump wants countries to pay up for hosting American troops.
And he’s doubling down his demands.
For years, Trump has criticized countries hosting U.S. troops for not paying their fair share.
Trump is now advocating for a plan to make Germany, Japan, and other countries hosting U.S. troops to pay in full plus 50 percent or more for the privilege of hosting them on their soil.
The “Cost Plus 50” formula may even necessitate that countries pay five to six times as much as they do for housing troops.
Trump has been using this to nudge NATO partners to increase their own defense spending, an issue Trump has raised ever since taking office. Trump claims that his pressure has led NATO members to increase their spending, however he believes that the pace of spending increases has been too slow.
In a speech to the Pentagon on January 17, Trump said “Wealthy, wealthy countries that we’re protecting are all under notice.”
Trump added:
“We cannot be the fools for others.”
This move has gotten some natural pushback from the military-industrial complex, who believes that Trump’s emphasis on “Cost Plus 50” would be a “large affront to stalwart U.S. allies in Asia and Europe already questioning the depth of Trump’s commitment to them.”
Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, correctly asserts that Trump’s insistence on countries paying up is all about them having “skin in the game.”
The U.S. is long overdue for a restrained foreign policy that ultimately makes other countries assume their defense responsibilities.
With over 70 bases in 800 countries, the U.S. is simply over-stretched and potentially leaving its own borders vulnerable.
Countries like Germany, Japan, and South Korea are already First World nations with plenty of wealth to invest in defense services. The U.S. can no longer afford to be the country that military bails out the rest of the world.
If a country wants to exist as a sovereign nation, it must have “skin in the game” and make necessary sacrifices such as spending for national defense purposes.
America First means defending U.S. borders not other nations’ borders.
“Cost Plus 50” is a good first step in scaling back U.S. presence in foreign countries.
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ANGLO AMERICA:
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MILITARISM:
“Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, correctly asserts that Trump’s insistence on countries paying up is all about them having “skin in the game.” ”
What- you have continued this tirade without quotation marks as if it is true, while it is the ludicrous extension of the usual “we protect you from the evil Russkies” mantra that the USA uses every time, while working to ensure that Russia is an enemy, when IT IS NOT. Most Europeans do not want to make Russia an enemy but to have good relations and trade, not sanctions and bombs.
NATO is obsolete, the Cold War is long over, peace is possible and desirable and all those weapons are NOT NEEDED. Go home Yanks.
(1) U.S. EMPIRE AND ITS MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE WORLD:
– “U.S. military bases abroad as a form of empire”: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/American_Empire#U.S._military_bases_abroad_as_a_form_of_empire
– “United States military deployments”: (Wikipedia): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_deployments OR “These are all the countries where the US has a military presence”: https://qz.com/374138/these-are-all-the-countries-where-the-us-has-a-military-presence/
– A Case Study: “Okinawa: Effects of long-term US Military presence”: http://genuinesecurity.org/partners/report/Okinawa.pdf
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(2) WHEN THE (MILITARY) EMPIRE DECLINES:
When the U.S. (Military) Empire was rising, the Empire bored its necessary costs to maintain the (military) colonies. Decades have passed since then. Times have changed. A book like this was published: “The Fall of the US Empire – And Then What?”: https://www.transcend.org/tup/index.php?book=5 Many people are also beginning to notice: “Are We Witnessing the Fall of the American Empire?”: https://newrepublic.com/article/147319/witnessing-fall-american-empire.
Nowadays the Empire is requesting its colonies bear the maintenance costs for the colonies. These colonies might refuse to bear the maintenance costs. Then, what might this refusal of the payment bring to the presence of the U.S. military in these colonies in the world? Or the colonies might ask, “Why do we have to bear the costs for maintaining the U.S. Empire?” If the Empire answers to the question as follows, “Because you are the subjects of the Empire!”, what response might be expected from these (military) colonies? What eventual consequence(s) might be produced between the Empire and the colonies, then?
Make America great again? Who will make America great again? With whose money? Trump wanted to construct the “Wall” with Mexicans’ money. Now, he wants to maintain the U.S. military presence in the American military colonies with these military colonies’ money. It means that America’s greatness is to be supported by non-Americans’ money. Trump wants non-Americans to support America’s greatness. That implies that America today cannot become great again without non-Americans’/the colonies’ support. Make America great again with non-Americans’ money! What kind of “greatness” will America have, then?
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(3) A RELEVANT ARGUMENT:
– “The Case Against U.S. Overseas Military Bases: Why They Are No Longer a Strategic Asset”: Quote: “Consider today’s elaborate and expensive network of U.S. overseas military bases, which first emerged as coaling stations for navy ships a century and a half ago. Modern surveillance and targeting technology have made the bases increasingly vulnerable, and the presence of U.S. military bases can militarize disputes and antagonize opponents that would have otherwise been more docile.” Unquote: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2017-07-25/case-against-us-overseas-military-bases
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(4) A NEW TENDENCY: A VACUUM, IF ANY, COULD BE FILLED:
– China’s Efforts to Counter U.S. Forward Presence in the Asia Pacific: https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/USCC%20Staff%20Report%20on%20China%20Countering%20US%20Military%20Presence%20in%20Asia.pdf
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