The Welfare State and Military Power

[citizen snips]

For our money, one of the better parts of President Obama's speech at West Point this week was his connection between a healthy economy and U.S. national security. To quote: "Our prosperity provides a foundation for our power. It pays for our military. It underwrites our diplomacy." We only wish Mr. Obama understood the link between the larger welfare state he is trying to build at home and the economic weakness that will undermine our military power.

The proof is right before his eyes in the U.S. struggle to get Europe to contribute more forces to Afghanistan. Mr. Obama has called on NATO to buttress the U.S. surge of 30,000 in Afghanistan with 5,000 or more European troops. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Brussels today to round up promissory notes. But except for the usual stalwarts—Britain and Poland—the allies are having trouble meeting even this modest goal. Germany and France are reluctant to contribute anything more to defeat the Taliban.

This is by now a familiar story, and a big part of the problem is the relative lack of military spending. Among the Western Europeans, only France and the U.K. spend more than 2% of GDP on defense, supposedly the NATO-mandated minimum. Nearly everyone else is below that. Germany, the continent's largest economy, stands at 1.3%. U.S. defense spending has been above 4% of GDP since 2004, having fallen to 3% after the Cold War ended.

No amount of pleading and shaming has worked on the continentals. NATO launched the "Defense Capabilities Initiative" in 1999, only to abandon it a few years later. Various attempts to stand up European "rapid reaction" forces have floundered.

more...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704107104574573711965511326.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. So, since we have no prosperity, only debt, does that mean we cannot afford to be a military power?

One can only hope.

[Peace4us]

2. There is no money. We are bankrupt!

We have no money. We only have money printed as debt and more debt and more debt. Until the whole system comes crashing down. Which will hopefully end the Military/Industrial war machine which is the U.S. Government of the bankers, by the bankers and for the bankers. Let us hope that the American people will get a clue and decide to go to a sustainable peaceful society rather than a war/debt based one.

[natrat]

3. We only wish Mr. Obama understood the link between the larger welfare state he is trying to build

am i missing something? what welfare state? the huge money has been given to the wall street journal type banks.All the legislation coming down the pipe has to struggle to not screw people at the expense of corporations. So if there is a welfare state on the way it's a corporate welfare state.