Pick our poison: bear the brunt of the cost as we have since the end of WWII or back off and encourage them to have their own defense forces. Some important political and cultural shifts have happened in Japan and Germany since WWII. Never say never, but the likelihood of them starting a war of conquest seems pretty slim. Europe gave us Napoleon, Hitler, and now Putin as we naively hoped and believed that wars of conquest were a thing of the past.
Russia Complains of Ukraine Military's 'Aggressive Behavior' How dare they try to defend themselves from the "special military operation". What's the world coming to?
Russia has done a lot of whining, I’ll agree. On the flipside, Ukraine is complaining that Russia is sending murderers, i.e., Wagner to kill them.
So apparently Putin has long winded media thing at the end of every year that’s part “State Of the Gas Station” part presser in which he takes questions. Not this year…
Yes, he sits and answers every question until it’s over with. And he doesn’t need crib notes or a kid to lead him off the stage ... Biden Spins in Confusion, Needs a Child's Help to Find His Way Offstage
I would be wary of the idea that Germany and Japan would be willing to risk their soldiers for an issue that does not directly affect them. It is not a simple equation of getting them to have larger and more capable militaries means that the U.S. will be able to spend less by the same amount, and the net effect will be the same. NATO may be better able to defend itself, so we would no longer have to worry so much about Russia, although as we can see, countries that are not in NATO are still at high risk. China is another story. Japan does not want to fight China just because Taiwan is being invaded. That is not an existential threat to Japan. And that is what rogue nations like China and Russia count on: pick off the weak while the strong twiddle their thumbs, and then wait for an opportune time to pick off the strong, one by one. Note that in U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that were supported by international coalitions, neither Germany nor Japan sent a very significant force (Japan had 600 troops in Iraq from 2004-06, and Germany had none, while Romania had 730 and Poland had 2500 in 2008-09). So we are still the ones bearing the brunt of the fighting, because Russia and China will know not to do anything that will engage a military response from the secondary militaries (plus the U.S.). They will attack the defenseless whenever possible and continue to build their strength until they are strong enough to attack anyone. Putin just made the miscalculation that Ukraine wouldn't be able to stand up to the Russian army after surrounding himself with a pro-war cabinet. I will say that the U.S. benefits more than other countries from free trade that is made possible by keeping as much of the world free as possible, just because we have such a large economy.
It's a little easier to get softball questions when you put a gun to the head of the questioners. "Uhh, is this a great policy, or the best policy ever, Mr. Putin?" "Excellent question, Mr. Reporter, I will have to consider the greatness of my policies in greater detail." The last thing a reporter wants to see is a couple of FSB agents wearing sunglasses, carrying a balcony and following him down the street.
I truly think that this is Russia’s last attempt at relevance. If they weren’t a nuclear power this would be a yawn. China is a little different because they have a real economy. I think but am not sure that China will not risk their economy on an invasion of Taiwan but dictators do really stupid things all the time.
The Kremlin goes from bold confidence ("what attack--I didn't notice") to quaking terror ("they can strike anywhere at any time! we're doomed!"). Brace for All-Out Attacks on Russian Soil, Kremlin Official Warns
China wouldn't be building and modernizing their military if there was no intention to use the military. No other country has any interest in invading or attacking China. China used to maintain a very large army simply for keeping the peace and giving young men something to do when there weren't enough jobs. They would guard things like chemical plants (they had one on every street corner of a chemical plant I worked in during 2006). Chairman Xi certainly seems like the type of dictator to have an interest in using China's military to settle some scores and bring long-lost ancient lands back into the fold. And don't forget, China has a very long memory--one of the byproducts of having 4,000 years of history. I have read that China does have an interest in defeating Japan as payback for WWII. They also have an inherent hatred and mistrust of the British (and the U.S.) after the Opium Wars and the subsequent drug trade in China in the 1800's. The first thing they teach kids in school when they are old enough to learn history is which countries to hate and why.
I hear they threaten edgy reporters with force-feeding them rotten zoo carcasses if the don’t behave. And then they take them outside and rape them anyway.
I see just the opposite. We’re witnessing the twilight of US hegemony with a powerful Eurasian counterbalance emerging.
You like to imagine Russian officials running around the room screaming when they’re merely stating the obvious. The wonder of it all *sarcasm* is that the unhinged madman hasn’t nuked anybody yet. If anything, this is ‘controlled recklessness’ on the the part of the US to provoke Putin into overreaction. But what if Putin reacts in dramatic fashion ? What could the US do about it ? Send in the Screaming Eagles light brigade to mow the Russians down ? *more sarcasm*
For that matter, no one envisions invading the US. But look at our dizzying world-leading military expenditures.
