This is good
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1890494694280270241?s=46&t=o3XUPKxiqJH7KZYdWMCtqg
That would only be good if not a dime was spent on US armament, and everything spent on developing a credible European arms industry.
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It’s been a very long time that the hand out to the rich commonly know as the CAP should have been stopped. That money could be used to support a military industry. Of course loads to sort out first.
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Taken from the US thread, as this is far more a European question, and doesn’t concern the US anymore.
I ask myself the following these days: as it will take time to build a credible European army, and given the fact that we’ll not be able to ride this storm all on our own, what should the EU do until then?
Edit; I can see the following:
- build up with all might a European arms industry. I wouldn’t be against 5% of the GDP of every country going to it for a while, if it allows us to dispense ourselves from buying US armament and being thus dependent on them. Also, building up such an industry would create a lot of new jobs.
- we have seen that the US devilize China as much as they can these days. Surely, they’ll be at war with them at some point, and that can’t be too far away. That could play out as an advantage for us in the medium term. If the US have their eyes fixed on the far East, they won’t be able at the same time to harm us too much.
- the question is our attitude towards China. They aren’t Russia’s natural ally, neither historically, nor culturally, nor regarding geostrategic interests. Do we try to get nearer to them in order to reach a newly organised balance of terror? @Arminius wrote that it makes more sense now for Europe to build bridges with China than the US. I agree with him, even though China isn’t a great example of democracy in the world, but oh well… in potential wartime, you don’t have the luxury to chose your allies I suppose…
So, what are our options? I include the UK in it, as it finds itself confronted with the same dilemma as the EU. The above, something else?
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@Hope.in.your.heart My feelings are we need to strengthen trade with China and India for that matter. Discard our compliance with the US which forced a lot of silly geo-political situations (Pakistan for example). We missed the boat with Turkey when it was there for the taking (dispite it being a military ally). This should be looked at again imo. Yes I started with your last question/point. 
I see it as the most important as the US obviously wants a trade war and we can not afford that to hurt us.
As for military co-operation we have some good bases. France is a nuclear power and thanks to Chirac has the ability to develop this sector and with money and resolve produce. I can not see Europe getting anywhere without this unfortunately.
A massive problem imo is the UK they seem to be prepared to suck up to Trump and try to keep what they see as their special relationship with the US. I can see the UK weakening ‘us’ at every turn. At least they are no longer in the European Community.
We have much to do and to have the funds necessary as mentionned before the CAP has to go and that money invested where it counts. Rebuilding a manufacturing base.
So as not to go on too long and get myself confused I’ll stop here. I’m not even sure I’m answering your points anymore.
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‘The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States, but now I am president.’
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/eu-us-trade/
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To complete the above, I found this link interesting:
One takeaway I got from somewhere else is that the inequality at the base of the US system means that a EU citizen has an average chance of living more than three years longer (81,5 years) than a US citizen (78,4 years). That’s a lot!
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Narcissism as a national world view
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Same in Canada, despite our vastly inferior health system that has us clamoring to become the 51st state. 81.3 years.
What it comes down to is that if you let the poor people die young, you bring down your average.
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If you look at health statistics on a state by state basis, most of that difference is due to the South, which has high levels of obesity and death by gun shots. For example, the life expectancies in Vermont and New Brunswick are about the same.
When we first moved to the US, the average life span in Louisiana was 59, which rivaled third world countries.
FTR my experience being in both health systems is that if you’re lower middle class or lower, you’re better generally being in the Canadian health system. If you’re middle class or above, you’re better to be in the American system.
OTOH a Surrey BC hospital didn’t have any ER doctors the other day. My family lives in the Comox Valley and there’s a year wait to get a GP as 10% of residents don’t have one.
Gun shot deaths don’t drive a huge amount of the difference, but yeah, the South does. Southern states are poorer, and many have very high levels of Medicaid usage - which is a marker for a population that otherwise struggles to get access to healthcare.
The Vermont-New Brunswick comparison is telling. Vermont is 18th of states for income per capita, New Brunswick is the poorest province. NB should be a comparator for Mississippi
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Yeah, our system is flawed, and more flawed than it was a generation ago. No question about that. The US system is by far the best in the world for the ~10% who can access it directly without resort to government programs, HMOs etc.
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Most Americans have health insurance through their employers. Most Americans will express dissatisfaction with the healthcare system in general but will say they’re happy with their healthcare. So it’s not just the 10%.
My father - RIP - had to wait over a year to get a final diagnosis from a neurologist to have surgery that was deemed elective but caused him a great deal of pain. My mother had both her knees replaced, and she had to wait eight and six months to get it done. My wife opted not to have knee surgery, but had she gone through, it would have taken about a week to schedule it once all the paperwork was done.
That’s what I mean if you’re middle class, you’re better in the US. There is certainly a ton of waste in the system and agents extracting rent that don’t need to be there, ie PBMs. But there are more specialists and resources aren’t constrained in the US. You’re also on the very cutting edge of treatments.
Out of pocket elective surgeries can be very expensive. A friend of mine is Russian. He needed some dental work that would have costed him $12k. But he got it done in Moldova for half that, including plane tickets for himself and his wife.
59 ??? Fucking hell! 
So Europe has adversarial relationships with the US and Russia now.
Obviously there is an urgent need to rearm and to agree on a power structure to deal with this situation. NATO is dead, but some kind of alliance with The UK and Canada will be necessary. Events have overtaken any reasonable person’s ability to assess and react. I’m sure no diplomats would have predicted this even a month ago.
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From the Canadian perspective, I am not sure it could work. If there is an adversarial relationship with the US and Russia, Europe trying to support Canada more than doubles the frontier in question, while bringing relatively little power into the equation. Europe in the next generation faces enormous challenges without taking on that kind of overextension. Starmer and our King Charles appear to have shown quite the willingness to discard Canada from consideration this week. I think Europe could be forgiven for looking to European interests first.
I know this Spring I will be looking at the tulips in Ottawa differently - my Ottawa residence is very close to one of the major displays of the annual gift from the Netherlands. There may not be many more, but we know it is not because the Dutch have forgotten.
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Both Europe and Canada are in desperate need of all the friends they can get. I wouldn’t expect an ‘attack on one is an attack on all’ pact, but increased cooperation and mutual support has to be the way forward.
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