Originally Posted by
minigundiplomat
You use the figure of combined EU defence spending of 190b; 2% of EU GDP is 360b which is why I drew your attention to the percentage of GDP because that's the expectation of membership for NATO. My point has never been that the EU shouldn't get some tanks, plenty of badges and a French general and start their own Army club, I'm all for it. It's that they shouldn't expect others to pull them out the sh1t when it invariably goes wrong.
As for your last point, I don't believe we live in a world (yet) where I can't pick my preferred collective noun for EU members. On the issue of past wars, there is a trend which you are free to ignore or talk around if you wish, but I take it you also object to the use of legal precedents?
again. I agree with you on the 2 percent. But that is NATO and has zero to do with the EU! Not even every memberstate is in NATO. As you might be aware defence budgets are allocated by every souvereign memberstate. Combined that is 190B. I also don’t think that is enough, but again, different story.
that “trend” you like to bring up. If anything the EU has been actually quite successful in helping to break that trend. An EU army wil not, if ever, be created overnight. The point is mainly to further integrate and streamline the 27 forces to make it much more efficient. I personally do not care much if a General is French or even German, as long as he (or she) is capable. But as opposed to you, I don’t still live in WW2. Tell me, why should it invariably go wrong?
You can call me Eurotrash as you like. If that makes you feel better.. I think calling names is something you did in school and in a civilized discussion it sounds extremely childish for a 50 year old on an anonymous internet forum.