Re: What I meant was that they are increasing the strength of their military to try and neutralize some of the strength of the American and Russian armies.
I understood as much.... You merely fail to understand that "increasing the military" to catch up with the US and Russia needs MONEY, a lot of money... Money that most EU countries are already spending on welfare, pensions, healthcare,... With barely 1.5% GDP growth overall, I don't think Europe can afford both a Pentagon-like military behemoth AND the world's allegedly most generous welfare system.
Besides, to boost military spending in France, Germany,... requires a serious (geo)political reason. Don't expect public opinion in France, Germany, Italy,... to quietly accept that their governments splurge zillions of euros on brand-new carriers, bombers, missiles,... just for the sake of catching up with the Joneses. That's where crusading in Iraq would have helped --as an excuse for a more aggressive military buildup.
Gus |
