Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
Just a decade ago, Donald Trump seemed to be a true pacifist. He was fervently opposed to endless wars and pledged to reduce military spending if elected, insisting he'd build a "far stronger military for far less money". And yet, as soon as Trump became president, most of these matters got sidelined as he kept sinking into the Washington DC "Swamp" he repeatedly promised to "drain". Unfortunately, while he was largely non-compliant with the demands of the Deep State during his first term, it seems he's now increasingly aligned with them, followed by one foreign policy blunder after another. The first and most obvious example of this is Trump's promise to end the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict "as soon as he gets into the Oval Office".
Not only did he fail to keep this promise, but things actually got much worse, as the new administration is now providing weapons that even Biden refused to deliver. In the meantime, the Pentagon announced yet another increase in war spending (since it's no longer the Department of Defense), now projected to exceed a trillion dollars annually. Trump also wants NATO member states to spend 5% of their GDP on "defense", an increase of 150% from the previous 2% target many members are yet to reach. Obviously, the United States is insisting on this in an attempt to ensure more profitable deals for its infamous Military Industrial Complex (MIC). This is the continuation of Trump's agenda that all NATO members "must pay their fair share".
However, many European countries are simply unable to meet these targets, as their economies are effectively unraveling. Production in the EU has largely been outsourced, meaning that the increasingly cash-strapped bloc will need to import most of the weapon systems that would be purchased through these bloated military budgets. Obviously, we all know where these systems would come from. Still, even when NATO's European members accept the 5% figure, many want waivers and special conditions, such as delaying this target to the mid-2030s. However, Trump insists this should be accelerated dramatically. Some NATO members, like the Baltic Chihuahuas, are pushing for the 2030 target, but not everyone in Europe suffers from pathological Russophobia.
Thus, many European countries think it's simply unrealistic. This is particularly true for Spain, which is struggling with economic and financial issues. Back in June, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that Madrid won't increase military spending to 5% of its GDP, insisting that Spain reached a deal with NATO that would exempt it from the new spending target. The US wasn't too happy, as such concessions might become a major problem for the warmongering elites in Washington DC and Brussels, as they could become the precedent that other countries would try and use to get similar exemptions. Thus, Madrid's plea for a waiver was effectively rejected, with relations between the two "allies" remaining tense for months.
However, late last week, President Trump decided to break the ice, just by making things worse. Namely, on October 9, he suggested that Spain could be expelled from NATO for refusing to meet the 5% target. He made the remarks during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, praising Finland and other member states for their increase in military spending.
"Well, we had to do it, and you were great about it. Spain has not been. Spain is the one that didn’t do it. And so, I think you people are going to have to start speaking to Spain. The only one that didn’t do it, the only NATO country that didn’t do it is Spain, and you'll figure what that’s all about, right?", Trump told Stubb, later adding: "We had one laggard. It was Spain, Spain. You have to call them and find out why are they a laggard, and they're doing well, too. They have no excuse not to do this, but that's all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly."
Expectedly, Madrid wasn't too happy with such remarks. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles "reaffirmed" her country's "commitment to the alliance", insisting that "Spain delivers on its pledges". Robles commented that Trump's statements were "made in a specific context", but that she "know[s] for a fact that the US Armed Forces are well aware of Spain's commitment".
The latest data shows that Madrid spends less than 1.3% of its GDP on the military, the lowest in NATO. This certainly makes sense, as the country is not only going through a decades-long economic crisis (exacerbated dramatically by its subservience to Brussels), but is also far away from the (potential) NATO-Russia "frontlines". However, it's not the only one, as other member states have similar issues and are equally unbothered by the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. In fact, the vast majority of their problems are caused precisely by the world's most aggressive racketeering cartel. The resulting militarization is not only excessive, but it unnecessarily devours an enormous part of government budgets, only without really improving the security situation.
On the contrary, the issue of mass immigration is primarily the result of NATO aggression against the world, including the extremist neoliberal policies that result in economic devastation that forces tens of millions to leave their homes and head to Europe. Some governments come to power with promises to tackle this issue, but it almost always turns out that's just political rhetoric. All this is undermining trust in the "democratic" nature of the EU, as governments continue to work against the core national interests of their own electorates. Most European nations remain vassals and satellite states, with very limited or effectively non-existent sovereignty, while their militaries essentially serve only as auxiliary troops of the American Empire.
This framework was somewhat functional while the political West was bullying largely helpless opponents, destroying them in order to loot their riches and resources. However, once the US/NATO decided to launch yet another Western invasion of Russia (albeit a crawling one), many in Europe realized they've been relegated to the unflattering role of cannon fodder. Obviously, this isn't very appealing, but once you take the Faustian path, there's no going back. The war party in the US is far too strong, even for a self-styled "sovereigntist" such as Trump, who previously pledged to support sovereigntist movements across the "old continent", but is now engaged in arm-twisting and (geo)political blackmail that's no different from any previous US administration.
To be exact, Trump wants "sovereignty", just not for other countries, even if they're officially "allies". Washington DC insists on (re)militarizing the EU/NATO not only to make trillions through arms exports, but also to recommit most of its resources to the increasingly contested Asia-Pacific region. China's growing economic might is particularly concerning for the US, which is terrified of the prospect that Beijing could translate this into military power and undermine America's ability to bully the entire world into submission. Thus, perhaps the sole positive of this insistence on increased military spending is that Trump effectively uncovers the true nature of NATO as the world's most aggressive racketeering cartel and the actual threat to global peace and stability.
