Maybe I can count that as Cardio

I frickin love that logo

^^^^ It wasn't when DJ came it was when ficnk left, be honest. And now you know how the reunionsts feel, but maybe even a little more despairing since finck is gone forever whereas a reunion could well happen.

It's Guns N Roses 7 or some shit like that now. It hasnt been Guns N Roses since '89

Europe have long been making strides to rid the whole idea of war from their public psyche. From the philosophies that bred their social policies to the society built on those ideals the collective memory of the second world war has meant a rejection of military thinking in the public domain with a quiet reliance on the US to cover their asses should the be threatened again.

People forget that if it wasn't for WW2 there wouldn't be a Europe. The entire european ideal was founded on a mindful and collective movement away from war.

Adorno's quote that there could be no poetry after Auschwitz sums up the policy there.

In reality such idealism won't float, and as such Europe relies on the states for their military support.

I don't know if I can blame them. The prospect of war of that magnitude on home soil is horrifying.

Eastern Europe is still very much in recovery from the WW2 fallout.

In honesty the US needs to keep Europe on side. Because if American EU military co-operations go out the window, Europe doesn't turn to China.

She turns to a now more publicly moderate and yet privately idealistic Russia. Ardent belief in pure Capitalism does not exist in Europe. Take a look at the bailouts of Greece Portugal and Irl. The system is in place because it profits Franco-German interests.
That's the reality and it doesn't bode well for anyone involved.

Personally. I think Germany is ready to lead Europe. If the rest of the continent would leave the past in the past modern post nazi post wall Germany could be a powerful control centre for the E.U. financially speaking it already is and as such it's only a matter of time before Germany absolves itself.

Oh come now. Let's be fair. The US has had an impact, I can't as an honest man say that it's been positive for the most part. Patriotism aside and honesty to the fore, there was a time America had the potential to not only make an impact but to make an impact for the good of the American people and her Allies. That dream was leveled with Hiroshima. We can lie to ourselves about it or we can make a conscious effort to re-instate that potential.

Anyway this is idle talk from Gates. NATO has always been weak and indecisive. There are bonds of trust in place outside NATO that it seems to do nothing but obstruct. On top of that. The last thing AMerica wants is for europe to be anything more than dependent upon it for it's survival.
As long as europe depends on America, America holds all the cards.

At this juncture however America is not in a strong position to withdraw military support. Not while Russia and the EU are on such good terms. The are many in the EU parliament who would subscribe to the immense doctrine of integrity russia represent than a blind faith in a progressively aggressive US.