- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39664905
Lieutenant General Christian Freuding fears the longstanding military partnership between the two allies is unravelling under President Trump’s administration
The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.
The United States has traditionally treated Germany as one of its most important European allies. It is thought to have about 35,000 soldiers stationed at German bases such as Ramstein and Stuttgart, which serve as staging posts for American operations across Africa and the Middle East.
Since President Trump’s return to power in January, the relationship between the countries has become markedly cooler.
Germany should probably consider expelling all US troops stationed in Germany in response and make a public announcement that this is being discussed at least. You can‘t just sit still when a supposedly close ally suddenly slaps the door at you.
Frankly I’ve always thought the concept of military bases on foreign soil was creepy at best. And it’s hilarious how many people welcome it and the. Freak out when Saudi Arabia is looking at a base in the US. Now you know how it feels.
Contrary to certain narratives, and while it has some merit, US bases are in said countries at the explicit request of host countries because there is a perceived bigger and more existential threat next door. The host country is basically subcontracting the defense to the United States. Trolls would tell you that these countries were “influenced” or “coerced” to let American troops be stationed. Well, the US is not the one claiming the entirety of South China Sea, or invading Ukraine. South East Asia and EU want US troops to stay because of this. Poland is very US friendly, and so are Taiwan, Vietnam and Philippines. The Philippines elected to kick the American soldiers out 34 years ago, but are now regretting it with the benefit of hindsight due to territorrial dispute in South Chins Sea. Certain actors who push for US withdrawal stand to benefit from it for obvious reasons.
The US has over 700 bases in 80 countries. Countries “invite” them in just like countries “willingly” use the dollar for international trade. Its structural dependancy by an imperial power. The British did the same thing 150 years ago.
Although with Trump’s shenanigans, US dollar is gradually losing its value.
Many countries consciously outsource defense to the US, so that they could invest in their own people instead. A clear evidence of this attitude is when Spain expressed hesitancy to increase their defense budget. Obama has a point that EU has been “free riding”. However, the way Trump makes US allies to “pull their weight” is more coercive than diplomatic.
The us has all the makings of cancer, it even metastasised.
Oh please, this is the bullshit propaganda we’re all used to on mainstream. US does coerce them internally to have their bases everywhere. Biden even said repeatedly they would have to invent Israel if it wasn’t there already. US bases are known to have caused deplorable rapes and crimes across the globe, which are then silenced or swept under the rug by the US. When the citizens complain and want them out, they are silenced by coercing the local governments. But I assume people who don’t want racist rapists and criminals in their community are trolls too, right?
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/nx-s1-5035032/sexual-assault-cases-involving-u-s-military-personnel-strain-relations-with-japan
Bootlickers propagandists would tell you that these country specifically request US base to be stationed. Well let’s change the subject to china to divert the topic cuz we all hate China here, am I right?
China is threat to south China sea, like US is in Central America. How would you like some Chinese or Russian bases in Cuba, Venezuala, or the Bahamas?
No, you’d fucking cry like a little pussy and embargo them. Oh no, you already do that. So much for countries that want to do what they want, right?
“Do as I say, not as I do.”
No surprise there, so don’t come with that self-aggrandizing, virtue signalling bullshit about threats and coercing.
One of the “threat” is currently playing out and already committed war crimes near Venezuela. And that isn’t China.
You aren’t fooling anyone. I’d go back to reddit where this shit flies because US bases just love reddit.
P.S. Fuck Chinese and Russian governments too.
Do you have a source? American soldiers who commit crimes do get punished. Crimes of individual soldiers does not mean it’s institutionalised and sanctioned by American policies. Meanwhile, in South China Sea, Chinese vessels waterhose Vietnamese and Filipino fishermen and not letting other nations to traverse and fish in international waters, and claiming an entire body of water despite being well away from their legal zone.
For these countries, US is a lesser evil. But I have to admit, Trump’s shenanigans making these countries decouple from US, which is good.
Sure bud. Have a plausible deniability.
I think rammstein was a capitulation cost wasn’t it?
I thought Rammstein is a cool metal band?
They are.
As an aside they started doing their videos in Germany with Germans instead of America and they are fuckin beautiful.
Awesome visuals. https://youtu.be/skl6N3zGv-s
I dunno how to put this, uhh well produced sexual innuendo I guess is the best way to put it. https://youtu.be/thJgU9jkdU4
We have American border police at our airports, and they are able to act as if they’re on home turf and not our fucking land – including arresting us to take to America. I have a thought as to whom we can expel from here, obviously!
Some of them welcome the bases (or so we are told) to help with defense. But seeing what’s going on in Ukraine, it seems like we can’t rely on allies to help out. Maybe still a deterrent though?
The difference is Saudi Arabia is always evil and the US is only frequently evil. Always when a Republican is president but also occasionally when a Democrat is president.
That’s why almost no one does it other than the US, we get to have over 750 of them in more than 80 countries! And at the same time, we would absolutely lose our freedom-loving minds if another country wanted to build one in America.
They’re banking on the US eventually turning back around. The US presence in Germany has been historically very beneficial to them, and kicking them out is the kind of move that’s hard to take back.later.
I’m guessing there’s a lot of smaller steps they could take to make the US hurt, but yes, they shouldn’t ignore it. Going to the media was probably step 1.
With what army? They already sold off half their military stockpile to be pissed away by Ukrainians in the Donbas. And the median German is 45, with that number getting even worse when you discount the Middle East migrants that all the white nationalists hate.
Germany is fully occupied and secured by the US. Hell, keeping Germany subservient was the entire reason NATO was created. They’re not going anywhere.
I agree that direct confrontation wouldn’t work. However, Germany could just refuse to allow anyone to supply food, power, petrol etc. to American bases and they’ll have to take themselves home sooner or later or declare open war on Germany.
The reason nato was created was the threat of the soviet Russian empire and continues to exist for almost the exact same reason.
Why would German business interests turn down lucrative contracts to supply heavily marked up commodities to a captive clientele? And why would the German state government interfere with the finances of prolific political donors?
Maybe the German citizenry could boycott the bases. But they’d need a large nationalist labor movement for that kind of effort. And I’m not seeing it happen in a nation as sharply divided along regional and ethnic lines.
Not until after the Korean War, and the official entrance of West Germany to NATO, did the goal shift to Soviet containment. The original explicit stated purpose of the organization was to prevent German re-militarization - a perceived error of the original WW1 settlement. Soviet Russia was considered an ally and partner in this purpose under FDR and only became a belligerent under Truman, in the scramble to entrench capitalism as the primary economic model of the Pacific Rim.
If they wanted them gone bad enough, they could starve them out. I’m not sure how you’ve convinced yourself that isn’t a possible option for them, if pushed far enough. I’m not saying they will but the idea that they couldn’t is just ridiculous.
Nato was formed in 1949 which was before the korea war and was always about preventing soviet aggression. No amount of pretending otherwise will change that. Britain and America had already occupied Germany after ww2 and that didn’t officially end until 1955. I get it, you don’t like nato but you’re not doing you side any favours here.
Who is “they”? Clearly, the German business class don’t want American soldiers gone. They’re a profit center. And the locals who have to deal with these dickbags running around, crashing vehicles, assaulting people at bars, and otherwise making anyone within half a mile of a base miserable clearly don’t have any kind of actual economic control of the municipalities.
Why wasn’t West Germany invited until six years later?
Your mad scrambling to not back down over a very silly statement is getting boring now. The fact that you genuinely think that there’s literally nothing Germany could ever do to be rid of American soldiers, if they wanted to, is just bizzare and has no basis in reality.
Because of WW2. You’ve heard of that one right? Sheer desperation and very little thought going on here.
That would be the sensible and forward thinking action which prioritizes Germany’s future well being, yes.