President Donald Trump plans to pull about 20,000 U.S. troops from Europe, according to a leading Italian news agency.
A European diplomatic source told ANSA that Trump, who entered office on Monday for a second term, wants to reduce the American contingent in Europe by about 20 percent and plans to ask for a “financial contribution” for the maintenance of the remaining troops.
As a European, I say fine and sure.
But then we also withdraw from the Plaza accords.
Ever since China has winded down their US debt holdings, we have picked up the tab and the EU countries are now the largest foreign holder of treasuries.
Time to start selling.
And also, we only buy from European defense firms, no more spending on American defense.
If there are no buyers for treasuries it’ll tank the dollar value and go a long way to remove it’s status as a reserve currency. Trump insist on rocking the boat that has been working for the US.
what people don’t understand is that europe must say goodbye to america, things are turning.
we (europe) should start considering being more independent (from the USA) and maybe, just maybe, actually talking to our eastern neighbours.
… you mean Ukraine, no?
No he means Putin and Lukashenko, the real vicitms of the war in Ukraine. Everyone knows that Zelensky is no angel.
Adding /s might have saved your comment from the downvotes.
Haha yeah I realized it. 🤷
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The Vietnam war was 50 years ago. I think there was quite a bit of criticism of the Iraqi invasion which while already a bit dated is a more recent comparison, no?
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True but it’s not direct military action so I was trying to find a more direct comparison.
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yes i was referring to the vietnam one because otherwise people say “muh duh it’s because 9/11 and they had to defend themselves”.
Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Anyone who says that is trying to revise history. Bush lied about Saddam having a WMD program to send us to Iraq. It’s the perfect example.
Well Vietnam is harder for most people to compare because most of us weren’t alive back then. So I don’t have a point of reference for how the media treated that conflict.
There’s always some kind of flimsy justification for war but we all know that Iraq and 9/11 were in no way related outside of the propaganda. Did people really take those things seriously in your community?
I’m in the US but even here many people rejected this reasoning, although you are right that the media and our political leadership were complicit. This was one thing that led to Obama’s election because he was one of only a few people in congress who opposed the war.
The US didn’t start the Vietnam War, maybe that’s why. They certainly exacerbated it and prevented it from being resolved, but it was just a civil war (kind of, Vietnam had just been divided into two countries, so I don’t know if it technically counts as a civil war still) at the beginning.
Nice suggestion. Let’s abandon our strongest ally who are in an identity chrisis for literal terrorists. Thanks, Lemmy.
Your “strongest ally” just removed 20% of its troops and wants to extort you for the other 80% in its obligations to said alliance
Wow!
Now do russia!
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The Plaza Accord ended in 1987. It was replaced with the Louvre Accord.
You are right. But I still see most people refer to the Plaza accords. I guess those are just more well known.