Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data Figure: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told freelance writer Chu

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According to foreign media reports, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the end of February severely criticized Europe’s “non- militarization. ” He pointed out that NATO is the lack of budget “very serious, long-term and systematic issues”, has an adverse effect on the war in Afghanistan. Gates also claimed that NATO needs a wide range of reforms to defuse the brewing crisis for years. Why did the United States at this time to issue such a warning? The move to convey a political signal, what is it?

Atlantic Strange Bedfellows

the surface, the U.S. criticizes European countries, the latter is due to lack of investment in national defense, weakened NATO’s combat effectiveness. But in fact, the problem is not so simple. First of all, Gates criticized European countries if in addition to investment in Afghanistan not enough, a hidden subtext: as members of the European NATO countries are unwilling to war in Afghanistan and tolerance. Why? Taking into account the interests of Afghanistan and its core long distance, European countries feel no need for this “bleeding contribute”; turn, U.S. troops in Afghanistan does have a very practical reason – control the commanding heights of Central Asia, Iran’s threat against fundamentalism doctrine, and even China and Russia India and Pakistan and other countries can also have indirect effects.

European countries did not expand on the subjective tendency of the war in Afghanistan, there is no objective. The reason is simple, first the pressure of public opinion, the most prominent example is the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende to support the national armed forces stationed in the Arab extended to August this year, the results of its government in the fall of Gates’ speech a few days before. Secondly, according to Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao,” reported that the French and German has a “give up the dream of the European Union,” the voice said: “bungy four countries” (PIGS, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) financial crisis will eventually drag collapse the EU – in some countries due to economic difficulties, even the pursuit of European integration want to abandon the effort, not to mention the bottomless pit like the war in Afghanistan.

demilitarization favorable peace in Europe

Gates highlighted in his speech a word, that is, the demilitarization of Europe. In fact, the demilitarization of Europe, the background is easy to understand: the Soviet Union, due to the disappearance of a common enemy, the European countries (most members of NATO, and basically have joined the EU) security environment has changed fundamentally, varying degrees of reduced investment in national defense. This is natural in terms of Europe’s own peace is a good thing, bearing in mind the outbreak of two world wars in Europe, very important reason is that countries in the long-term adherence to the “military first” policy.

the demilitarization of Europe, also emphasized the reduction of military force, such as the war in Afghanistan. The reason is obvious: each involved in joint operations of NATO, the European money out of people, but neither the leadership, and not much real benefit, naturally, “Big Brother” U.S. views. Of course, the European Union in recent years in policy development also faces separatist crisis, many Eastern European countries joining the EU is still willing to follow the footsteps of the United States, but the “new Europe” often or powerless – no money.

more serious crisis within NATO

the demilitarization of Europe is not a bad thing, why the United States insisted against it? On the one hand, the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist, especially after the Soviet Union, NATO seems to have lost the value, as a regional military organization, it is the dissolution of the original. In order to maintain this huge “war alliance”, the United States to NATO transformation goals? Terrorism, deal with potential threats, maintaining global security … from property point of view, as if the second United Nations, the difference is that the United States is “leader” in an absolutely leading position, the rage of NATO into a tool for campaign . Therefore, Washington should do everything possible to Europe, bundled in his chariot, and carried out a series of foreign wars, from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan is the case.

From this, Gates has the fierce rhetoric, nothing more than to be tied again this link (excuse or a foreign war). But he also revealed dissatisfaction with NATO is indeed at a crossroads, the difference is, this time NATO’s internal crisis is more serious, the background is the economic crisis and the Western countries do not seem the Obama administration’s foreign policy of peace.