Eight years after Donald Trump first arrived in the White House, European countries appear not to have learned their lessons. The current situation is much more serious than it was then. Because no one has the wrong idea. “Oh, he’s not going to dare to do what he announced.” No one? I’m not sure. Denying reality in the first place remains an option for some governments that believe their worst expectations will not be met. And they run around like headless chickens, looking for solutions they never bothered to look for.
In the area of military spending, the return of President Trump will have a negative impact on Spain. Our country is far from compliance. Ten years ago, NATO governments’ commitment to allocate at least 2% of GDP to the defense budget. The rift could worsen if the EU adopts a strategy of appeasement with the US president, who takes office this Monday. Some are already trying to appease President Trump by rushing to agree.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently said, “2%[of defense spending]is not enough. Otherwise we will be safe, but only in four to five years. You have to start taking classes or go to New Zealand.’ We are back in the days of the Cold War, when announcements were made that one day Russian tanks would be up in the streets and Cyrillic would be imposed on us. . By then, Rutte will be surfing in New Zealand.
The NATO chief claims that Russia has a “war economy,” and this is true. All sectors of the Russian economy are focused on the war against Ukraine. Big companies carry out orders from the Kremlin. This is an unlikely scenario in EU countries.
Rutte served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands for 14 years. He was among the leaders dubbed “austerityists,” a euphemism that defines countries whose governments are working to reduce public spending and debt. Together with Germany, the current growth rate is low, unlike southern European countries. Most of the time, military spending is public spending, but it’s not very austere at that point. On the contrary, sectors such as health, education and pensions seem to be less urgent for them.
Rutte said this in another speech in December. “I know we’re going to increase defense spending.” It means spending less on other priorities, but only a little less. European countries spend a quarter of their income on pensions and health care. “We need a fraction of that money to strengthen our defenses and protect our way of life.”
It is clear that for many Europeans, it is the welfare state that defines their “lifestyle”, not the ability to increase military spending to counter the Russian threat. This language, typical of the 20th century, and the conflict with the Soviet Union made it difficult to win elections in Western Europe.
This comparison between the defense budget and the budget for other items such as health is misleading and disingenuous. Rutte did not dare to quantify the “slight reduction” in spending because the calculations would not work. Or they dare not tell Europeans how much they should save on the investments they are most interested in.
NATO estimates that 23 of the alliance’s 32 members will reach minimum spending levels of 2% by 2024. Only six countries reached this level in 2018. Countries such as Spain and Italy are still a long way off the mark. According to the latest estimates released by NATO, Spain’s military expenditure is 1.28% of GDP, placing it at the bottom of the table. Italy is 1.49%. At the top of the ranking is Poland with 4.12%. The US spent 3.38%, less than in 2014. In relation to another relevant measure used by NATO, namely the proportion of defense spending used to purchase weapons and military supplies, Spain’s position is approximately in the middle of the table at 30. %, slightly higher than the US. In other words, there are countries that have a lot of soldiers but don’t spend enough on weapons, planes, etc.
What’s happening is that the goalposts are being moved. As a precaution against President Trump’s future claims, multiple governments are discussing that 2% is not enough. The idea of increasing this rate to 3% is starting to gain momentum, but this is an impossible goal for many countries in the short and medium term.
They don’t even guarantee that the 3% military spending debate will neutralize President Trump’s demands. In December, members of his team told senior European officials: The new president will ask for a 5% share.According to the Financial Times, this is a completely disproportionate number. Sources involved in those conversations told the newspaper they believe Trump will ultimately accept a 3.5% increase and intend to tie defense spending directly to U.S. trade relations with Europe. This is hardly a veiled threat. “It’s clear that we will be talking about more than 3% at the Hague summit,” he said, referring to the NATO summit to be held in June 2025.
We are in a favorable period for sending messages, and Pedro Sanchez has also had something to say lately. “I do not share the militaristic tendencies that are leading us into a new arms race,” he warned in a speech to ambassadors appointed in Madrid. “The world has more urgent priorities to address, and no manual says that peace and security will be achieved through increased weaponry.”
Sanchez makes necessity a virtue. Increased military spending has drawn rejection from the government and its allies in Congress. Without a new budget in 2025, the chances of a significant increase in military spending are greatly reduced. There is always the option of highlighting Spain’s contribution to UN peacekeeping operations and NATO military deployments. It will be a smart card, but that doesn’t mean it will work.
Mr. Trump’s emergence as the proverbial elephant in the china shop will accelerate the debate over defense spending, but it also comes as a result of the unfolding war in Ukraine and the new North American government’s announcement to facilitate peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. It will also depend on your attempts. Everything is surrounded by great uncertainty, and no major changes are expected until the NATO summit in June. Countries like France, which runs a huge budget deficit, and Italy, which is still subject to the EU’s excessive deficit procedure, are not in a position to make major changes. Germany is in a period of severe economic stagnation. An alternative in the EU would be to approve a debt mutualization mechanism (funding this increase in military spending with debt assumed by the EU), something Nordic countries such as Rutte’s home country have always rejected. It’s a method.
At the heart of the debate is a question so deep that it is rarely mentioned: why. If we are considering creating a rapid deployment force in Poland or Germany with tens of thousands of soldiers to respond to sudden threats to the Baltic States, we should require countries to make concrete contributions to make this possible. I can do it. Generally speaking, the only thing left is to cause fear in the Russian bear. Some experts familiar with Russia believe there is no basis for such alarm. “Russia has no military deployments.” It threatens Finland and Sweden,” says Anatol Lieven. “That idea is ridiculous considering Russia is stuck in Ukraine.”
The facts do not support that level of risk. Russia failed to take control of Ukraine during the nearly three-year war. Can anyone in their right mind believe that they are in a position to invade Poland and confront every member of NATO?
Racism is PP’s last weapon to save Mazon.
The People’s Party will do whatever it takes to save Carlos Mazon. For example, making racist statements and lying about state aid to Valencia after DANA (the latter is not that surprising). In recent days, it has taken advantage of the $24 million allocation for humanitarian aid to Gaza announced by the Sánchez administration. First, Mazon compared these funds with the funds not being given to his community, saying, “The autonomous government of Valenciana will receive zero direct aid from the Sánchez government.” That’s a lie. Of the €16.648 billion aid fund approved by the central government for flood-affected people, To date, 1,468 million euros have been paid out.
The worst was yet to come. The new generation of the PP sent out the message “Gaza, Valencia Regional Municipality” on social networks, in order to show that the party’s young people can get as dirty as their elders if necessary. This confirms that they are there. The hurdles are very high, so they have to work hard. The party’s official account later topped them with the following words: “If you ask for help in Arabic, it will come right away.” You have to be a disgusting racist to come out with a message in the style so common on Vox accounts.
There are many ways to seize power, or attempt to seize power, but racism, such as mocking the suffering in Gaza, should not be among them. But they claim to be the only constitutional party in Spain, so perhaps this is the only way they understand how to protect democracy.
david lynch and fire walk
David Lynch has died at the age of 78. Most obituaries say he was a visionary. It’s a surreal work, like a modern-day Buñuel, but he says he’s never seen his own films. He has the ability to turn dreams into nightmares, as seen in Mulholland Drive, considered by many to be his cinematic masterpiece, and virtually the entire film is a dream with a breathtaking ending. is or should be seen as if it were. Of course, it is by no means conventional. You can make people remember the scenes and shots of your movie better than your plot. This is what happens in “Blue Velvet,” too, and we can’t forget the image of Dennis Hopper on a ventilator, not to mention other more shocking moments.
What can I say about the beginning of that movie? This song and close-up transport us to the idyllic and happy America of the Reagan era. Until suddenly…
By the way, if you are a Firmin member, Six of his movies have been released. In the catalog. An additional benefit of seeing them is Carlos Boero hates lynching.
“Lynch is “Described by adjectives, his work combined surrealism, film noir, and horror, giving rise to such terms as Lynchian, and his work has become one of the most influential in cinema around the world.”・Zuro writes in his director profile. On television, he was said to be ahead of his time and had a tremendous influence on the “Twin Peaks” series. “Anyone who does theater, “It would be a lie to say we weren’t influenced by David Lynch in the hour-long episodes,” recalled “The Sopranos” creator David Chase. The creators of series such as “Lost” and “Fargo” also acknowledge their debt to Lynch.
