I stopped reading at “permanent US security guarantee”. Is this a joke or what? Are we still having politicians that trust trump and believe in father XMas? The latest so called “security guarantee” once Ukraine stupidely abandoned its nuclear arsenal seems to have already disappeared in a collective loss of memory? Ridiculous. Wake up folks!
Isn’t this another problem where we know what the solution is but aren’t acting accordingly? The answer has to be: keep him sweet while scrambling to grow to the point where we can afford to risk defying him. We have surely grasped that, but aren’t scrambling. So the point where we can go to stage two won’t be reached in time unless we are much luckier than we deserve to be. John
As you say Philip the time for Europe to formalise the reality is getting closer. Is there an extant and meaningful US security guarantee for NATO. Would the current Administration risk blood and treasure for the Baltic States? The so called coalition of the willing need to be rapidly transformed into a military alliance.
On a separate but related matter, what are the consequences for the UK Continuous At Sea Deterrent of the extinction of NATO?
In ‘Britain Alone’ you described how U.K. acquired the deterrent. I think it is designated as primarily a NATO asset, which would be inconvenient if NATO does not exist. Given the impact on the defence budget, CASD is beginning to look less like a deterrent and more like a millstone. It is particularly concerning that there is zero public discourse on its merits. Surely it the Government should justify it beyond assertions in the SDR.
Hard to disagree with any of this Philip. What do you think of the ideas I have read of Europe setting up a military base in Greenland, the EU devising sanctions against US companies, expelling some US military personnel, etc, or are we not near that point yet?
I stopped reading at “permanent US security guarantee”. Is this a joke or what? Are we still having politicians that trust trump and believe in father XMas? The latest so called “security guarantee” once Ukraine stupidely abandoned its nuclear arsenal seems to have already disappeared in a collective loss of memory? Ridiculous. Wake up folks!
Isn’t this another problem where we know what the solution is but aren’t acting accordingly? The answer has to be: keep him sweet while scrambling to grow to the point where we can afford to risk defying him. We have surely grasped that, but aren’t scrambling. So the point where we can go to stage two won’t be reached in time unless we are much luckier than we deserve to be. John
Excellent, thank you
TACO might be bluffing? Surely you jest
As you say Philip the time for Europe to formalise the reality is getting closer. Is there an extant and meaningful US security guarantee for NATO. Would the current Administration risk blood and treasure for the Baltic States? The so called coalition of the willing need to be rapidly transformed into a military alliance.
On a separate but related matter, what are the consequences for the UK Continuous At Sea Deterrent of the extinction of NATO?
The deterrent is extremely vulnerable. As I have written in the past the US could effectively disable it by refusing to service the missiles
In ‘Britain Alone’ you described how U.K. acquired the deterrent. I think it is designated as primarily a NATO asset, which would be inconvenient if NATO does not exist. Given the impact on the defence budget, CASD is beginning to look less like a deterrent and more like a millstone. It is particularly concerning that there is zero public discourse on its merits. Surely it the Government should justify it beyond assertions in the SDR.
Hard to disagree with any of this Philip. What do you think of the ideas I have read of Europe setting up a military base in Greenland, the EU devising sanctions against US companies, expelling some US military personnel, etc, or are we not near that point yet?
I think that at this stage a Nato exercise in the region might be the answer