Settled primarily by Europeans, America embraced/supplemented the cultural norms, traditions and practices of a distinct “Western culture” that originated in Europe — art, literature, music, philosophy, science — and introduced Europe to a refined form of public governance.
Furthermore, more than 80 years ago, in World War II, the United States saved Europe.
Following a conflict that Western Europe would almost certainly have lost without America’s involvement, the continent was economically broken. Much of its roads, bridges, railroads, museums, universities, parks, public buildings — its entire infrastructure — lay in ruins.
In Europe, at least, western culture was shattered — until a generous America funded its restoration.
In 1948, Secretary of State General George C. Marshall proposed, and the U.S. Congress enacted the European Recovery Program, popularly called the Marshall Plan, to provide aid to Western Europe. The Marshall Plan effectively revived Western Europe’s economies, allowing them to rebuild, while simultaneously instilling in them the will to restore Western culture.
Then, in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established as a military alliance among the United States, Canada, and Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union, the territorial expansionist ambitions of which primarily threatened Western Europe.
Nonetheless, the real strength in the alliance was provided by America.
Today, nothing has changed. America has been projecting/funding a disproportionate amount of NATO’s power and costs since the end of World War II.
In fact, America is still supporting Europe economically. According to the Defense News website, “Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil” — many accompanied by families. The American military also employs thousands of European civilians. Local and certain European national economies depend upon America’s military presence.
In some European minds, at least, that dependency has become an entitlement.
Europe has been freeloading off America for so long that Europe’s ungrateful elites have forgotten — or ignore — that America’s contributions to its peace and security — to Europe’s very survival — were gifts given at the cost of American blood and treasure.
Despite America’s largesse, they imagine themselves to be superior to America and the Americans who, for decades, have been living, working and serving on their soil, while Europeans draw down their own militaries, fund lavish public welfare programs, and enjoy 35-hour work weeks and five-week vacations.
Worse, even though they cannot protect themselves or produce sufficient energy, and they lack the technologies to compete globally, merely having a culture that American tax money restored — and America’s military protects — allows Europe’s effete, militarily- and economically-illiterate leaders, legislators and media to ridicule “uncultured” Americans and America’s “warrior culture.”
More from Defense News: “NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might drastically cut their numbers [of military in Europe] and leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia.”
Russia is not threatening the United States. Europe’s “concern” merely illustrates its sense of entitlement to America’s protection.
Conversely, how have other NATO members responded to American appeals for support?
Recently, the United States launched military operations against Iran, a near-nuclear rogue state, the world’s largest exporter of terrorism.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth listed America’s military objectives: “…[D]estroy Iranian offensive missiles, …missile production, …their navy, and other security infrastructure … [T]hey will never have nuclear weapons.”
NATO signatories weren’t asked to pick up arms and join the fighting. In fact, other than an implicit appeal to “stay out of the way,” they were asked to do almost nothing to support American operations. But our so-called allies couldn’t even stay out of the way. Some actually impeded the movement of American troops and supplies.
Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, allegedly “America’s closest ally,” denied the use of his country’s military bases for logistical support. Spain, France and Italy prohibited American military flights over their airspace.
In other words, America’s NATO “partners” obstructed our operations against Iran even though Europe relies on significant amounts of oil shipped through the Iran-blocked Straits of Hormuz, and near-nuclear-ready Iran’s ballistic missiles already have enough range to reach some European capitals.
NATO, a Cold War alliance, may have outlived its usefulness to America.
If the United States and the remainder of the Western world are no longer aligned — and, currently, they clearly are not — it wasn’t the U.S. that broke the alliance.
Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at jshenk2010@gmail.com