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Europe can be perceived by Americans at the geopolitical level as being kind of worthless and full of unwarranted self-importance, a demilitarized military ally that hasn't done anything of note in eighty years except build a nice welfare system and import a billion Muslims to devour it, but still thinks it's fit to lecture us on literally everything.
Can is a low bar. Should, per your list? No. Hysterics like "demilitarized", "worthless" should be tempered somewhat by shame. The ongoing rugpull, but also: US leadership, US influence, a few decades, ruin apparently. "Not done anything of note in eighty years", but presumably US did; technological progress is notable, US and European efforts were intertwined, but zero merit for us, a little hard to swallow.
In general it is quite funny how quick americans are to remind Europeans who is the core, and who is the periphery, but you also have this insane expectation that we field militaries that can secure your empire. We were plenty militarized for Russia (before war changed, anyhow), had a better deal than having to field something that can deter the US (mistake), we have no other threats.
Look if you're too good to have a bunch of guys with guns who are equipped to go places and shoot people, the amount of fuck anyone outside your borders has to give about your opinion on anything is by necessity decreased.
Honestly it's absurd, with its tech base and economy the EU should be absolutely bullying a shitheel hasbeen like Russia on the world stage. Those guys should be terrified to put a foot wrong lest the EU get in their shit, with its better technology and ten times greater GDP right there on the continent with them.
Instead all it's done in the last thirty years is regulate its way to being a tech backwater while letting its militaries rot so it could spend the money making sure Akhmed and his whole family get to stay in a nice hotel, etc. etc.
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Is that even wrong?
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