Merkel : U.S. as global rival threat that, along with China and Russia, Europe must unite against

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,993
13,519
136
What interests would those be? Selling more Raytheon products to EU allies? The ability to slightly more quickly conduct a bombing run on a wedding party? Trying to prevent a conflict that already happened almost a century ago by belligerent politicians who have been dead longer than any of us have been alive?

Merkel isn’t Kaiser Wilhelm and Putin isn’t Czar Alexander. Neither Germans nor Russians are going to be marching on Poland anytime soon.

It is under that exact doctrine that Tanks can roll quite freely :


Cause no matter what, noone dares press that button.
Meanwhile he has toppled the top of your government
He has grabbed Crimea
He has put Ukraine in a state of perpetual war to the east.
He Novichoks whomever whereever on the planet
He plays all your advisaries against you (ie. NK) and manipulates you to cut ties with your allies.
Also, glenn1 is looking on from the sidelines yelling : SUCK IT LIBTARDS.

good job?
 
Last edited:

trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
14,939
7,459
136
....................................................... I cant tell if serious


Not meaning to stray off topic but:

I may be wrong, however that tank looks to be of Japanese WWII vintage, so it seems rather odd to have a commie red star on it.

Just thought I'd mention it.....
 
  • Like
Reactions: cytg111

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
The US, Japan & western Europe have been partners in peace & mutual prosperity for 74 years. Trump says fuck that. America First!

But it's all Merkel's fault for pointing that out & calling for European unity. She's the real problem, just like Libs are the real racists. Or something.
 

brandonbull

Diamond Member
May 3, 2005
6,338
1,215
126
I’m sure she does see the global problems of Russia. She’s just also smart enough to see the global problem the US has become.

The US has been the steward of the international order for almost 70 years but has recently started acting erratically, irrationally, and belligerently. Merkel is simply recognizing the reality that the US is no longer the friend it was and is acting appropriately.

When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,231
5,806
126
When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.

Quit being a mindless drone and start thinking.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.

So, uhh, why did those refugees flee Iraq & Syria? Maybe it was the violence spawned as we destabilized those countries... Couldn't be.

And, uhh, remember Trump's display of obeisance at Helsinki? Trump didn't know why it would or wouldn't be the Russians interfering in the election, depending on whether he was standing next to Putin or not...
 
  • Like
Reactions: DarthKyrie

Ajay

Lifer
Jan 8, 2001
16,094
8,109
136
as "rival" is code for an enemy in polite circles but not yet at a shooting war level.
No. Rival is a carefully calibrated word specifically NOT meaning enemy, but ratchets up the rhetoric as a warning to the administration (and possibly a nod to growing 'nativist' sentiments in the EU itself).

FWIW, I expect incremental changes in the EU prior to the 2020 election. If Trump wins in 2020, we’re all fvcked! The EU will then acts more aggressively as will the world at large.
 
Nov 25, 2013
32,083
11,718
136
Does this mean Germany is finally going to up its defense spending to NATO target levels to counter the "rival threat" of the U.S.? If so then great. If not who gives a fvck, it's just more bloviating akin to what the U.S. does about Iran and North Korea.

You seem to be enjoying watching Trump and his party transform the US into a well armed banana republic. Don't forget your popcorn.
 
Last edited:

DrunkenSano

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2008
3,892
490
126
Sucks that our alliance may be breaking down but I'm very much in favor of the US pulling their military forces out of the Middle East and Europe and anywhere else. Of course that is under the condition that we then cut the military down to size since we do not need such a large force to project around the world. We desperately need that money elsewhere like our health, education, infrastructure. I definitely sounds isolationist but we really need to save ourselves and reverse the decay within our country.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DarthKyrie

nickqt

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2015
7,695
8,095
136
When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.
Jesus, the sheer amount of cognitive dissonance and projection in these two sentences is palpable.

Congratulations, you are a true conservative!
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,993
13,519
136
When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.
Ok dumdum.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
21,632
4,685
136
We need to ensure Germany doesn’t spend anymore money on its military. Otherwise It might try and take over Europe again and kill 6 million more Jews. And bomb Pearl Harbor again. 2019 Germany is exactly like 1939 Germany after all.


Uh I don't think Germany bombed Pearl Harbor....
 
  • Like
Reactions: cytg111

GodisanAtheist

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2006
7,150
7,645
136
The American political system is a mystery to no one and any politician worth their salt is doing two things right now: Talking big and hedging their bets.

Thanks to our 4 year Presidential cycle and 8 year cap, and the fact that we vote for a person not a party or a platform (ostensibly; i'm sure single issue voters disagree) many countries can just wait out the US (bonus points if your country is autocratic and doesn't really change leadership). China knows on some level it just needs to wait out Trump. Russia knows they have at best 4 years to leverage Trump. Merkel knows that in 2 years, there may be a new administration with likely (hopefully) more functional individuals to deal with.

If the American Voter has demonstrably lost their damned minds and reelects DT for another 4 year term, we may actually see some action for all the talk. Right now, DT is unpopular in Europe so European politicians are going to say mildly anti-US/DT things.

Random thought: I wonder if we're closer in time now to the next global conflict than we are to WW2. No way to really know, but eerie to think about.
 

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,221
4,452
136
Random thought: I wonder if we're closer in time now to the next global conflict than we are to WW2. No way to really know, but eerie to think about.

I sure hope not, since the next global conflict is almost certainly going to end in nuclear war. If there is anything North Korea has taught us it is that pretty much any country can create or procure nuclear weapons now if they are motivated enough to do so, and America is giving almost everyone a lot of motivation to do so. We are approaching an age where we either end war or face the end of civilization.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,136
30,086
146
When you start siding with Russia and China, that is a major red flag, but Progressheviks love Russia and China. Merkel imported an unlimited amount of refugees and allowed Germany to take Putin's pipeline up it's collective arse and has very little in way of throwing stones at the US.

your abject, incurious ignorance wrg to the reality of the outside world is really quite astounding.
 

DarthKyrie

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2016
1,545
1,305
146
If the leader of the free world says so, it's probably so.

I hope you are referring to Angela Merkel as the leader of the free world, otherwise, you're not the person I thought you were.

Unless the leader of the free world lies more often than he tells the truth, then it is probably not so.

I was hoping he was referencing Angela Merkel as the leader of the free world.
 
  • Like
Reactions: senseamp

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,221
4,452
136
I hope you are referring to Angela Merkel as the leader of the free world, otherwise, you're not the person I thought you were.

I was hoping he was referencing Angela Merkel as the leader of the free world.

Maybe I've spent too much time studying history and not enough time studying modern geopolitics, but I never even considered he might be calling the Chancellor of Germany the leader of the free world.
 

DarthKyrie

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2016
1,545
1,305
146
Maybe I've spent too much time studying history and not enough time studying modern geopolitics, but I never even considered he might be calling the Chancellor of Germany the leader of the free world.

She is the first person I think about when someone mentions the leader of the free world.