Northerner: I don't think Angela, Jovialis or me have advocated leaving NATO. But what pisses my off is the ripe anti-Americanism that I see in certain European countries. Yet, when people in the USA start questioning it in its current form, these same anti-American Europeans start ranting about NATO. My position is just this, every European country in NATO needs to pay what the 2014 agreement I think it was (which Obama negotiated). Furthermore, the Soviet-Union no longer exists and as an American I am glad in Post WW2 that the USA created NATO which prevented the Soviet Union pushing Westward and allowed European countries torn up by WW2 to recover. I am also glad that when I was in Rome and Sicily in 2019, I never once detected any anti-Americanism from Italians there. In fact, everyone I met (I am in my 50's) new of and remembered relatives of theirs that were and still are in the USA. Italy, along with your country the Netherlands, were among the 12 charter members of NATO and I am glad that the USA has a very good working relationship with Italy (as evidenced by the fact that Italy is among the top 4 countries where US personnel are stationed). The US Navy 6th Fleet is based in Naples allowing the US to cover the entire Mediterranean from Spain to the Levant.
So no I am not like one of those school boys who when they did not get there way, took the ball and went home and the ball game was over because that kid was the only one with the ball. So I am not for the US getting out of NATO. What I am for is a re-constituted NATO that looks at Europe as it is now. Here are the top 25 economies in the world, it seems that these European countries in this top 25 can do more to share the burden of NATO.
https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/
As for Angela's comment's you misconstrued what she said. Nobody is calling NATO crap. What people are saying is NATO will stop the Russians seems to always mean the USA will do it mostly along with the UK. Germany and France and others need to contribute, that is all I think is being said. Hungary to its credit mobilized its Military today to protect its border with Ukraine if Russia pushes that far West. Good for them. The USA, which has small contingent in Hungary asked Hungary if more USA personnel is needed there. Hungary said no and is mobilizing its own military and moving them to the east near the border with Ukraine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...der-with-ukraine-defence-ministry-2022-02-22/
Here was the force structure as of 10 February 2022. Hungary now is plugging the gap between Romania and Slovakia. Poland has forces. So can't some other countries commit to putting forces under a NATO command say in Slovakia?
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/10/europe/nato-troops-eastern-europe-map-intl-cmd/index.html
My position is simply this. The USA should assist Europe here, just as many European countries sent forces to help the USA take out Al Qaeda and at least put a hurt on the Taliban until the US finally said time to go home. At the same time, I think there needs to be more European countries sending some combat troops East other than the ones that I have done so now.