Let's talk about Trump getting us thrown out of Europe one piece at a time.... - Belle of the Ranch

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump getting us thrown out of Europe one piece at a time.

We've talked repeatedly about how Trump's rhetoric has significantly undermined US strength by alienating US allies. Because many Americans view international affairs like a TV show, something that only exists on a screen so far away that it might as well be imaginary, a lot have had a hard time believing that Trump's statements, attitude, and actions are causing real damage, even though NATO allies reportedly deployed to engage in direct combat with US forces over Greenland.

Well, we have a couple of new items that might bring things into focus.

Spain, a NATO ally that allows the US to operate military bases on their soil, has closed their airspace to US military planes engaged in the war in Iran. The country's defense minister said, "We don't authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran." She went on to call the US war, “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.”

This is a pretty significant development. But wait, there's more.

Americans may vaguely remember MAGA aligning with a political party in Germany. MAGA darling Elon Musk endorsed the party. Vance met with their leadership. It's a far-right party that seemed the perfect fit for an international MAGA coalition. Some European outlets even called the party a pawn for Trump.

Well, the party's co-leader is calling for the US military to leave Germany. Losing US military capacity in Germany would be a massive blow to US force projection capabilities. A lot of the assets currently in the Middle East had to go through Europe to get there. Wounded troops are often pulled from the region to hospitals in Germany.

It would also severely degrade the US nuclear triad. The US has nuclear weapons in Germany through a nuke sharing agreement. The US currently has somewhere between 35 and 40,000 troops in Europe. It's a critical location for the United States. Again, it's important to understand that the person calling for this is a leader in a far-right party. Trump is causing so much damage to the United States that he's even turning the right in other countries against the US.

The United States is weaker today in reputation and power than at any point since World War II. But wait, there's still more.

The British put out a national security strategy report that advises “preparing for a worst-case scenario whereby Europe can no longer rely on US support in the event of a crisis. The government must work with European partners to invest in its own capabilities to offset this potential withdrawal.”

Trump is destroying US power faster than any opposition nation ever could. A bunch of entitled people who believed in American exceptionalism and who never took the time to understand the systems that handed them the life they take for granted voted in a guy who is going to destroy the very sources of American power that makes up their core identity. The tearing down of this international system is going to be the ultimate Chesterton's fence moment.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.