this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2026
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Netanyahu is also Merz's daddy.

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[–] ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I do realise we are vulnerable right now because we let the US handle everything security related. And now we're paying the price for it, but is appeasement really the proper strategy here?

[–] Redacted@lemmy.zip 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Only option for Europe i see going forward is heavy militarization. Usa is no longer an ally in any real capacity

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

The good news is you're not too far off in absolute terms from being able to completely stand on your own. Bad news is it'll still take years.

[–] Redacted@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Even worse news im stuck in america for at least the next 5 years

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 5 days ago

Oh! Sorry about that. Maybe you can join us up north one day.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

No, they are complicit. All the elites are just playing games against each other, using their pawns (us). The only time we get a break, is when our interests happen to align with other elites.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago

Don’t call them “elites” because they aren’t good at anything. Call them what they are, oligarchs. Then eat the rich.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 3 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Germany is massively building up its military while talking like this. Are other countries doing the same?

[–] kossa@feddit.org 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Well massively building up defence spending and actually increasing the capabilities of your armed forces are sadly two different things in Germany.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/sicherheit-und-verteidigung/2025/12/17/neue-deutsche-kriegsmaschine-miliaer-aufruestung-bundeswehr-verteidigung/

Drones, hypersonic missiles, no must for public tender, attilery production, companies switching to military production. If left wing media complains here it means Germany is doing some things right.

[–] kossa@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I stand by it. None of it will function properly when everything is said and done. But a lot of money will have been spent. They would need to reform the ways of military purchase first.

[–] HK65@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago

Poland, and there is Rearm Europe as well I guess.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Will the German military be used to fight against America, in some kind of NATO breakup, or support us against China and Russia, helping secure Americas place as hegemon for a little longer?

The latter seems infinitely more realistic.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Well, I sure hope Europe will team up with China to fight the US in case the US is invading an european country.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

OK, lets say next week Trump declares Greenland US territory, what can Europe even do? Leave NATO and try to build an entirely new military from the parts in hope the member states are willing to politely ask all the US bases to leave, in preparation to go to war for Greenland? China will happily sell you weapons, but whats the chance it actually goes to war with one of its biggest trading partners, who happens to have 3 vassal states right in their own backyard?

Yall don't really have an option to oppose the US, only not to support us, which seems less likely by the day.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I’m sorry why exactly would Europe need to build a new military after the US leaves? Are they gonna take EU armies with them?

UK and France have nukes and aircraft carriers, Poland and Germany building up their continental forces, Sweden is no joke either.

If Europe wanted they could defend Greenland. I don’t think the US would be ready to use the necessary resources to win that fight.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I’m sorry why exactly would Europe need to build a new military after the US leaves? Are they gonna take EU armies with them?

The US is integral to NATO's logistics, equipment and vital components for maintaining it is only made in the US.

The entire command structure of NATO is dominated by the US, without the US, you don't have armies, you have some soldiers and officers.

Even then, you seem to imagine a fair fight, between spherical soldiers, in a vacuum, not a fight between Europe, and the guys who spent the entire cold war influencing European governments and embedding right-wing militias just in case yall decided to be insufficiently anti-communist.

UK and France have nukes and aircraft carriers, Poland and Germany building up their continental forces, Sweden is no joke either.

They are next to the country that spends 10x more on the military than all of you combined. America's only rival is China.

When Trump is telling Poland, Germany, and Sweden to increase military spending, and they listen, it's not because they want to have someone to fight for greenland, it's because the US expects to use yall to fight its own enemies and your rulers are planning for as much.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

America’s only rival is China

Or Afghanistan. Or Vietnam lol

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

The US would not be able to occupy mainland Europe in the same way it can occupy Greenland. This is closer to the invasions of Grenada or Panama.

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

UK and France have nukes and aircraft carriers

Yeah, three aircraft carriers between them. The US has eleven.

Poland and Germany building up their continental forces, Sweden is no joke either.

People don't understand how staggeringly powerful US military is. The top six most powerful air forces might give you an idea of the scale we're talking about:

  1. US Air Force
  2. US Navy
  3. US Army
  4. US Marines
  5. Indian Air Force
  6. Chinese Air Force

If Europe wanted they could defend Greenland

Absolutely no chance for Europe to even come near Greenland, if the US doesn't want to allow it.

I don’t think the US would be ready to use the necessary resources to win that fight.

The US has resources to maintain war with two relatively equal in strength superpowers (until recently that was assumed to be russia and China) outside the continental US. That's their doctrine, and that's what they built their military for. Even if the EU banded together with China, russia, and India, I still wouldn't necessarily bet against the US.

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Huh so somehow that all powerfull US military couldn't beat Afghanistan but China or Europa gonna be easy peasy? lmao

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Of course!

First of all, Afghanistan was supposed to be extremely limited, with relatively minimal resources expended. As in: they didn't draft anybody, they used volunteers. Sure, the fact that it was as response to 9/11 helped getting droves of volunteers, but the point stands. In case of an all-out war with the EU/China, it would be "everything and the kitchen sink goes", so the scale would be completely different.

Secondly, Afghanistan is famously difficult to conquer (the British tried and failed, the USSR tried and failed, etc.).

Thirdly, even with the above, it took them THREE MONTHS from the first SpecOps actions, to the moment when Hamid Karzai was sworn in as the head of the interim administration. Nobody else on the planet came even close to this.

The US completely botched the strategy of holding on to Afghanistan, as well as made a mess of instilling democratic values, completely ignoring the tribal structure of Afghanistan, but it doesn't change the fact that, militarily, it was done and dusted within three months.

And, yeah, sure, the Taliban continued to fight, but it was all limited to basically terror attacks with little meaningful impact. They weren't capable of retaking the country and as soon as any larger group was detected, it was eliminated on sight.

But the EU can't default to guerrilla fighting against the US in what would effectively be an offensive war (we'd need to move troops over there do defend Greenland) on the sea (kinda' difficult to strike from the caves in the open ocean).

[–] dreamless_day@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Vietnam, Korea ...

In fact the US never fought a war against a major power that wasn't won by other major powers.

[–] Alaknar@sopuli.xyz 0 points 5 days ago

Ah, right! Forgot about that.

You're absolutely right - if the EU fights 50 year old American military, it'll clearly come out on top!