Just to pull out some numbers, the EU spent 220 billion worth in USD on military in 2012 (at current exchange rate; it would've been closer to 250-300 billion in 2012) Russia spent 83 billion on military in 2015. Saudi Arabia spent about the same as Russia did in 2015. That is, Saudi Arabia and Russia are of equal or similar military strength in terms of spending. The EU uses fully modern and advanced weaponry in their army. Russia has a small amount of its army using modern weapons. It just doesn't have the money to upgrade anything. A war wouldn't occur either way as nuclear war could easily develop.
^ you think the UN can steamroll Russia and China with the USA. Your ability to discern anything is in question. And no, I personally denounced violence in 2004. I thought that is what YOU theologians did destroyed each other's churches.
Im international and I gotta go. Have fun. Don't let these morons talk crap. Send that satanist down to Machoacan.
What about the USA goes and steamrolls russia and China without the EU. Won't happen, you know why? Cause america couldn't handle the war.
I am not sure what the definition of life blood you use is but in 2014 the US percentage of GDP for the following was Trade in Services: 6.8% of GDP Merchandise Trade: 23.2% of GDP for a cool 30% of GDP to put it into perspective in 2014 military expenditures were 3.5% of GDP You can find the data easily at: http://data.worldbank.org/ Well, it kind of depends what you mean. Generally tariffs are pretty low compared to the 1980s for example, because of all of the international agreement through GATT and WTO. However subsidies to domestic industries are a different matter. For example the US has for decades subsidized large American cotton producers. In the last decade that led to a drop in the price of US cotton from about $0.48 per bale to $0.28. This meant about a 10% drop in world prices because the US exported quite a bit of its production. Consider that Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali four of Africa's poorest countries have cotton as a critical export and contributor to their economy - this led to a sharp drop in their capacity to pay for health care, food, fuel, etc. Distorting the market is a bad thing in general. but most countries do it. China subsidizes a lot of industries and so the US and the EU often apply countervailing duties to their goods like tires and solar panels. To check out tariffs for specific products go here http://tariffdata.wto.org/ReportersAndProducts.aspx and proceed on. So, that's just wrong, see my post - us friendly Canadian have 5 times more proved reserves than you, eh? Well, OPEC countries have actually steadily increased their production along non-OPEC in the last decade. Also, OPEC does not control prices directly. It can only control the supply from their own members. Countries like Saudi and Iran have been steadily increasing supply to fill demand (as Libya and Iraq have now very much lower production capacity) but also to reduce the viability of non-traditional oil reserves like the Alberta oil sands and shale oil in the US, which are only economically viable above $60/$65 per barrel. The big blow to oil consumption though has come from the current recession and not so much from private sector manipulation of supply. To boot the oil market is an oligopsony, with cartels controlling much of it.
I feel bad replying 'cause it feels as difficult as hitting a slow child while he is sitting on a toilet, but nonetheless... Let's see how you could have left the rest of the world fend for itself when: - The US triggered the biggest financial meltdown this side of the Great Depression - The US, by lying and generally making stuff up, started a war in Iraq that led to balkanization of the whole Middle East killing and displacing millions of civilians and bringing at least a couple of countries back to the stone age - The US financed and trained Osama Bin Laden's people in anti-Soviet function (Karma truly is a *****) - The US initiated and led the toppling of Qaddafi in Libya - an awful dictator but one who kept things in some kind of balance - not only has Libya become one of the largest staging ground for a biblical size migration that is negatively impacting Europe, but weapons and militants from there still have the place in a state of civil war and have created instability in the region (Mali anyone?) - The US did not manage to install an even marginally effective dictator in Afghanistan opening the door for continued insurrection and religious warfare in another key region of the Middle East - The US fostered the 'Maidan Revolution' in the Ukraine to weaken Putin. They did so over the perplexities of their European allies completely disregarding their advice while the assistant US secretary of state, Victoria Nuland says "F**k the EU" on an open line, she is intercepted by the Russian secret service and promptly leaked - arrogant US diplomats = priceless. Someone here thought that they would install a NATO country within spitting range of Moscow and Putin would just wag his tail and ask how high he needed to jump? - The US huffs and puffs over the Chinese expansion in the Spratly Islands but effectively does nothing to stop it or slow it down. - The US to help Turkey and topple Assad in Syria help the so-called 'moderate' opposition there, which includes Bin Laden's offshoot groups. When the Russians, who just as callously want to keep Assad in power start bombing the moderates, the US disapprove. Really? We should not hit Bin Laden's affiliates now? Yeah, I mean... thank God you guys are around to help the rest of us out. I cannot see we could have survived without you.
Keep digging your hole dude... numbers are your friend only if you can read. That 28.38% you mention refers to $8.27 billion over the past year. So yes.... how could we actually EVVVVEEEEERRRRRR find $2.34B to replace the US - oh my... we shall have to pawn the silverware and pimp out our daughters.... Tell you what, we in Canada will put a 100% tax on all of those drug sales we make to US seniors who hate socialized medicine as a concept but sneak over the border to buy the cheap stuff. How's that? The highest form of intelligence when you don't know the facts is shutting up.
None of this is factual. Russophile No wonder Zaft is a loser clan. That is your friend American Zaft players. That is your friend. Lol.
Umm... Yes that is 100% factual. Unless you can debunk that with facts don't blindly disagree because you watch mainstream media and can't read between the lies
No it isn't. We had nothing to do with Syria. We didn't start that war. We also didnt make the Libya call France did. The rest is opinion. Expect the stuff about Iraq. You always have been a loser, stick to what you know. Making fun of religion and pushing pseudo communism.
I would debunk it as being cherry-picked facts. It reeks of propaganda. You hear American propaganda talk about Muslims being bad people by pointing out individual random instances and sensationalizing them - this is basically the same thing. It's Russian propaganda, plain and simple. Same propaganda that says America faked the moon landings. He took ONE instance of a US-diplomat speaking negatively of the EU, and tried to use that to indicate that the entirety of the USA doesn't care what the EU thinks. Obviously that's wrong - the EU is just as large of an economy as the USA, and the USA's most valuable trading partner. I'm not going to fact-check everything, I don't have the time nor the cares. I agree with lots of the stuff. But I WOULD say it's a half-truth at least. It focuses only on the negative decisions America has made, and didn't provide any context for the situations. Which basically makes it like a Tabloid (anyone remember "Coolsville sucks!"?) Yes, Americans have been very stupid when it comes to foreign policy. It's a tragedy. But I think that the information provided tries to make America look like a 5-headed snake that is a menace to the world, when in reality America is just as bad as any other country.
I'm not talking bad about anyone really. But you need to at least understand who benefits from countries like Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Instead of placing blame where it doesn't really belongs. Libya for example. The French use Libyan oil. The US doesn't. In Iraq, the Chinese take the Iraqi oil. Not the US. Who backs the Kurds in Iraq. China. Who backs the Kurds in Turkey China. Who want a pipeline through Syria. Europe and the Gulf states. It's little things like this that will help you see the big picture instead of this garbage put forth on a 12 war game. So do you still want to talk about propaganda?