Let's talk about Trump, Spain, losing bases, and losing money.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump, Spain, losing bases, and losing money.

Just real quick before we get started, today is Giving Day at California State University, Northridge, and there will be a link below for Project Rebound, which helps formerly incarcerated people navigate college. It's a cause we've helped out for a number of years.

Back to Spain. Trump threw another childish temper tantrum as the consequences of his own actions got in his way. Spain, a NATO member, refused to allow the US access to its territory to support missions linked to Trump's elective war with Iran. Spain's defense minister said, "There is a deal with the US over these bases, but our understanding of the deal is that operations have to comply with international legal frameworks and that there has to be international support for them."

In true Trumpian fashion, he didn't think about the fact that he was warned his constant trade wars, inflammatory rhetoric about annexing NATO allies, insults about NATO forces staying off the front lines. Spain lost 35 troops in combat in Afghanistan and his military actions outside of international norms would drive NATO allies away and would limit access to bases that we need. Instead, he promised to embargo Spain and cut off all trade, saying, "Spain has absolutely nothing that we need. All business having to do with Spain, I have the right to stop it. Embargos, do anything I want with it.”

Spain has absolutely nothing we need. Yeah, except of course for the bases that he desperately needs and is having a moment over. Olive oil, too, by the way. We need their olive oil.

In a fun fact, Trump, the man who is famously obsessed with trade deficits, is threatening to cut off trade with a country we have a trade surplus with. Then, to make matters worse, he said, "And that's all right. We can use their bases if we want. We can just fly in and use it. Nobody is going to tell us not to use it. They were unfriendly." Um, there's a term for sending unwanted military forces into a country. It's not a friendly term.

He continued to prove the point that the US needs NATO more than Trump likes to pretend. When he started ranting about the UK's Chagos Islands deal, he said, "That island that you read about the lease, for whatever reason, he made a lease of the island. Somebody came and took it away from him, and it's taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land. It would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours.”

So once again, every time you hear somebody say the US doesn't need NATO, you can safely disregard their opinion on how force projection works. I know it's a Trumpian line and part of the American nationalist mindset to think that America doesn't need NATO, but without NATO, the US cannot force project. The military machine that Americans believe will always keep them safe and ensure their standard of living doesn't exist without our allies.

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

[LogDog75]

1. Any US base overseas are there with the permission from those countries

Our overseas bases are there because the host country has granted us permission to be there. IOWs, we are guests in other countries and as guest if we misbehave we can be asked to leave. The policy of the US has been if a country asks us to leave our bases in their country we will leave. I'd like to see what the Orange Turd will do if Spain asks the US to leave their country.

[vapor2]

2. this monster doesn't realize there are consequences to trashing our allies and starting a war with no justification

or endgame. He just thinks our military is at his disposal regardless of legality.