Subject: Re: More EU views on the trade deal
And secondarily, we got the Pax Americana - no wars in Europe for a good 80 years or so. Not bad, considering that European wars cost Americans a lot more lives (and treasure) than any foreign attack against us. There's a very good argument that we're vastly better off paying for Europe's continental defense, since it keeps them weak and us strong and in control of the continent.

Yes, and while I was growing up - no one wanted an armed Germany, an armed Germany would have been anathema to those demographics that are now MAGA. Germany was a free rider? Really?

I do think they like it this way. I remember seeing a serious but humorous map of what Euro countries think of each other and it was enlightening how many of them think the others are a bunch of dirty immoral lazy stinky pedophiles. And they have histories going waay back.