You're trying to have an intellectual discussion about the issues. You want to be presented with some thought-provoking and challenging responses that get into the nuts and bolts and perhaps sharpen your arguments or point of view. Maybe even change your mind if the merits are there.

That isn't what the Diehard Leftists are aiming for though. They aren't going to say anything like "I have researched the force structure of the NATO allies' militaries and this is where I think they could spend some more of their own money in a way which would enhance the overall defense posture of NATO for these reasons" and then actually give you some reasons that you could think about and analyze. Or, perhaps "The reason this particular NATO ally is not in a position to improve their military force structure in such and such a way is because Event A has to happen first, then Event B, then Event C." So then the discussion would become a thought experiment about how they could accomplish A, B, and C.

They aren't even going to argue from a coherent socialism/liberalism standpoint such as "Well France can't spend another 1% of GDP on their military, because they would have to make the following cuts in their domestic spending. With the current internal politics, that's impossible." And then the discussion would focus on that deficiency and how it might be rectified in another manner, or even, the need for the country that is not able or willing to spend more money, that they are leaving themselves with a serious vulnerability and should then expect some real world consequences for that vulnerability. And then how does that effect the other NATO countries including the U.S.? What are the implications of the choices?

You will never even get close to such a conversation because they aren't trying to test their own positions or ideas. You are trying to sharpen your blade on some very very dull rocks here.



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Replying to Dope1

I'm not going to indulge in this board's collective mental illnesses and need for iHatetrumpBadOrangeman constant TDS any longer. Therapy is best handled by a live psychiatrist, not wallowing on some random internet message board.