While this is a function of past "just in time" needs -- 72 howitzers *is* probably all France needs for keeping disintegrating African client states in line -- the entire European defense framework (and let's be honest, Britain too) is set up for either imperial policing or is just legacy remnants from the Cold War. The Europeans aren't very interested in overseas adventures, and their global military interests are much narrower than ours. Most importantly, their publics don't want to spend 3 or 5% of GDP on the military, even now. Or even especially now, with continental industry and employment set to collapse over the winter - how's Credit Suisse and Deutchebank doing this week? It's probably going to take something like a security collapse to get them to spend historical amounts, and even then, they'll need a realistic enemy to convince the mass of voting publics.
Maybe this is France, once again, viewing its priorities over everyone else's. France is a colonial power, still, and its focus is on itself and its colonies. They are not seeking to seeking new broils in stronds afar remote. Ukraine/Russian war is not their war, from their point of view.
We may wish for the wisdom of France before that war is done.
America in NATO reminds me of the saying about being tied to a corpse. France wants to be a player when everyone knows they're just poseurs: unfortunately, they're just like most of our partners in NATO. As much cringe as I got from Trump, his trying to light a fire under some asses to meet their ends of the spending agreement for membership was much applauded (by me anyway), and much needed. France will always look out for France first and foremost, and I heard way too much about their backdoor agreements providing unfriendly actors nuclear bits and bobs over the years, for one, to trust them at all.
While this is a function of past "just in time" needs -- 72 howitzers *is* probably all France needs for keeping disintegrating African client states in line -- the entire European defense framework (and let's be honest, Britain too) is set up for either imperial policing or is just legacy remnants from the Cold War. The Europeans aren't very interested in overseas adventures, and their global military interests are much narrower than ours. Most importantly, their publics don't want to spend 3 or 5% of GDP on the military, even now. Or even especially now, with continental industry and employment set to collapse over the winter - how's Credit Suisse and Deutchebank doing this week? It's probably going to take something like a security collapse to get them to spend historical amounts, and even then, they'll need a realistic enemy to convince the mass of voting publics.
Maybe this is France, once again, viewing its priorities over everyone else's. France is a colonial power, still, and its focus is on itself and its colonies. They are not seeking to seeking new broils in stronds afar remote. Ukraine/Russian war is not their war, from their point of view.
We may wish for the wisdom of France before that war is done.
72 artillery pieces isn't really enough for Lichtenstein, much less France.
America in NATO reminds me of the saying about being tied to a corpse. France wants to be a player when everyone knows they're just poseurs: unfortunately, they're just like most of our partners in NATO. As much cringe as I got from Trump, his trying to light a fire under some asses to meet their ends of the spending agreement for membership was much applauded (by me anyway), and much needed. France will always look out for France first and foremost, and I heard way too much about their backdoor agreements providing unfriendly actors nuclear bits and bobs over the years, for one, to trust them at all.