The wailing is getting louder across Europe. Elites in Brussels and national capitals are clutching their pearls as they view American opinion polls. Their U.S. friends, the usual Masters of the Universe who dominate political and economic affairs, are reacting similarly. Europeans are only slowly waking up to reality. For instance, the British historian and journalist Max Hastings observed, "Some of us have repeatedly asserted that without America the Ukrainians could become toast. That proposition looks like it is being tested." He didn't blame America. Rather, he admitted that "there is also a realization that the United States has tired, probably forever, of leading and largely funding the defense of Europe." Then he criticized Europeans for lagging despite their professed fears of Russian aggression. He wrote "The Germans have discovered a EUR25 billion shortfall in their defense spending plan, overlaid on national economic stagnation. President Macron is shipping 100 howitzers, but these cannot make good his earlier refusal to back Ukraine." That's not all; leading states such as Italy and Spain still can't be bothered.
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- United States of America
