---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peacefan Netherlands <peacefan.netherlands@gmail.com>
Date: 10 June 2018 at 18:26
Subject: Trade-war between US and it's allies.. my opinion : the US has a point.
To: {US Gov}, {Israeli Gov}, {Dutch political parties}, {CNN}, {Dutch media}
Hello.
Some of the mass-media are portraying the current trade-war between the US and it's allies as a very negative thing.
But since none of the US' allies have put forth any arguments against President Trump's arguments about what amounts to economic attrition of the US economy by the US' allies,
i have to conclude that this attrition is a fact.
and to put it very simply ladies and gentlemen : we can not allow the nation that provides NATO with it's actual strength (the US), to be economically eroded.
i post on, and read on, some online forums, and those who hate NATO are laughing their butts off because NATO now seems at war with itself.
Muslim and Chinese posters are the main groups that post such comments, but i bet some of the hawks in Russia are smiling about it too.
what i recommend news organisations do at this point,
is to look at, and report honestly on, the mid- to long-term consequences of this economic attrition that allies of the US (and China and others) apparently want to keep doing to the US.
either the EU and Canada back down,
or we could see a US both unwilling and unable to play that vital role of the world's police agent.
trying to take over that role is not a good idea either, because neither the EU or Canada has even the culture to build and maintain a weapons industry that is as advanced as what the US currently has, nor a military able to use such weaponry effectively.
instead, i think the EU and Canada should economically facilitate the US to continue to play this role within NATO.
and that does mean increasing their NATO budgets, as well as balancing the trade deficits.
Remember, Trump is not asking for the money of past years back, he's asking for the attrition to stop.
This does not mean that i support endless money streams into our weapons industry, or uncontrolled arms races, or impatient military/political expansions.
All of these are costly and should be guided towards patience and diplomacy rather than military/political grand-posturing by the media.
And frankly, that includes which commentators you put on air. Those who merely echo and elaborate on what leaders are saying, often facilitate war-mongering. That applied to Iraq, but it could apply to Iran in the coming years.