Wikipedia tells me that Russia has, depending on assuming a nominal or purchasing power parity GNP, a GNP of 2 or 6.5 trln $ which currently is about the same in €.
Wikipedia tells me also the respective EU numbers are 19 and 28 trn $.
With EU countries spending 5% of these numbers, to achieve parity in defense spending Russia would have to spend 47% of nom GNP or 21,5% of ppp GNP. These are unsustainable numbers.
Therefore: While comforting, a bit less than the 5% would do.
And that would be sufficient also to shrink US leverage on the EU.
Yet these are number games: The real question is which number EU national politicians dare to ask from their citizens and which value and urgency EU citizens place on fending off a Russia threat.
For me that value and urgency is high. Yet I'm afraid I'm not the typical EU average citizen.
But we should and must spend 5% of GDP on arms, and that is not because Trump says, but because we are at war eventhough we don’t want to know this. Like I said in my article, it is Europe, not Ukraine which is Russia’s target. Europe, due to false political correctness, cowardice of politicians and unfavourable public opinion, pretends not to be at war with Russia. The consequences will be dramatic. https://open.substack.com/pub/nomadicmind/p/the-war-we-pretend-not-to-see?r=31fxoh&utm_medium=ios
Wikipedia tells me that Russia has, depending on assuming a nominal or purchasing power parity GNP, a GNP of 2 or 6.5 trln $ which currently is about the same in €.
Wikipedia tells me also the respective EU numbers are 19 and 28 trn $.
With EU countries spending 5% of these numbers, to achieve parity in defense spending Russia would have to spend 47% of nom GNP or 21,5% of ppp GNP. These are unsustainable numbers.
Therefore: While comforting, a bit less than the 5% would do.
And that would be sufficient also to shrink US leverage on the EU.
Yet these are number games: The real question is which number EU national politicians dare to ask from their citizens and which value and urgency EU citizens place on fending off a Russia threat.
For me that value and urgency is high. Yet I'm afraid I'm not the typical EU average citizen.
Thank you for the "comforting" comparison. :-)
But we should and must spend 5% of GDP on arms, and that is not because Trump says, but because we are at war eventhough we don’t want to know this. Like I said in my article, it is Europe, not Ukraine which is Russia’s target. Europe, due to false political correctness, cowardice of politicians and unfavourable public opinion, pretends not to be at war with Russia. The consequences will be dramatic. https://open.substack.com/pub/nomadicmind/p/the-war-we-pretend-not-to-see?r=31fxoh&utm_medium=ios