NATO allies lock in U.S. support for stand-off with Russia

LTC Otto Padron - After reading the Reuters article, what stood out in my eyes were the glittering generalities about what the Obama Administration did, and the deals that the Trump Administration could make. And what was painfully missing was the term 'Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE' in an article addressing the progress of 'Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE'. This leads me to see a different ship other than 'Brinksmanship', namely, 'Gamesmanship'.

Are we experiencing a Russian ruse to coerce the spending of money a US-led NATO coalition doesn't have, especially in light of a U.S. $20 trillion deficit? Instead of brinkmanship, what I see – and what's being published in 'Big Media' – is the largest military build up in Europe since the Cold War. This means lots of defense spending. And must we be reminded that certain NATO countries are not pulling their weight to mitigate this cost burden.

What gains did or does Russia achieve by violating the Minsk Protocol, an agreement signed in 2014 by Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the Lugansk People's Republic to halt the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine? To be honest, until this question is adequately answered, I'm hesitant to characterize the situation at all without more basic facts – or even theories – at hand concerning Russia's intent.

Can President Trump save our economy? Similar to what caused the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seems to me like we're following a historical modus operandi for the inevitable decline of the U.S. empire – over-stretching and overspending. And this decline appears to be suspiciously accelerated in order to form the "more perfect" union – the North American Union of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Now that's what I would call one hell of an ATLANTIC RESOLVE.

Thank you for a very enlightening post.

More so with Russia. Most folks have forgotten it was sanctions that led the Empire of Japan to attack the United States. Unless a way is found for Russia to get out of the current sanctions regime to save face. I don't have much doubt the Russians will cross the line or challenge us directly at some point in the next few years in a last ditch attempt to break the sanctions or NATO unity.