Discuss this and more im joined by my guest bundys and in a slow he is an associate professor at the university of southeastern norway as well as the author of russias geo Economic Strategy for greater eurasia and in budapest we have George Samuel he is author of bombs for peace nato is humanitarian war on yugoslavia right gentlemen crossed up rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i always appreciate ok lets go to also 1st theres a lot of discussion about trying to decision to move i think what 12000 troops out of germany and the way the the the theme is that coming out of the white house germany is not paying its nato bills but thats im not satisfied with that explanation oh by the way its bipartisan its a bad idea everyone knowing i know everyone that knows me watching this program i think nato should be dissolved completely but nonetheless and you know the top line story here is misplaced this is about a fraught relationship to germany. This had been in nato with the United States leading that Alliance Since the end. Since the not in the end in the end of the 1940 s. All the way to the end of the cold war in 1901 so theres something much bigger in play here go ahead. Well chung obviously is a much much bolder than his predecessors no you are correct this is something thats always been yeah some tensions in the relationship has always gone on for example throughout the cold war americans were just a large extent concerned about some of the european integration and us remember after the cold war you had meddling albright to cautioning the europeans that you know the e. U. Should not be a couple from nato remember that nato system institutions now. This because well they are simply because the european integration and the ablest this continent to use collective Bargaining Power to have greater equality in relations with United States so this is quite normal for any country why would you cooperate with 27 to 27 countries seeking. In the negotiate from business a signal strength and they always have the incentive to deal with one state individual instead of a bilateral basis and then maximize their influence however to us nonetheless membership support of european integration of least a certain extent because it provides the price United States with a very powerful lot was very important to recognize this dilemma that the u. S. Always space saw a strong e. U. Weakens the u. S. Within the west however a stronger a partnership with the e. U. Then also becomes a source of collect intentionally and us to empower a Strong Partner who can hold together now i think now in the last few years this relation fence began to change largely because of the rise of asia with china at the center because the u. S. Wants to spend less on europe this older began with obama however they want more loyalty to the u. S. In terms of use our energy our technologies our corporations our transportation orders banks etc etc so and a lot of others on europeans do want more autonomy so and at the same time to still want americans to pay for security so this is a relationship thats always been yes on some tensions and its always been the go. Or should and i think what were seeing now i guess to be read the fine and i think its a mistake to simply dismiss it trumping iraq not saying it is not erratic. Well i mean erratic i mean you know use a move to troops to another country like poland ok the u. S. Promised it would do at the end of the cold war also i find it really quite amusing that you know this bipartisan hair on fire is that you know its going to cost too much money to do relocate these assets here george they never complain about the cost of the military when theyre escalating but they do complain when they deescalate why interesting go ahead george thats exactly right its late one night and in the budget that never goes any control the scene washington thats the military budget that i just say im screwed. Trying to propose the 730000000000 the democrats say 717000000000000000 already less split the difference i think to some 65000000000 and i just if you just waltz us through proly apparent control or see in the the bitter fighting between the democrats and republicans militaries. And of course in this case trumps proposal to withdraw all these 12000 troops from germany has indeed been attacked by actually i mean both democrats and republicans have condemned. Trumps withdrawal and opposed thats always the case the moment theres any discussion of withdrawing u. S. Troops so many so whether its syria again bipartisan hysteria withdraw from afghanistan by putting syria and remember. The whole story of the russian bounties on the u. S. Servicemen you know you dont mean the story only wheeled out precisely at the time when he seems like where u. S. Troops are about to leave. Just as the trunk wants to withdraw from syria we saw here. The gallant cooks we must save the cuz the cars are of the greatest ally in the world so i would expect at some point you know maybe next week some stories along the lines of theres some russian john plot taking place in bali and putin is engineering some kind of a major crisis in john many so we mustnt absolutely mustnt. Withdraw any troops from germany the less this always fits into a pattern and of course youre absolutely right with withdrawing troops with germany fike you know making steps to you know bring this nato this museum really lets us know those political strategic books to an end can only be a good thing i mean sadly i think were still a long way from that at least it seems like a step in that direction you know big claim you know and reading the main Mainstream Media press on this topic here never once did i come across that Public Opinion poll consistently in germany would like to see the american treat troops leave their country 75 years after the bank wishing up nazi germany but its never mentioned in the press that you know they get the troops theyre just not wanted theyre not needed and and really what this gets it whats coming into for here in your 1st answer was quite eloquent is that you just have american exceptionalism against european ideas of security and theyre clashing head left it well the mission of nato has changed because it will initially when it came to place the whole argument was a western europe was very much we can from the war and americans needed to stay there until they could be temporarily strengthened and then leave them and this was the famous quote eisenhower when he was the Supreme Commander of nato he argued that you know in one in 51. 00 the are going for still there in 10 years this whole mission would have failed because we didnt build up their p. And some didnt. Back well no the situation just shows try to clean from understeer isnt so it union 2nd year is very much rebuilt but thats whats got before the new keeper is now its just our structure which emerged during the cold war which is the u. S. Base for security and the europeans largely yet to us theyre told but youre also correct that there is a discrepancy between the Political Leadership and the population mean almost every year to do this poll so whos the greatest who a disgrace threat to International Security come from and almost all americas allies say United States so that there is this. Is the difficulty and the relations. So i think we with that argument i think within washington you get 2 different perspectives one is trumps argument essentially you know when to punish the germans because they would do us were told and if youre shifting the troops in iraq then youre essentially punishing them so im trying to respect that hes actually saving they dont by having this punishment and reward based on their loyalty to the United States its more from congress you get this other perspective which is you know if you alienate. You know the europeans the germans spent effectively youre handing them over to the russians and chinese that this could be a kremlin conspiracy you know i mean yes there is its actually very multidimensional its george i mean they ever since they got from top to bottom when he was a chant in the president is that theres been a theory out there is it you know forcing the European Countries or you the nato members to spend more weight in the nature of these nato members would realize well why are we spending so much money because it really isnt a threat to our security here and that would be a way for example saying see if i force you to pay more you dont want to be more than you see it there is no threat you know me and they actually spend it coming to fruition in a very near when they go ahead. Yes that was the. The argument and thats and thats a very reasonable which is that you know ok you telling us that youre terribly frightened that this terrible big russian bear in the east ok fine and they some more you know but you know why are we protecting you youre the one who supposedly in the front line so when they say labby i know we said were at the front line but we dont actually mean that we have spent more they said ok fine and were not going to spend any more so that was that was a reasonable argument but trump also had a deeper argument which is that europe has become an economic rival to the United States i mean it was one thing to. Build up. Europes defenses in the 1950 s. And 160 s. But even from the like the seventys on. West germany and that was go to the time is now becoming a serious economic rival to the United States now you know 4550 years on it we can see the results of this and so therefore it does make very little sense for the United States to be subsidizing a power that is really an economic giant i mean this makes me a salute you know sense and the Trump Realizes this but of course you know theres a huge powerful well oiled atlanticist establishment that is absolutely hell bent on slaughtering any attempt to. This in time go this relationship so you know you have to theyre just theyre just too many careers built on this ok i mean the 5000 nato bureaucrats on the continent as well i mean they you know thats the been their entire future one of the interesting things that i find interesting is that with this i mean the polls want they want to build for trump and they want american troops permanently stationed in poland again that would be against the agreements made ending. The confrontation in in europe with the dissolving of the bourse. But doesnt poland stay standing like this its position is not really divided nato internally even more because it shows that there is no kind of unified understanding of what the alliance is supposed to do i mean this is an alliance in search of a mission and the poles are stepping up and defining it for the rest of the member countries go ahead. Well that was already a concern by. Napoleon and others to join nato because of the cold war there was some concern among for example germany that they didnt want to cling to russia as a threat they believed that there was able to ice on working relationship with them meanwhile the poles pretty much just wanted to be on the other side of the wall so a continued 1000 Russian Alliance not a solution for nato what you do. Western europeans dont want to name russia as a threat and the eastern europeans want to label russia as the solution was to strategic ambiguity you know were just about democracy stable government and you know were friends to russia. And i think theyre there that guarantee to us russia which is against expansionism and would trigger this security guarantee and we should come 1st from being this organization for democracy to again containing russia so that was a strategic going to get you know if you want long you need huge military budget should have been european democracy im not sure i really comprehend that gentlemen im going to jump in here were going to go to a short break and if you let you know you were discussion on some real news today. We go to work so you stay home. How can you explain love ive been to 82 countries i did in 12 but i came here and on those 3 days i just go to the pope. And he kept pretty isnt a sick show. I made my decision to come here because i felt i knew i could build a new life here soon at the. Companies and. Those are pretty bad but i think god decided that this man is no good to be create a profile and it would only have ended t. V. My one dream is that all my children d find the same kind of happiness i do. I love my home i love cold weather i like the culture i like the history i like everything about it. Especially thawing out i know that. I am joined a russian fama. Welcome at across these are considered im Peter Lavelle to remind you were talking about some real. Ok george its switch gears here none of us are doctors here obviously and but were all perceptive about politics thats what we do basically for a living in one form or another in Washington Joe Biden i mean its really its quite shocking but weve gotten down to a candidate it could be the democrats of a rally behind it. That is challenge ok hes challenging it in a pariah in ways you know that we all know that this is it domestically this is all an anti trump gambit thats very very clear ok its not voting for joe its voting against donald trump but if we do have this heightened ministration the implications are enormous how would the outside world see this whos in charge internet interAgency Consensus whos in charge of that i mean it would send a very ambiguous message to the International System go ahead george. Yes thats it tell you right. Whats very sad here is of course how cynical the democrats have been all of this after all bidens physical and mental deterioration well as apparent throughout the primaries everybody could see it i mean the candidates themselves on the stage was seen to be sniggering at his office decrepitude yet they all running around him theyd all stand why is this because they were absolutely determined to defeat donald trump and they thought that lunch bucket joe with this suppose it links to the in industrial midwest would somehow be the one person who could be absolutely guaranteed to defeat trump now if they got it clear that this is really very problematic as people do see. That this is you know how can he last 4 years let alone 8 years so who is going to be running the country now this was the outside world is concerned well there are no doubt the atlanticist establishment types were very powerful in europe who would welcome oh its great this the rich ah no the the obama crowd all the all the safe air of hands for george or maybe on the flip side of what you just said is that an empty vessel that we can fill yes yes yes thats right so that i think i like of that i dont tell him i owe you know you know russias a rat you know weve got to you know spend more here move troops you know yeah go along with all that so yes no doubt. Happy about this but its a very dangerous situation because to have somebody in the oval office who really isnt up to the job so he can either make absolutely reckless foolish decision or all of the. It will be made by people who have not been elected to anything and what their own agenda thats the point that you know you know glenn you know historically you know we had Winston Churchill in his 2nd stint as Prime Minister he only was he exhibited mental deficiencies obviously brezhnev the soviet leader he died in power and even Ronald Reagan in the waning days of his 2nd term in office that would became became obvious that he was having some problems as well now im describing 3 individuals historically 3 important historical individuals at the end of their government Power Service ok were talking about a guy thats going in to the white house i mean that should send alarm bells should not go ahead mark. Yeah good health a key difference that its not at the end of his term. I agree with fear i was sent before i think that that idea biden is why they want to bring him in because. Household name whos part of the old guard was with obama and this is very much an anti trump platform and it will lead them and the message all discounting will be a return to the normal and he essentially were a sense the positives idea biden bucks the realities of this is a great difference with its cognitive abilities according to quite probably and i hope agree thats a sense of. The progress of their as well because keep in mind that the democrats have all for the last 4 years now been criticizing the mental state i would save quite reasonably pointing to his narcissism but now theyre running a candidates risk seemingly struggling with dementia so. It does doesnt bring up a lot of moral issues so. Whats going to its all about winning now of course a wop and after he wins 1st there office become string together a simple sentence i think. This is going to be president and the for the rest of the allies especially in europe theyre going to see. One they like more than trump but also one not well qualified to leave so soon as remember much this antimissile you know Little George i mean with the most loot one of the most important elements to keep the International System stable is certainty what can what can you expect i mean in this case i mean when i look at you know last 3 and a half years truman on the margins pushed back against this injury Agency Consensus but you could have though im in the white house in january that will have no resistance whatsoever its going to it will sign you know well ill sign anything i mean that you know and then whos making those decisions that didnt. Im in so the world you know unelected bureaucrats that like thats going to create a lot of uncertainty in my mind go ahead yes yes and what weve seen during the trump years and before all is that that unelected bureaucracy is a public menace. They have been pushing their agenda they have ignored the elected president they are the one who actually ran on the platform they simply said well