Germany Troop Cut

Post # 120, Bob McKnight's Florida Commentary

As has become his practice, President Trump slipped a historic announcement in the middle of a World Pandemic and International Racial Protests. That way, there would be little analysis of the decision, which was made without a customary Presidential Press Conference. The United States is making a major withdrawal of 10,000 troops out of Germany, which have been there protecting our interests for decades in Europe, including monitoring our arch enemy, Russia. Aside from pleasing Vladimir Putin of Russia, Trump's unilateral decision, apparently without Congressional or Germany input, can be analyzed as follows:

• Russia is the primary beneficiary of this troop withdrawal. With this decision, Russia may feel that the weakened U.S. will be forced to join Russia in its' continuing disputes with China.

• This is a major assault on the North American Trade Organization ("NATO"), which Trump has relentlessly attacked from his first day in office.

• This is also a major assault on the World Health Organization ("WHO"), which includes almost all members of the European Union. Trump praised the WHO at the time of the outbreak of the Coronavirus Epidemic, until he found it a foil for his liability on the outbreak.

• This is further evidence of our country's nationalistic movement saying our interests are our own and we care less now about a world order of civilized nations. We are considered by many to be an unreliable rogue nation in much of the world community.

• This leaves us as largely excluded with the leadership of the freedom practicing European Nations.

Perhaps most disturbing is that 60% of America does not know why this decision was made nor apparently does the person making the decision.