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jshw31

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4Tran said:
What is this insanity? Are these countries actually serious about a 5% GDP commitment on military spending? How? Why? Are they trying to bankrupt their countries?

The saddest thing about all this is that I doubt that any of these countries will get a significantly stronger military out of it. The only exception might be Poland since at least they seem to be serious about increasing their capabilities. For everyone else, the military budget isn't the reason why their militaries aren't stronger. The main problem is that their military structures are rotten and increasing the budget doesn't do a damned thing to fix their actual problems.
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The agreement is actually pretty much 3.5%, the amount that must be directly spent, and the target deadline is 2035. The rest, 1.5%, is for defense related expenditures, but the definition is quite broad. Broad enough that I image much of existing gov't spend can be reclassified into this 1.5%. 3.5% is still an ambitious target though, but with such a long deadline, countries may drag their feet to meet this target.
 
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4Tran

Junior Member
Registered Member
jshw31 said:
The agreement is actually pretty much 3.5%, the amount that must be directly spent, and the target deadline is 2035. The rest, 1.5%, is for defense related expenditures, but the definition is quite broad. Broad enough that I image much of existing gov't spend can be reclassified into this 1.5%. 3.5% is still an ambitious target though, but with such a long deadline, countries may drag their feet to meet this target.
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That's pretty much why I said nothing is ever going to come out of this. A 3.5% of GDP spend is ridiculous unless a country is facing some sort of imminent disaster, but none of the NATO countries are in any real danger (with the exception of the Baltic States, but they're screwed anyways).
 
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TPenglake

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I follow this girl occasionally and recently found she did a vid on Guangzhou's African neighborhood. Interesting, I didn't even know it was still around since there was a lot of talk around the late 2010s and especially COVID that most of them had gone home. Good to see some of them managed to pick up Chinese and seem to be getting along just fine. Regrettably as comes with East Asia's homogenous populations there's still a disparity in treatment, like how that one Senagalese guy mentioned taxis won't stop for them which he apparently doesn't experience in Canada.

As China becomes more globally integrated, there won't be a huge influx but for sure an increase in foreigners so hopefully Chinese can begin having a more open mind and treating them with less prejudice.

 
S

sheen

New Member
Registered Member
4Tran said:
What is this insanity? Are these countries actually serious about a 5% GDP commitment on military spending? How? Why? Are they trying to bankrupt their countries?

The saddest thing about all this is that I doubt that any of these countries will get a significantly stronger military out of it. The only exception might be Poland since at least they seem to be serious about increasing their capabilities. For everyone else, the military budget isn't the reason why their militaries aren't stronger. The main problem is that their military structures are rotten and increasing the budget doesn't do a damned thing to fix their actual problems.
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In Canada's case I think we're doing some accounting fudging here and there. Things like now including previously counted as non-defense spending stuff as defense (like the coast guard). Yeah I don't think any of us know how we're gonna get to that target.
 
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