Is Nato A Force For Good?

[Anna B 1,417]

17 minutes ago, Organgrinder said:

I have never heard a good reason why the Falklands should ever have belonged to us. In my opinion, it belongs to Argentina

When you consider this, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland,  were we not guilty of Russia's favourite trick of taking over countries which we thought may be useful to us at that time.

Indeed. The past was all about empire building, and we did our fair share of it, and that included a number of attrocities as well. We are still suffering the repercussions today. IMO We are in no position to hold the moral high ground.

Having said that, we have to help where we can and do our bit. We are supposed to have moved on and be able to behave better in better times. 

 

[Organgrinder 1,946]

As it seems widely accepted that every  country has behaved badly in the past, imagine a world where we  we could live peacefully together (or peacefully apart)

and spend the billions that every country wastes on weapons to the benefit of that countries citizens with a portion reserved to look after poor and under developed countries.

Every nation could have modern efficient housing, more and better equipped hospitals and look after their young, their old and their disabled better.

When the Berlin wall came down, I thought that was the direction we were heading but, unfortunately, mankind never learns from the past and repeats past mistakes again.

[altus 540]

54 minutes ago, West 77 said:

How did France selling Argentina Exocet missiles help Britain during the Falklands conflict?

How France helped us win Falklands war, by John Nott

Quote

FRANCE was Britain's greatest ally during the Falklands war, providing secret information to enable MI6 agents to sabotage Exocet missiles which were desperately sought by Argentina, according to Sir John Nott, who was Defence Secretary during the conflict.

In his memoirs he reveals that while President Reagan was pressurising Lady Thatcher to accept a negotiated settlement France helped Britain to win the conflict.

 

[the_bloke 17]

9 hours ago, West 77 said:

I believe Donald Trump wanted the European members of NATO to contribute more money to the budget.  From what I understand the UK is the only European member that has honoured the agreement to contribute 2% of GDP to the budget.  Donald Trump was correct in calling out the European NATO members.

It was well publicised last week that the Ukraine conflict finally persuaded Germany to spend something like an extra 100bn Euros to meet the 2% obligation.

Edited March 3, 2022 by the_bloke

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

"Is Nato A Force For Good?"

Well, more so than Russia is (although that's not saying a lot).

[hauxwell 244]

I don’t think America got much support from NATO when Bush declared war on Iraq.  Was the UK the only NATO country to support him?  We should never have got involved in that war.  I’m sure there was other ways we could have punished Iraq without going to war. 

[cuttsie 1,091]

2 hours ago, hauxwell said:

I don’t think America got much support from NATO when Bush declared war on Iraq.  Was the UK the only NATO country to support him?  We should never have got involved in that war.  I’m sure there was other ways we could have punished Iraq without going to war. 

That was an even bigger war crime than the one Putin and Russia are doing now , Iraq was thousands of miles away from both America and the UK , posed no threat to us and as it turned out had no weapons of mass destruction and was indeed better of under Saddam than it is now .

If Putin is charged with war crimes than those who lead that war should join him .

[Thorpist 72]

I think the Marsh Arabs and Kurds might disagree that they were better off under Saddam .

 

[cuttsie 1,091]

1 minute ago, Thorpist said:

I think the Marsh Arabs and Kurds might disagree that they were better off under Saddam .

 

The Kurds (our allies )are attacked by other despots in the Middle East inc Turkey and its Putin like dictator Erdigen or on .

[spilldig 190]

19 hours ago, Organgrinder said:

I have never heard a good reason why the Falklands should ever have belonged to us. In my opinion, it belongs to Argentina

When you consider this, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland,  were we not guilty of Russia's favourite trick of taking over countries which we thought may be useful to us at that time.

First off I realise it is a North Atlantic treaty so that does rule out the Falklands but the situation was that the locals wanted to belong to britain and not Argentina, but I agree with everything you say.  The Falklands should have always belonged to Argentina and we should have kept our noses out of America and Australia and India and Gibralter and Northern Ireland all the other, so called commonwealth countries. They were never ours to begin with and we are now and for quite a few years past, suffering the consequenses.

[cuttsie 1,091]

8 minutes ago, spilldig said:

First off I realise it is a North Atlantic treaty so that does rule out the Falklands but the situation was that the locals wanted to belong to britain and not Argentina, but I agree with everything you say.  The Falklands should have always belonged to Argentina and we should have kept our noses out of America and Australia and India and Gibralter and Northern Ireland all the other, so called commonwealth countries. They were never ours to begin with and we are now and for quite a few years past, suffering the consequenses.

And the bloooooody Romans should have left us alone , who needs roads , baths and villas as well as all the other civilised things they brought with them . may be the railways ,roads and infrastructure we imposed on our colonies they would have been better off without .

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

57 minutes ago, spilldig said:

First off I realise it is a North Atlantic treaty so that does rule out the Falklands but the situation was that the locals wanted to belong to britain and not Argentina, but I agree with everything you say.  The Falklands should have always belonged to Argentina and we should have kept our noses out of America and Australia and India and Gibralter and Northern Ireland all the other, so called commonwealth countries. They were never ours to begin with and we are now and for quite a few years past, suffering the consequenses.

You do realise that at the time the entire world was fighting each other for dominance over land and territories. Have you not heard of things such as the Portuguese Empire, the Spanish Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Persian Empire....

 

You honestly think we will be in any sort of better position if we just sat back and kept out of it.  They were nobody's to begin with until they were discovered as were lots of places around the world.

 

It was Britain that established the dominant settlements on that Island. It was Britain that made the island into what is now.

 

You go ask people of the Falklands exactly what they want. I bet it won't be under the Argentinian regime.   It never was or will be a possession of Argentina, no matter how many revolving door dictators try to protest so or try to use military force to bully their way in.

Edited March 4, 2022 by ECCOnoob