“Europe has government funded (x), why can’t we?”

Because the United States is the only major country in NATO making the 2% of GDP minimum defense spending allocation. Most European countries, even those outside of NATO, are capable of paying for their social programs because they rely on the United States for their collective security. The same goes for South Korea and Japan, but at least they’re starting to pull their own weight.

The armed forces of countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have faced severe budget cuts because they can afford to use the United States as their military safety net. Canada, while not part of Europe, lacks portable anti-tank and any form of anti-aircraft system. Germany cannot afford to buy new, desperately needed machine guns. The United Kingdom is struggling to put even two new aircraft carriers to sea. The only serious NATO player that is getting it’s shit together is Poland, which is likely to meet it’s 2% commitment within the next five years.

In order to provide for it’s own defense in the event of a total American withdrawal, you can bet most of the government programs that define European social democracy would flounder, as the armed forces of the European Union and NATO at large are forced to modernize and become effective combined arms fighting groups.

Take from this what you will. The European Union’s member states can spend what they like on social programs, as long as they’re not forced to balance themselves between bullets or butter. America’s Cold War infrastructure in Europe is the only thing that allows such an imbalance in favor of non-military government spending.

