Doug Bandow on America's foreign policy of "defense welfare"

Although international cooperation makes sense, doing for other nations what they can and should do themselves does not.  For instance, the Europeans have roughly 11 times the economic strength and three times the population of Russia, their most plausible adversary.  Why aren’t they defending themselves?  Because the US is willing to do it for them, of course.  Similarly, if Japan fears Chinese or North Korean aggression, why does it spend barely one percent of GDP on the military?  Because America is committed to doing the job.  Unfortunately, Washington has turned alliances into defense welfare for populous and prosperous friends.  Biden & Co. seem determined to make this problem even worse.

~ Doug Bandow, "After Two Months, President Joe Biden has Become Donald Trump Lite on Foreign Policy," Anti-War.com, March 29, 2021