Richard Wolff on the American defense umbrella: "Germany bet on the wrong horse"

Germany is the biggest and most powerful core of what we call Western Europe, and it has been for a long time.  Germany was the only serious competitor with the United States to replace the British empire.  Had Germany not fought and lost both world wars, we would be much more aware of what was going on in that country than we are.  But those wars removed Germany from the competition.  World War II removed Japan from the competition and gave us, the United States, the kind of free ride of the last 75 years of being the dominant economic powerhouse in the world.  And we are now going through the decline, the precipitous decline of the American empire...  And that is changing everything because after Germany was defeated twice in two world wars and its enemy was the United States in both world wars, it took a very subordinate position, as did the other loser in World War II, Japan.  Subordinate to the winner, which is often what happens in big wars.  

And so, what we are seeing is a moment, cataclysmically important for global politics - although you wouldn't notice that from American media treatment - we are seeing Germany leading Europe to recognize now that they bet on the wrong horse after World War II.  Because the United States, which would and did, protect them from their fantasy of being at risk of a Russian invasion, it protected them for 70 years, it can no longer afford to do it because its own empire is declining, and so with the Trump administration the United States is withdrawing from being the protector of Europe and now wants to rip it off to benefit the United States - that's what the America First really means - when the United States in its decline has to turn on its former friends and allies, above all Europe, but equally Canada and Mexico, because it is trying to hold on to as much of its declining empire as it can.  And it will sacrifice its friends before it turns in on itself.  But please notice the word "before."

~  Richard Wolff, "German Election Shockwaves: Rapid Decline of US Influence in Europe w/ Prof. Richard Wolff," BreakThrough News, February 25, 2025