(ThyBlackMan.com) The BBB of politics, Donald J. Trump has lashed out at Spain allegedly because it refuses to commit to NATO’s 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) for defense spending quotient by 2035. Trump threatened to make Spain pay by doubling tariffs on the country.
His wannabe tough guy act is just another reason why people of conscience cannot wait until January 2029, if not sooner, for his abrasive and unrefined leadership style to leave the office. If Spain does not want to commit 5 percent of its GDP for defense spending, that is its choice. Spain and other European members of NATO are currently committed to spending 2 percent of their GDP for NATO defense spending.
Trump since his first term has been pushing for NATO members to allocate a higher percentage of their GDP towards NATO defense spending. His argument is that the US has allocated a far greater share of its money percentage wise and in dollars towards NATO than other member nations. Those nations probably should counter “whomever much is given much is required.”
In 2024, $1508 billion was spent by NATO members on military spending. NATO members are projected to spend $1.47 trillion on defense in 2025. These are in addition to their own military spending outside of their NATO obligations.
The US military budget for last year was $997 billion. It spent $45 million of that $997 billion holding a one-day parade.
The US recently spent several million dollars dropping bombs on Iran at the insistence of Israel. The state goal allegedly was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The military operation was questionable and reckless. It is uncertain if Iran’s nuclear weapons program, if it has such a desire, was deterred. What is certain, however, is that the military action served to highlight the US as the “Great Satan.” What is certain is that it has more than likely served as a catalyst to inspire and recruit thousands if not millions of new warriors to Islamic extremism.
Currently, there are nine nations which have nuclear weapons. Those nations are the US, Russia, China, North Korea, France, Britain, India, Pakistan and Israel. So far only the US has used nuclear weapons against another country.
It is interesting that certain countries are allowed to have nuclear weapons and not others. Israel has nuclear weapons, yet it is hell bent on preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon.
Perhaps, if Iran had a nuclear bomb, might Israel and Iran actually be forced to exist in peace next to each other? The conventional wisdom is that nuclear weapons prevent all-out war.
After what Israel has done in Gaza is it any wonder that Iran might feel safer with nuclear weapons? Are we allowed to say that about Israel?
For twenty years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to browbeat, bully former US presidents into bombing Iran’s alleged nuclear production sites. He was unsuccessful in having former US presidents to do his dirty work.
However, he was convinced that he could play Trump and did into bombing Iran. It was perhaps just a few million dollars needed for the bombing campaign. One and done. Chump change in the US military’s pocketbook.
What would happen if Spain said not only are we not going to allocate 5 percent of our GDP towards NATO, but we are reducing our commitment to zero percent of our GDP. In fact, we are not going to allocate any money towards military spending. That we are going to become like Switzerland and use all of our GDP towards improving the quality of life of our people.
Just think if other countries followed suit and compelled their government to study war no more. That they compelled their government to take the weapons of war and turn them into plowshares to harvest the crops and feed the people eliminating hunger, starvation, possible disease and sickness. Wouldn’t that be something?
Just think if the US with the largest military budget of any country called a conference with China, Russia, Britain, France, the other countries with nuclear weapons along with Iran and other countries with conventional weapons and said no more war.
They developed a plan of action and implemented an oversight commission to phase out all weapons and armies within five years. That they took their military budgets and pooled them to research and eliminate cancer and other killers.
That mankind finally freed itself from its own self-imposed oppression. Freed itself of its narrow partisan and sectarian chains, its cliques, cabals and cults, its dogmas and prejudices, its fears and paranoids. Wouldn’t that be something?
Over the last 50 years, if the US and other nations had allocated money for cancer research instead of their military escapades, cancer today might be a relic of a bygone era. However, they failed their people. They had the capacity to keep their people safe from disease and illness. But they were too busy preparing for and conducting war.
Just think if the top scientists from the US, Russia, China and other nations were working together seeking a cure from cancer and other similar type diseases over the last 80 years where we might be in the war against that disease and others?
Maybe one day the people of the world will rise up and tell their leaders and governments no mas, no mas. They want and insist the world live as one.
Until that day, the history of mankind is a testament to mankind’s inhumanity to mankind. A history of brutality, cruelty, sadism and savagery. A history of Dachau and Auschwitz, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Gaza and infinite more.
We may think that with our technological advance we are so much more advanced than the cave dwellers. But we still exist in our caves. No more advanced nor civilized.
But we now have AI, you say and after AI we will have the next idol of technology. Are we to believe that governments will use AI any differently than how they have used the sword and nuclear energy?
Nevertheless, I will continue to hope and pray that one day mankind will truly seek love over hate, and brotherhood and sisterhood over some abstract. That we see ourselves in the faces of others. That one-day mankind will finally emerge from its caves and live in peace and harmony in a Garden of Eden.
John Lennon might say that I am a dreamer, but I know I am not the only one.
Staff Writer; Al Alatunji
