[Spridgets] Iran, NATO and Europe - obviously no LBC

[Larry Macy]

Daniel,

Well stated and thought from the British POV. I agree with your points, but would like to insert one clarification. It is not America that is insulting and bitching at NATO countries. 

I have been around for nearly 7 decades and this is the absolute worst relationship between our NATO allies and the US I have ever seen in those decades. Treating Russia as a “friend” over NATO, Iran and Ukraine is the bottom of the barrel in my opinion. 

This is my opinion, and so far, in the US, I am still allowed to have one. 

Spridgeteers, Please don’t t make this a mess. It is simply the opinion of an Englishman and an American.  

Larry

> On Mar 20, 2026, at 6:33 AM, Weslake1330 via Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi List,
> 
> I wanted to post some thoughts on Iran, NATO and Europe that simply aren't being reported on national news, as far as I can tell, whose reporters seem to have no idea of analysis or wider impacts.
> 
> The news isn't saying much about how much help Iran has had and continues to have from Russia and China, the latter especially.  I believe that Iran is an evil regime supported (English phrase: aided and abetted) over decades by Russia and China.  I have heard that Chinese technicians aiding Iran firing missiles have been killed.  So if America decides to attack Iran that's ok by me in a broad sense.  Iran with nuclear weapons would be a disaster for the world.
> 
> NATO is about defence and its membership agreement makes that clear.  NATO is not a force multiplier to call upon when a member's aggression needs some backup.  Yes, the USA puts more money into NATO than any other country and arguably it has had the most back.  Europe provided the buffer for the USA against the USSR and I guess that was a price the USA decided was worth paying.  Well times change and the USSR not longer exists but former members are a threat.  The flipside to the coin that isn't discussed is not whether all the NATO countries need to spend more (and a couple do) but could America spend less?
> 
> America has stated that China rather that Russia are the real threats and attacking Iran weakens China considerably though news commentators aren't saying so.  America seems to continue to be well disposed to Mr Putin and Russia and seem to ignore the large part of aid Russia has given to Iran.  Well I guess it might be in America's interest to say little and not state what is close to being obvious.
> 
> What makes no sense and is baseless criticism is to insult NATO and European countries (who get very little oil and gas from Iran) for not answering a call to aid from America.  It is India, China and other eastern countries who are not going their oil from the Gulf, not NATO and European countries.  It's also worth considering what countries are in NATO.  Well Canada is in NATO and so is Denmark (who count Greenland as part of its territory) and they have good grounds for not rushing to the assistance of the USA.  What about the European countries in NATO?  Well they are still very focused on supporting Ukraine and the Arctic where there is still Russian aggression and threat - something that America thinks they ought to be doing.
> 
> It is never good sense to insult your friends and allies, or falsely accuse them.  And while you might publicly state they aren't helping and are free loaders, the truth and reality is quite different.  However, spend enough time and energy publicly criticising them and there is a real risk you'll discover how much they DID do when they decide to do a lot less or nothing for you in the future.  Google RAF Croughton and see not only how important that is to America but the controversy caused by a fatal road accident that made everything connected to that site unpopular.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Daniel S
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—

Larry B. Macy, Ph.D.
lmacy at mac.com


“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet,” he said. “Try to make sense of what you see and about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” 
~Stephen Hawking


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