Defence spending hike of NATO members means more readiness for future wars

In Britain, this will lead to hardening of austerity measures for common people

- BY DIANE ABBOTT

At the recent NATO summit most member countries committed themselves to a target of spending 5 per cent of GDP on the military budget.

This is more than we were spending during the Gulf war and much more than when this country was waging war on Iraq and Afghanistan. We have not seen such a rapid expansion of military spending in this country since the beginning of the second world war.

The consequences for the safety and security of this country will be very grave and there will be very significant, negative consequences for most other areas of government spending as a result. The government plans to shift us to a wartime economy, with all the serious consequences that implies.

The US president described the outcome of the NATO summit as “a great victory.” For once, he was telling the truth. It was a great personal victory for him and for the US war machine.

Throughout the US presidential campaign Trump repeatedly threatened to force European NATO members to pay more, much more as their contribution to the organisation. Despite a great deal of posturing about resisting Trump, European leaders have done exactly as he demanded. It reached a low-point with the NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte calling Trump “Daddy.”

Trump has obtained from the Europeans, including the British government, a major contribution to the US’s war-fighting capacity. It will be paid for by the populations of Europe, including people in this country.

Trump's plan, as he said himself, is to “un-unite” Russia and China, so that he can pursue a confrontation with the latter. All of his recent manoeuvrings in imposing tariffs on the world have clearly had that as a central objective, including trying to dictate that other countries are not allowed to trade with China, under threat of even more tariffs.