[joegrundman]

There is no nation on earth so dangerous as a nation fully armed and bankrupt at home. -Henry Cabot Lodge


As for your comment on Europe. Well. Get used to this sort of thing. Germany may be a big country, but not compared to the US, and in another 10 years, maybe not compared to China, and in maybe 20 years, not compared to India or Brazil.

Although the failures in the present EU are real and problematic, it is my feeling that unless Europe federalises to some degree (or even just north europe), then the position of the individual European countries will be similar to that of post-renaissance Italian city states. Individually as rich as anywhere else, but always at a disadvantage when the interests of the bigger players became involved.

The world is rationalising into larger units, rather like Europe did in the 19th century, and unless the European nations do the same, then the European nations will be unable to argue for their own vision of how things should develop and will be left merely attaching themselves to the interests of the big players, who by the nature of things are primarily interested in their own perspective.

And in future when Germany's interests, for example, clash with a bigger player, and no other big player can be found to champion Germany's cause, then Germany will lose the debate. Same for other affluent European countries.