China still has a bit to go before they can be world policemen. The EU nations and European NATO allies spend about twice as much as China. The numbers are: USA $711bn, EU/European NATO ca. $300bn, China $141bn.
Of course the US is the only one of them more interested in offence than defence.
Question (3) is a bit loaded, isn’t it? You mean “Are semi-socialist policies to blame, and if so which ones?”
That said, I find clairobscur’s answer interesting, becuse it says “no” and then puts the blame on “fiscal irresponsibility […] growing deficit and debt, retirement funds”. I happen to agree with that - governments have spent too much but paid for it through debt rather than hitting people with the necessary taxes straight away. Making future generations pay for it. You can’t go on like that that forever, and circa 2008, time ran out.
But what have governments been spending all this future-money on? Social spending, mainly. Or, as Fox News and the OP would term it, “semi-socialist policies”.
I’m not sure that ordinary people have really grasped the scale of the debt yet, and how long it will take to unwind. People talk about austerity in the UK, but it hasn’t really started yet. So I think we’re looking at many more years of low growth.
There was an interesting article in my newspaper this weekend about it. Basically, it produced figures indicating that Europe is doing quite well overall.
European Dopers, what is the mood like over there? The Netherlands? Same as anywhere, I guess, only less bleak.
What is the best hope you have for the next 10 years spelled out in detail? Macro economic crises rarely have an impact on people’s general life plans. We still get educations, marry, change jobs. we might go less on expensive holidays or redecarate our homes less.
Do you regret some of the semi-socialist policies that are leading up to this and if so, which ones? My god no. What a leading question. The only thing that led to the financial crisis is the banking disaster and the genreal global ups and downs in the economy. The bank disater had nothign to d with “semi socialism” and everything to do with unchecked excesses of capitalism. If anything, our semi socialism (if by that you mean good accessible health care for everyone and a rather level ditribution of income) mean we as a country are better equipped to handle the financial crisis then counries without that.
Do you regret the idea of he Eurozone and the Euro currency in general? No. It is a sentiment mostly trumepted by populists here and echoed by their target groups, i e people with less education and a generally distrustful attitude of government.
**And declining influence? **Why on earth would we need to influence other countries? That shows little respect. How would you feel if I told you that as the Netherlands, we feel that the USA is heading in the wrong direction, and we plan action to correct you? Now, if the UN feels that and decides on action, that’ is another thing.