Sometimes, anecdote is more revealing than data. A few days’ gleanings:
Confronting Putin: Five months ago NATO countries gathered in Wales and agreed to defend their military budgets from cuts, and to take a tough line with Vladimir Putin. Of the six largest defense spenders, only the U.S. and France have kept to that pledge, and this year only the U.S. will keep the promise made by all 28 NATO members to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense The UK, Canada, Germany and Italy have all announced cuts in their defense budgets. (FT Feb. 26). German troops train with broomsticks instead of rifles (Telegraph March 1), and Britain’s prime minister, with an election coming up in May, was so upset when his generals announced they could not protect the UK from a Russian air attack that he ordered the chief of staff to cancel a speech (Feb. 23). Putin noticed.
