And didn't demand the investment we now know is essential. Western European forces shrank and defence budgets shriveled into irrelevance over reliance on the notion that security was just the new norm and the United States would take care of any threats. Further afield caused us Europeans to imagine that hard power was something to be embarrassed by, a relic of a bellicose past that humankind had now outgrown. (00:06–00:22)
CLAIM
Asserts that Western European forces and defense budgets declined due to reliance on U.S. security.
This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.
