How Romania glides in the new world of economic and military force realism through the thin air of ideological and cultural wars
Remus Ștefureac
Opinions
Foto INQUAM/ George Călin
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Donald Trump comes with an approach based on the projection of force conferred by Economic Power and Military Power. To that he adds a militant conservative ideology, ready for export and dispatched by global political courier vectors such as Elon Musk is in current times or as George Soros was two to three decades ago for the other camp, the progressive one.
Both ideological currents come with their accents, with their ultra-conservative or ultra-progressive extremes deeply harmful because they are set on capturing the balanced and moderate center of societies. The goal? To entertain ideological warfare in search of soldiers and proselytizers radicalized to the point of fanaticism in order to build a solid long-term power base.
ECONOMIC POWER
➡ US GDP estimated for 2025 is around 27 trillion dollars
➡ The European Union's GDP is around 21 trillion dollars, or 25 trillion if you add the UK and Norway
➡ Romania's share is about 2% of EU GDP and about 1.5% of US GDP
MILITARY POWER
➡ US - approaching 900 billion
➡ EU military spending is about 300 billion or 400 billion if you add the UK and Norway
➡ Romania's share is about 3% of EU military spending and 1% of US military spending
Pretty much these are the US-EU strength ratios (relatively similar economic strength, with a slight US lead) and a 3 to 1 ratio in favor of the US in terms of military strength.
Romania, beyond the lyrical exceptionalism of the energo-geto-geto-dace visions, is in a ratio of 1 to 70 in economic strength and 1 to 100 in military strength compared to the US. And at the EU table where we want to occupy center stage, and it's not a bad thing that we finally want that, we have about 2% of the economic strength and 3% of the military strength.
How can we have a better seat at the table and how can we influence the regional and global agendas so that we are no longer again slaves to an expansionist power like Russia?
Economic and military strength we do not yet have, but they are growing. We have a vulnerable geographical position, but it also offers us opportunities because Europe's problems are in our proximity. We would also need competent, healthy, courageous and strong-willed representatives who clearly understand the course of the world today and tomorrow, not yesterday or the day before yesterday, who are able to make friends, to stimulate some national/regional economic champions so that we can come to the table with something (Energy, IT, Agriculture, maybe Construction).
And certainly less of a Romanian-Romanian war, because in these times marked by major inversions, internal divisions are a vulnerability, and before being conservative or progressive, more liberal, or more socialist, a little national solidarity around at least two common goals becomes vital: full freedom from expansionist aggressors with whom we have a terrible history and economic development for all.
As for Donald Trump's accents, stronger than in his first term, it wouldn't hurt to calm down a bit. If we remember (I remember well because in my first term I was diplomatic counselor at our embassy in the US where I covered the "US domestic policy" dossier), 8 years ago the world was equally catastrophic and apocalyptic.
After 4 years of Trump's mandate, the concrete US military commitments, i.e. money, troops and equipment invested by the US in Romania have increased significantly compared to the previous mandate of President Obama. Therefore, before we go crazy, as we did back then, let's sit down and see what we can do to provom our interests, through all the levers we have, regardless of ideological color. And most of all, let's stop running away from politics!
I will end with a longer quote from Iuliu Maniu, our tragic hero, a true patriot to the supreme sacrifice, exterminated and murdered in the communist prisons run by the Soviets:
"I am angry with the man who says: 'I am not interested in politics, I don't give a damn about politics, I don't give a damn about my head, I mind my own business, my profession, politics doesn't interest me and whoever does what he wants can do what he wants'. I am very angry with the person who talks like that, because this attitude means cynicism and indifference towards the future of the Romanian nation. We, the citizens of this country, are all duty-bound to deal with the political problems of the Romanian nation and country. We all have a duty to look for the best way for the happy future of the Romanian country and this means politics. We are obliged to show what our conviction dictates us and we do not have the right to say that we are not interested in what path the Romanian nation should take for its happiness."
Both ideological currents come with their accents, with their ultra-conservative or ultra-progressive extremes deeply harmful because they are set on capturing the balanced and moderate center of societies. The goal? To entertain ideological warfare in search of soldiers and proselytizers radicalized to the point of fanaticism in order to build a solid long-term power base.
ECONOMIC POWER
➡ US GDP estimated for 2025 is around 27 trillion dollars
➡ The European Union's GDP is around 21 trillion dollars, or 25 trillion if you add the UK and Norway
➡ Romania's share is about 2% of EU GDP and about 1.5% of US GDP
MILITARY POWER
➡ US - approaching 900 billion
➡ EU military spending is about 300 billion or 400 billion if you add the UK and Norway
➡ Romania's share is about 3% of EU military spending and 1% of US military spending
Pretty much these are the US-EU strength ratios (relatively similar economic strength, with a slight US lead) and a 3 to 1 ratio in favor of the US in terms of military strength.
Romania, beyond the lyrical exceptionalism of the energo-geto-geto-dace visions, is in a ratio of 1 to 70 in economic strength and 1 to 100 in military strength compared to the US. And at the EU table where we want to occupy center stage, and it's not a bad thing that we finally want that, we have about 2% of the economic strength and 3% of the military strength.
How can we have a better seat at the table and how can we influence the regional and global agendas so that we are no longer again slaves to an expansionist power like Russia?
Economic and military strength we do not yet have, but they are growing. We have a vulnerable geographical position, but it also offers us opportunities because Europe's problems are in our proximity. We would also need competent, healthy, courageous and strong-willed representatives who clearly understand the course of the world today and tomorrow, not yesterday or the day before yesterday, who are able to make friends, to stimulate some national/regional economic champions so that we can come to the table with something (Energy, IT, Agriculture, maybe Construction).
And certainly less of a Romanian-Romanian war, because in these times marked by major inversions, internal divisions are a vulnerability, and before being conservative or progressive, more liberal, or more socialist, a little national solidarity around at least two common goals becomes vital: full freedom from expansionist aggressors with whom we have a terrible history and economic development for all.
As for Donald Trump's accents, stronger than in his first term, it wouldn't hurt to calm down a bit. If we remember (I remember well because in my first term I was diplomatic counselor at our embassy in the US where I covered the "US domestic policy" dossier), 8 years ago the world was equally catastrophic and apocalyptic.
After 4 years of Trump's mandate, the concrete US military commitments, i.e. money, troops and equipment invested by the US in Romania have increased significantly compared to the previous mandate of President Obama. Therefore, before we go crazy, as we did back then, let's sit down and see what we can do to provom our interests, through all the levers we have, regardless of ideological color. And most of all, let's stop running away from politics!
I will end with a longer quote from Iuliu Maniu, our tragic hero, a true patriot to the supreme sacrifice, exterminated and murdered in the communist prisons run by the Soviets:
"I am angry with the man who says: 'I am not interested in politics, I don't give a damn about politics, I don't give a damn about my head, I mind my own business, my profession, politics doesn't interest me and whoever does what he wants can do what he wants'. I am very angry with the person who talks like that, because this attitude means cynicism and indifference towards the future of the Romanian nation. We, the citizens of this country, are all duty-bound to deal with the political problems of the Romanian nation and country. We all have a duty to look for the best way for the happy future of the Romanian country and this means politics. We are obliged to show what our conviction dictates us and we do not have the right to say that we are not interested in what path the Romanian nation should take for its happiness."
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