How ironic:

for decades you (Brits & Americans) blamed Germans to be too militaristic and call them warmongers, loved to depict them as being all brutal violent nazis (just watch old and less old movies from the UK and Hollywood). And now you wish them to go out and fight.
A lot of allied effort went into educating the Germans into peace loving, soldier hating people. Noe you want them to be the opposite out of a sudden when it fits you better.
You can't have it all. Just get it.

NN, somewhere, else

Mike Bibby - have you ever actually read a history book? Richard I (Coeur de Lion) liked fighting, Simon de Montfort liked fighting, Napoleon definitely liked fighting - where exactly did you get your baseless prejudice from? As for the Germans, have you ever heard of WW2 (possible reason why the Germans are recalcitrant)? Funny when you consider that the largest ethnic group that migrated from Europe to the US in the 19th century was German.

Jon Kingsbury, Nottingham, UK, EU

Roger Butters, Corry, USA/Pennsylvania - 70% of Americans are descended from Europeans. Go figure.

Jon Kingsbury, Nottingham, UK, EU

We are all remembering the main point, correct? NATO allies honored their treaty obligations after the 9/11 attacks.
Then the U.S. chose to renege on promised money, rebuilding and policing of Afghanistan, for years--notably when it chose to invade Iraq--bravo to Germany and France for actually paying attention to REALITY. Discussing the state of Afghanistan without reference to the disaster in Iraq--and how Europe views the U.S. as a result is silly. It's a shame that the U.K. hasn't sided with its european neighbors on this issue--if it had, there would be fewer dead Afghans, fewer dead Brits., fewer dead Iraquis & fewer dead Americans.
We would all be safer, if countries--including the U.S. tried to avoid military incursions, rather than seeking them out.

Mark K., Portland, Oregon, United States

I ask you to make work your brain:
First, the US need Nato to defend Europe because they need European basis: no European basis, no American war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Second, why the Germans, the French, the Spanish, the Italians and the others Europeans must fight with the US if they have the monopoly of oil and the direction of the war? If you want people fight with you, you must share something with them.
Third, if Britain likes to go on losing wars with the US, it is a British right and nobody asks Brits to stop.

alessandro, rome, italy

Those correspondents, like Keith from Wigan, who hate everyone (except the EU?) might care to consider what will happen when NATO eventually gives up on its European members, and we are supposed to rely upon out wonderful European Reaction Force.

Who will be in it? Well the French don't like fighting (its too rough, so they currently supply fewer troops than Belgium: the Germans are frightened of the dark (its spooky so they aren't allowed out at night), while yet another of our 'allies' (Belgium?) will only let its troops go out of camp if they are given an American escort.

Yes: You've got it. Britain will be asked to do all the fighting while our brave allies courageously tell us where to go and get killed on their behalf!

Mike Bibby, St Albans, England -not EU

Q - Why should Germany help America? America bombed its cities to rubble 60 years ago?
A - Because the US rebuilt and protected Germany for 50 years after being attacked by it and Japan

Q - Why the Southerner fights for the Yankee? I don't know, the yankee raped the Southern States after the American civil war.
A - Because they realize that slavery was wrong and the higher principles of liberty and freedom should always prevail

If NATO can't get its act together then it should be disbanded and the Europeans can take care of Russia when and if the time comes. The US erred in Iraq but Afghanistan was the focal point of the attacks on it. The vast majority of the people there (and Iraq for that matter) want NATOs help until things can run on their own. It's messy but wars typically are.

Jim, Toronto, Canada

I agree with Roger Butters. Useless allies they are so what is the point of the NATO treaty itself? Disolve it asap. What is ironic however is that the Germans think they should have a permanent spot on the UN Securty Council! Go figure.

JL RONISH, seattle , usa

The United States has some 119,000 troops stationed on EU soil. What they are accomplishing there that is useful I cannot imagine. The time for a NATO has come and gone. We need those troops elsewhere. It really is time to end US involvement in NATO so that we can free up our resources for other, far more important jobs.

Don, Cold Spring, USA, Texas

Keith Bentham wrote "Why should Germany help America?America bombed it's cities to rubble 60 years ago", Yes and it has been the main guarantor of rebuilding Germany and safety for us all in Europe since. NATO is a mutual defence treaty and like it or not, the war in Afghanistan is a defence against terrorism.
Wiganers eh!

David Perry, Wigan,

The re-call by NATO to arms would wrong and issued under a false premise if it is true that it was not Afgans who carried out the 9/11 attack in the US.
What if it was true that the majority were either Saudi or other Arabs? Surely under the recently re-endorsed NATO principle of pre-emptive attack we do not intend to bomb our main ally and oil provider Saudi Arabia. Perish the thought. Although Israel certainly can under its 'Sampson' suicidal plan.

Nicholas Xenakis, Borough, London, England

Why should Germany help America? America bombed its cities to rubble 60 years ago. Why the Southerner fights for the Yankee? I don't know, the yankee raped the Southern States after the American civil war.
Why do the Scots fight for England considering the English slaughter of scots over the centuries?

Keith Bentham, Wigan, Lancashire

With some notable exceptions, including Great Britain, when it comes to doing anything worthwhile but hard, costly, and requiring force or the threat of force in this world --- there is nothing quite as useless as a European. The US should not respect, let alone heed, gratuitious advice and criticism from governments who consistently stay on the sidelines, or at best keep their forces safely in the rear. There could come a time when the US will hang up a sign: "Don't call on us --- since we know we can't call on you...."

Roger Butters, Corry, USA/Pennsylvania

I have 3 things to say to American and British Forces in Afganistan and Iraq

Blaise Pascal:
Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarrelled with him?

David Friedman:
The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

AND

Eleanor Roosevelt:
When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?

Stop trying to believe you are the Police of the world. You are not, no one believes it, neither do you. If you were you would be resolving the real injustices of the world like China, Tibet, Zimbabwe,Sudan, Palestine etc. Beating up on little poeple makes you small, not big.

Frank Louw, Joburg, South Africa

Two minor points for non-participating NATO. One, what next, when perhaps greater threats and more difficult circumstance come along? Will that mission as well be just to difficult and hard thus comparable in rationalization to its convenient unpopularity ? What kind of alliance stands creditable to the sensibility of ever wavering popularities, only to be paper tigers, in good times, and fear driven jumpy sheep, in slightest of hard times?
Second, like the 85% of Germans and majority of allies who oppose, in effect, a fighting and dying alliance, while Britian, Canada, The Netherlands and the US are committed to a fighting and dying alliance, is this conveniently unpopular, or perhaps inconveniently unpoplular, this alliance?
The Canadians are right, why fight and die for an alliance that is undependable and more so untrustworthy, in honoring its commitments, all well and good, in good times, but absent without will nor conscience, in bad,difficult times and circumstance hiding in the convenience of unpopularity.

feral Grognard, Plano, USA