Joint projects with Europe (and Russia) are useful only as long as they are useful. Ties between the US/UK and Germany were close before WWI, but they managed to restructure quickly when hostilities started.
I don't think the ISS is designed for military purposes, it is useful as a way to gather experimental information to be used later for a space-based weapons launching platform.
I've been thinking about writing an essay on whether the US requires war or the threat of war to keep the economy going. One can trace this modus operandi back to the Spanish- American war and the Philippine-American war which followed it. Wikipedia has a nice article listing the American "wars" of the 20th Century, it's a long list.
When there aren't real threats the government invents them: anarchists, socialists, communists, etc. The economy has been so restructured since the end of WWII that militarism persists even during peacetime. The minor dip in the DoD budget during Clinton was insignificant compared to the changes after WWI and WWII.
As Madeline Albright said "what's the use of having an army if you don't use it?" Policies not Politics ---- Daily Landscape
Or back to Polk and his Mexican-American War. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
But she was using the RW's argument against them to support a relatively low cost, high benefit intervention to stop the slaughter in the Balkans. I can't see her using that argument to support invading, say, Venezuela. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
I've been thinking about writing an essay on whether the US requires war or the threat of war to keep the economy going.
