Should NATO be folded in favor of a European Union unified command?

[Flavius Aetius]

I'll give you a good reason to protect Europe: the dollar. It is our main export and our greatest contribution to the world economy. If any single country controls the European continent it will be able to ditch the dollar. EU with its Euro is not a threat because:
1. It's too decentralized
2. It's not our enemy

But that isn't how currency markets work. It also takes a child's view on the absurd size and heft of the dollar in the global economy. Frankly, this is sensationalist talk. Do you want to tell me about readopting the gold standard now?

As for Nato. Let us pretend that we can keep our bases there after we dissolve NATO (not that far fetched as they really are in everyone's interest). If you are an American you should be ready to throw NATO away with all of the other archaic global institutions that are still around from the Cold War. It is an absurd drain on US resources with very little return for the investment. Now, i'm not saying the Iraq War was right or wrong but the fact that not all NATO countries participated in even the invasion perfectly illustrated the raw, simplified value of the alliance for America. The simple fact of the matter is that the member nations of NATO need the US more than the US needs them. The Libyan conflict highlighted this when the euros needed to ask us for more munitions. At the end of the day NATO countries aren't going to demand we vacate our mutually beneficial bases in their countries if we leave or dissolve NATO but it will sure as hell save America quite a bit of coin.

Looking to the future American foreign policy needs to step off the idealist train and pay a little more attention to pragmatism because it isn't the 90's anymore. The gap between america and her rivals is closing and America needs to realize that new lines have been drawn in the sand. America needs to do an account of all of their proclaimed friends and realize that some of our old friends should be replaced.

(not you mama Britain we love you and the entire commonwealth even if we ran off when we were little)