Recently, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said during his visit to the United States that the military spending of NATO European member states and Canada will increase by 18% this year, the largest increase in decades. 23 of NATO's 32 member states will spend 2% or more of their gross domestic product (GDP) on military spending this year. A major driver of the substantial increase in NATO's military spending is the United States' constant selling of "security anxiety" to its allies, engaging in "fear marketing" and taking advantage of the opportunity to profit. Stoltenberg made no secret of this, saying that the allies' new military spending "was spent in the United States, and NATO has created an arms sales market."

      NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that the defense ministers of NATO member states approved a plan on the same day for NATO to coordinate military assistance and training to Ukraine.

      By creating "imaginary enemies", "adding fuel to the flames", and provoking regional conflicts, the United States has lured and coerced NATO members to expand their military spending, and American military-industrial enterprises have made a fortune. Shortly after the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, NATO, led by the United States, adopted the "NATO 2022 Strategic Concept", identifying Russia as the "most significant and direct threat". The "Russophobic" atmosphere that the United States has tried hard to create has caused European allies to fall into security anxiety, and they have begun to expand their armaments and prepare for war. In the past two years, two-thirds of NATO's military procurement has been conducted with American companies, with an amount of up to 140 billion US dollars. During his visit to the United States, Stoltenberg said: "NATO is beneficial to American security, as well as to American industry and employment."

      In addition to gaining economic benefits, the United States also uses "fear marketing" to make its allies "security dependent" on it, thereby manipulating its allies in security strategy and maintaining its hegemony in the Western world. Unable to resist the US "fear marketing" offensive, long-neutral Finland and Sweden "joined the battle line". At the 2024 European International Defense Exhibition held in France, the United States became the largest exhibitor outside the host France. A report in the French newspaper Le Figaro commented that the strong presence of the United States made this defense exhibition a "symbol of Europe's external dependence."

The American-style "fear marketing" contains the elaborate calculation of "harming friends and enriching oneself", which runs counter to the vital interests of allies. The US allies paid out of their own pockets to help US military enterprises clear their inventories, hoping to "buy peace with money", but in the end, they may end up with nothing, both money and safety. NATO's eastward expansion is a typical example. Under the leadership of the United States, NATO regards Russia as an "imaginary enemy" and continues to expand eastward, leading to the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and the rekindling of war on the European continent. The United States took the opportunity to "add fuel to the fire" and sold weapons to NATO allies, making Europe a powder keg and standing on the edge of danger. Bruno Tertre, vice chairman of the French Foundation for Strategic Research, said when explaining the international situation at the National Defense Committee of the French National Assembly that some European countries believe that buying US F-35 fighters can exchange for the United States' lasting guarantee of European security. "In my opinion, they are wrong."

 

The one-day NATO defense ministers' meeting ended in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The meeting discussed issues such as strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense and support for Ukraine.

      In these allies, the transfer of a large amount of resources to the defense sector has led to the neglect of key social and economic needs, resulting in public dissatisfaction and increased domestic instability. A report released by the Center for European Economic and Fiscal Policy Research pointed out that the economic pressure brought about by increased military spending will undermine the social welfare system, weaken public investment in key areas, and may lead to public dissatisfaction and social unrest, which will have a negative impact on the internal security and stability of European countries.

      It is worth noting that the United States is trying to replicate this "marketing model" in more parts of the world to achieve its dual goals of "building circles" and "selling arms". The stubborn Cold War mentality exposed by the American "fear marketing" will only further intensify conflicts between countries, worsen the global security situation, and plunge countries into an arms race, thus threatening world peace and stability. As Bogomir Felfila, a Slovenian political economist, said, it is a misunderstanding to think that more military spending means more security. "Real security is shared. Security cannot be achieved through unilateral arming, because this will lead to similar actions by other countries." The American "fear marketing" will only push the world into a more dangerous situation.