French President Francois Hollande addresses a joint news conference with President Barack Obama. Jonathan Ernst / ReutersThe idea that Europeans are “free riders,” enjoying the benefits of an international order safeguarded by the United States without contributing much to it, is well-worn in Washington. In that sense, President Obama did not break with the “Washington playbook” he otherwise derides when he complained to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg about those who do not pay their “fair share” in global affairs. Obama went on to describe what he called an “anti-free rider campaign” in which, among other things, he pushed his …read more
Source: The Atlantic
