At the risk of reduncancy:
You cannot effectively fight terrorists, guerillas, or other 'irregulars' with conventional troops or tactics.
To insist that all of our allies increase the percentage of their GNP devoted to the mounting of conventional forces - designed to oppose a threat that no longer exists (the Cold War is over, remember?) is not merely counterproductive, it's stupid - but not as stupid as insisting we have the right to insist.
Remember the Henson show of a few years back, Dinosaurs, and the company Earl Sinclair worked for? I think GW Bush was its CEO before he became ours, because his entire approach to international relations, before as well as after 9/11/2001 has been
We Say So