Not surprising Norway has a surplus. Like I said, they're bystanders in the world security situation, and have been for most of the last century while the U.S. was paramount in holding off the Third Reich and the Soviet Union, largely at U.S. expense.

The way some people talk, you'd think Iraq was the only military action the U.S. has ever had to take.

If not for the United States, the Soviets and Hitler would have carved up Europe in a ghastly war between totalitarian states. The "Nordic States" right now would either be part of, or vassals to, the Third Reich or the Soviet Empire. There really isn't a third alternative.

Then we can go through the entire Cold War. You think the Soviet military was held back from eating the rest of Europe by fear of Sweden's army?

In the liberal's ideal world, where the U.N. handled security, the U.S. would still be doing all the heavy lifting, especially in the financial area. The entire defense budget of all those "Nordic States" combined is less than $15 billion. As a comparison, one Nimitz-class carrier runs between $4 and $5 billion.