It’s all a bit paranoid, isn’t it? Those cunning Americans, pulling strings and getting the European marionettes to dance to their tune. How dare they? This piece is like something the Stop the War Coalition churns out as a matter of course.
A slightly saner way of looking at is that for decades, Europe paid lipservice to defence, while the Yanks did all the heavy lifting. It didn’t matter then, now it does.
If European countries start spending serious money on defence, and unclog their sclerotic economies, then NATO will become a more equal alliance.
You put your finger on the key point in your last paragraph; and that’s why the prediction of the article is probably quite accurate. If there is one thing the EU excels in, it is making rules and regulations.
But the point (admittedly not adequately dealt with in the article) is that while within the EU, European countries cannot ‘unclog their sclerotic economies’.
Cutting every government bureaucracy by 20 per cent, particularly the unaccountable one in Brussels, would have an amazing effect. For one, German soldiers would not be marching with brooms on their shoulders rather than guns.
Cutting every government bureaucracy by 20 per cent, particularly the unaccountable one in Brussels, would have an amazing effect. For one, German soldiers would not be marching with brooms on their shoulders rather than guns.
The Hidden Hand of the Bidens!
The “Shadow War” in Ukraine!
This is sooo cool!
It must be nice to see the world run by a few (usually very bad) actors, instead of believing that, in a world with 7 billion human actors, things might get a mite…complex.
It might actually have to do with deep cultural trends in Russia, that have been centuries in the making. It might…
Oh, never mind…
The Hidden Hand of the Bidens!
The “Shadow War” in Ukraine!
This is sooo cool!
It must be nice to see the world run by a few (usually very bad) actors, instead of believing that, in a world with 7 billion human actors, things might get a mite…complex.
It might actually have to do with deep cultural trends in Russia, that have been centuries in the making. It might…
Oh, never mind…
You put your finger on the key point in your last paragraph; and that’s why the prediction of the article is probably quite accurate. If there is one thing the EU excels in, it is making rules and regulations.
But the point (admittedly not adequately dealt with in the article) is that while within the EU, European countries cannot ‘unclog their sclerotic economies’.
The situation in Ukraine looks more and more engineered over decades by the bidens.
US is significantly propping up NATO as it’s in the US’s interests to have this shadow war in Ukraine.
Europeans do not want war, especially on our front lawn.
US seems like they don’t care how many Ukrainians die, so long as they are not American……
I wish the war would end and people stopped dyeing…….
David McKee
9 months ago
It’s all a bit paranoid, isn’t it? Those cunning Americans, pulling strings and getting the European marionettes to dance to their tune. How dare they? This piece is like something the Stop the War Coalition churns out as a matter of course.
A slightly saner way of looking at is that for decades, Europe paid lipservice to defence, while the Yanks did all the heavy lifting. It didn’t matter then, now it does.
If European countries start spending serious money on defence, and unclog their sclerotic economies, then NATO will become a more equal alliance.
Ian Barton
9 months ago
If the US get Von Der Leyen in charge of NATO, then the US will probably get a tighter grip on the defence budgets/activities of the EU member states.
.
If I live long enough, it will be interesting to watch whether the EU (or individual member states) increasingly evolve towards becoming “US states abroad”.
If the US get Von der Leyen in charge of NATO, it will be the moment I finally give up on the West and start thinking “China – COME ON DOWN! We’re done here.”
If the US get Von der Leyen in charge of NATO, it will be the moment I finally give up on the West and start thinking “China – COME ON DOWN! We’re done here.”
Ian Barton
9 months ago
If the US get Von Der Leyen in charge of NATO, then the US will probably get a tighter grip on the defence budgets/activities of the EU member states.
.
If I live long enough, it will be interesting to watch whether the EU (or individual member states) increasingly evolve towards becoming “US states abroad”.
Last edited 9 months ago by Ian Barton
Martin Smith
9 months ago
Astonishing that in blowing up the Nord Stream in order to sell LPG at inflated prices to the consequentially fuel -impoverished Germans, the Americans are getting away with blatant economic terrorism. But they are… and we’re on the cusp of nuclear war in Europe to boot… and they said Trump was dangerous…
Martin Smith
9 months ago
Astonishing that in blowing up the Nord Stream in order to sell LPG at inflated prices to the consequentially fuel -impoverished Germans, the Americans are getting away with blatant economic terrorism. But they are… and we’re on the cusp of nuclear war in Europe to boot… and they said Trump was dangerous…
Jerry Carroll
9 months ago
Europe’s lackadaisical attitude toward defending itself rather than lazily relying on Uncle Sam to carry the burden for generations is what led it to this pass.
Last edited 9 months ago by Jerry Carroll
Jerry Carroll
9 months ago
Europe’s lackadaisical attitude toward defending itself rather than lazily relying on Uncle Sam to carry the burden for generations is what led it to this pass.
Last edited 9 months ago by Jerry Carroll
Malcolm Webb
9 months ago
The repeated use in this piece of the rather dark word “hegemony” is, I think, revealing. Personally, I think we Europeans have been very fortunate to have been saved and then protected by American military leadership and its strong, even dominant, economy. Just ponder what life would have been like for us if any of the Socialist alternatives ( From National Socialism to Communism) had held sway over us for the last century or so. Life is full of trade offs. American leadership and dominance on the world stage of course has some downsides but overall it has been hugely beneficial for the nations of Europe and democratic states worldwide. We lucky Europeans are free today thanks to our American friends. Of course they are not perfect ( who is?) but let’s try to be their constructive allies and certainly not spit in their faces.
Malcolm Webb
9 months ago
The repeated use in this piece of the rather dark word “hegemony” is, I think, revealing. Personally, I think we Europeans have been very fortunate to have been saved and then protected by American military leadership and its strong, even dominant, economy. Just ponder what life would have been like for us if any of the Socialist alternatives ( From National Socialism to Communism) had held sway over us for the last century or so. Life is full of trade offs. American leadership and dominance on the world stage of course has some downsides but overall it has been hugely beneficial for the nations of Europe and democratic states worldwide. We lucky Europeans are free today thanks to our American friends. Of course they are not perfect ( who is?) but let’s try to be their constructive allies and certainly not spit in their faces.
Francisco Menezes
9 months ago
Good description of imperialism at work, especially the cultural component. But doesn’t it always end in imperial overstretch? The vassal states tend to be the first victims.
Francisco Menezes
9 months ago
Good description of imperialism at work, especially the cultural component. But doesn’t it always end in imperial overstretch? The vassal states tend to be the first victims.
Ian Cory
9 months ago
As long as Biden, or whoever it is who/what is pulling his strings, is governing the US, we are in no greater reality than that described in Alice in Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass. This is why China is laughing all the way to Taiwan, the White House, the EU, the UK, Australasia, and all of the Western World’s Universities. The CCP Belt and Road project is the end of the Western Enlightenment paradigm.
Ian Cory
9 months ago
As long as Biden, or whoever it is who/what is pulling his strings, is governing the US, we are in no greater reality than that described in Alice in Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass. This is why China is laughing all the way to Taiwan, the White House, the EU, the UK, Australasia, and all of the Western World’s Universities. The CCP Belt and Road project is the end of the Western Enlightenment paradigm.
Dick Barrett
9 months ago
On a minor but telling point, it is noticeable that Von Der Leyen and other EU spokespersons continue almost always to make their speeches and statements in English, which is now the language of only one minor country within the EU, Ireland. If the EU is serious about functioning as a European entity, could French, the traditional language of diplomacy, not now be used as the main functioning language of the EU?
No. Not enough people speak it and not all countries would agree.
More EU citizens speak English than any other language. It’s everyone’s second language. So English it is.
Macron keeps pushing that old chestnut obviously, but English is just too dominant. Changing to French now and making all the diplomats, officers, bureaucrats and assorted hangers on in the EU learn French, and to a working standard? It’s just not practical.
No. Not enough people speak it and not all countries would agree.
More EU citizens speak English than any other language. It’s everyone’s second language. So English it is.
Macron keeps pushing that old chestnut obviously, but English is just too dominant. Changing to French now and making all the diplomats, officers, bureaucrats and assorted hangers on in the EU learn French, and to a working standard? It’s just not practical.
Last edited 9 months ago by Katharine Eyre
Dick Barrett
9 months ago
On a minor but telling point, it is noticeable that Von Der Leyen and other EU spokespersons continue almost always to make their speeches and statements in English, which is now the language of only one minor country within the EU, Ireland. If the EU is serious about functioning as a European entity, could French, the traditional language of diplomacy, not now be used as the main functioning language of the EU?
Last edited 9 months ago by Dick Barrett
Frank McCusker
9 months ago
What nonsense:
” … one can only conclude that the dream of European military independence must once again be deferred, this time for a decade or a generation or even longer.”
The point is, there is no dream of European military independence, sop your article is based on a straw man.
Brexiters used the bogeyman of a common European army to great effect in their secessionist campaign.
Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.
It is the European who are clinging to the Americans.
Positing this as some sort of US plot is nonsense.
I ask you, which major political party, in Britain or indeed in any EU country, is openly campaigning on a common EU/ European army ticket?
Europe simply hasn’t matured that much yet.
The EU is an attempt at maturation, but it is so bureaucratic, undemocratic, and elitist that it cannot ever be effective. It inhibits European growth and innovation. Moreover, 75 years of living under an American defense umbrella has made Old Europe complacent.
European countries do not need to give up their national armies, but they do need to practice working together in drills for what could occur with further Russian aggression. They also need to understand that China will undermine them just as they are the African nations.
“Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.”
And I would suggest that very few would also give up their language and culture. Nor should they! Therefore, the concept of a EU is a fantasy. Never going to happen. The geographical and demographic facts are not in their favor in the 21st century world.
In a 100 years, most of them will be content with being a pleasant place for Asians to visit and muse about the romantic, “old world” cultures. That’s, of course, if they are not first overrun by Middle Eastern and African immigrants.
The EU is an attempt at maturation, but it is so bureaucratic, undemocratic, and elitist that it cannot ever be effective. It inhibits European growth and innovation. Moreover, 75 years of living under an American defense umbrella has made Old Europe complacent.
European countries do not need to give up their national armies, but they do need to practice working together in drills for what could occur with further Russian aggression. They also need to understand that China will undermine them just as they are the African nations.
“Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.”
And I would suggest that very few would also give up their language and culture. Nor should they! Therefore, the concept of a EU is a fantasy. Never going to happen. The geographical and demographic facts are not in their favor in the 21st century world.
In a 100 years, most of them will be content with being a pleasant place for Asians to visit and muse about the romantic, “old world” cultures. That’s, of course, if they are not first overrun by Middle Eastern and African immigrants.
Wonder what would happen, if the next US President won’t care much about NATO. All the European countries will throw a hissy fit…
Frank McCusker
9 months ago
What nonsense:
” … one can only conclude that the dream of European military independence must once again be deferred, this time for a decade or a generation or even longer.”
The point is, there is no dream of European military independence, sop your article is based on a straw man.
Brexiters used the bogeyman of a common European army to great effect in their secessionist campaign.
Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.
It is the European who are clinging to the Americans.
Positing this as some sort of US plot is nonsense.
I ask you, which major political party, in Britain or indeed in any EU country, is openly campaigning on a common EU/ European army ticket?
Europe simply hasn’t matured that much yet.
Christopher Chantrill
9 months ago
I declare that every political entity is the result of uniting some groups of people and winning a war. E.g., France winning the 100 Years War, the US winning the Revolutionary War, and Germany winning three wars ending in the Franco-Prussian War. And then there’s Lenin and Mao, bless their hearts.
Thus, if Europe wants to be something more then a puppy of the US, it needs to get its male thing going, tell the US to go fly a kite, unite and defeat some dreadful foe for the eternal glory of Europe. Russia?
Remember the beloved British philosopher Enoch Powell who said that the EU could not work because there was no European demos?
Last edited 9 months ago by Christopher Chantrill
Christopher Chantrill
9 months ago
I declare that every political entity is the result of uniting some groups of people and winning a war. E.g., France winning the 100 Years War, the US winning the Revolutionary War, and Germany winning three wars ending in the Franco-Prussian War. And then there’s Lenin and Mao, bless their hearts.
Thus, if Europe wants to be something more then a puppy of the US, it needs to get its male thing going, tell the US to go fly a kite, unite and defeat some dreadful foe for the eternal glory of Europe. Russia?
Remember the beloved British philosopher Enoch Powell who said that the EU could not work because there was no European demos?
Last edited 9 months ago by Christopher Chantrill
Aidan Barrett
9 months ago
“In living memory in the Sixties and Seventies, American film students analysed the work of French and Italian directors, while educated Americans had to have at least a bluffer’s guide’s worth of knowledge about contemporary German, French and British philosophy.”
Thank George Lucas for American Cultural Hegemony. As William Friedkin (director of The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer) noted:
“In living memory in the Sixties and Seventies, American film students analysed the work of French and Italian directors, while educated Americans had to have at least a bluffer’s guide’s worth of knowledge about contemporary German, French and British philosophy.”
Thank George Lucas for American Cultural Hegemony. As William Friedkin (director of The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer) noted:
The EU and the US differ in one fundamental respect.
You can vote to get out of the European Union. You can’t vote to get out of the American Union.
Tried it quite a while ago, and it didn’t fly.
So the two will always differ in how power is wielded.
As long as the EU has the current makeup, it is doubtful it will ever match the way the US wields power.
Just the result of two very different histories.
Last edited 9 months ago by martin logan
martin logan
9 months ago
The EU and the US differ in one fundamental respect.
You can vote to get out of the European Union. You can’t vote to get out of the American Union.
Tried it quite a while ago, and it didn’t fly.
So the two will always differ in how power is wielded.
As long as the EU has the current makeup, it is doubtful it will ever match the way the US wields power.
Just the result of two very different histories.
Last edited 9 months ago by martin logan
Christopher Barclay
9 months ago
A more interesting question is what are the long term consequences for the EU from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The days of France and Germany being accepted as leaders of the EU is surely over, after both have shown their sympathy for the Russian empire to eat into Eastern Europe.
Christopher Barclay
9 months ago
A more interesting question is what are the long term consequences for the EU from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The days of France and Germany being accepted as leaders of the EU is surely over, after both have shown their sympathy for the Russian empire to eat into Eastern Europe.
Samuel Ross
9 months ago
If the EU had an army of 10,000 heavy tanks, 25,000 fighter jets and bombers, and 20,000,000 men permanently under arms, perhaps it could be taken seriously as a military power?
Samuel Ross
9 months ago
If the EU had an army of 10,000 heavy tanks, 25,000 fighter jets and bombers, and 20,000,000 men permanently under arms, perhaps it could be taken seriously as a military power?
LCarey Rowland
9 months ago
Thanks for your report. You present a scenario of productive possibilities that, I hope, can find fruition in the years come.
If the Ukrainians and their Euro Allies can remove the destructive Russian yoke, without putin throwing a cataclysmically destructive tantrum, we may get through this in a manner that will assure peace and productivity for the next generation.
LCarey Rowland
9 months ago
Thanks for your report. You present a scenario of productive possibilities that, I hope, can find fruition in the years come.
If the Ukrainians and their Euro Allies can remove the destructive Russian yoke, without putin throwing a cataclysmically destructive tantrum, we may get through this in a manner that will assure peace and productivity for the next generation.
It’s all a bit paranoid, isn’t it? Those cunning Americans, pulling strings and getting the European marionettes to dance to their tune. How dare they? This piece is like something the Stop the War Coalition churns out as a matter of course.
A slightly saner way of looking at is that for decades, Europe paid lipservice to defence, while the Yanks did all the heavy lifting. It didn’t matter then, now it does.
If European countries start spending serious money on defence, and unclog their sclerotic economies, then NATO will become a more equal alliance.
Yes, the ball is in their court. Nothing is inevitable.
You put your finger on the key point in your last paragraph; and that’s why the prediction of the article is probably quite accurate. If there is one thing the EU excels in, it is making rules and regulations.
I think that the evidence available makes it abundantly clear that this article is not remotely ‘paranoid’.
Agreed, it is very accurate.
Agreed, it is very accurate.
But the point (admittedly not adequately dealt with in the article) is that while within the EU, European countries cannot ‘unclog their sclerotic economies’.
Cutting every government bureaucracy by 20 per cent, particularly the unaccountable one in Brussels, would have an amazing effect. For one, German soldiers would not be marching with brooms on their shoulders rather than guns.
Cutting every government bureaucracy by 20 per cent, particularly the unaccountable one in Brussels, would have an amazing effect. For one, German soldiers would not be marching with brooms on their shoulders rather than guns.
Or, if the US makes it clear that they expect the Europeans to pull their weight in NATO, the Europeans will get serious about their own defense.
The situation in Ukraine looks more and more engineered over decades by the bidens.
US is significantly propping up NATO as it’s in the US’s interests to have this shadow war in Ukraine.
Europeans do not want war, especially on our front lawn.
US seems like they don’t care how many Ukrainians die, so long as they are not American……
I wish the war would end and people stopped dyeing…….
The Hidden Hand of the Bidens!
The “Shadow War” in Ukraine!
This is sooo cool!
It must be nice to see the world run by a few (usually very bad) actors, instead of believing that, in a world with 7 billion human actors, things might get a mite…complex.
It might actually have to do with deep cultural trends in Russia, that have been centuries in the making. It might…
Oh, never mind…
The Hidden Hand of the Bidens!
The “Shadow War” in Ukraine!
This is sooo cool!
It must be nice to see the world run by a few (usually very bad) actors, instead of believing that, in a world with 7 billion human actors, things might get a mite…complex.
It might actually have to do with deep cultural trends in Russia, that have been centuries in the making. It might…
Oh, never mind…
Yes, the ball is in their court. Nothing is inevitable.
You put your finger on the key point in your last paragraph; and that’s why the prediction of the article is probably quite accurate. If there is one thing the EU excels in, it is making rules and regulations.
I think that the evidence available makes it abundantly clear that this article is not remotely ‘paranoid’.
But the point (admittedly not adequately dealt with in the article) is that while within the EU, European countries cannot ‘unclog their sclerotic economies’.
Or, if the US makes it clear that they expect the Europeans to pull their weight in NATO, the Europeans will get serious about their own defense.
The situation in Ukraine looks more and more engineered over decades by the bidens.
US is significantly propping up NATO as it’s in the US’s interests to have this shadow war in Ukraine.
Europeans do not want war, especially on our front lawn.
US seems like they don’t care how many Ukrainians die, so long as they are not American……
I wish the war would end and people stopped dyeing…….
It’s all a bit paranoid, isn’t it? Those cunning Americans, pulling strings and getting the European marionettes to dance to their tune. How dare they? This piece is like something the Stop the War Coalition churns out as a matter of course.
A slightly saner way of looking at is that for decades, Europe paid lipservice to defence, while the Yanks did all the heavy lifting. It didn’t matter then, now it does.
If European countries start spending serious money on defence, and unclog their sclerotic economies, then NATO will become a more equal alliance.
If I live long enough, it will be interesting to watch whether the EU (or individual member states) increasingly evolve towards becoming “US states abroad”.
If the US get Von der Leyen in charge of NATO, it will be the moment I finally give up on the West and start thinking “China – COME ON DOWN! We’re done here.”
China always needs new citizens.
Go for it!
China always needs new citizens.
Go for it!
If the US get Von der Leyen in charge of NATO, it will be the moment I finally give up on the West and start thinking “China – COME ON DOWN! We’re done here.”
If I live long enough, it will be interesting to watch whether the EU (or individual member states) increasingly evolve towards becoming “US states abroad”.
Astonishing that in blowing up the Nord Stream in order to sell LPG at inflated prices to the consequentially fuel -impoverished Germans, the Americans are getting away with blatant economic terrorism. But they are… and we’re on the cusp of nuclear war in Europe to boot… and they said Trump was dangerous…
Astonishing that in blowing up the Nord Stream in order to sell LPG at inflated prices to the consequentially fuel -impoverished Germans, the Americans are getting away with blatant economic terrorism. But they are… and we’re on the cusp of nuclear war in Europe to boot… and they said Trump was dangerous…
Europe’s lackadaisical attitude toward defending itself rather than lazily relying on Uncle Sam to carry the burden for generations is what led it to this pass.
Europe’s lackadaisical attitude toward defending itself rather than lazily relying on Uncle Sam to carry the burden for generations is what led it to this pass.
The repeated use in this piece of the rather dark word “hegemony” is, I think, revealing. Personally, I think we Europeans have been very fortunate to have been saved and then protected by American military leadership and its strong, even dominant, economy. Just ponder what life would have been like for us if any of the Socialist alternatives ( From National Socialism to Communism) had held sway over us for the last century or so. Life is full of trade offs. American leadership and dominance on the world stage of course has some downsides but overall it has been hugely beneficial for the nations of Europe and democratic states worldwide. We lucky Europeans are free today thanks to our American friends. Of course they are not perfect ( who is?) but let’s try to be their constructive allies and certainly not spit in their faces.
The repeated use in this piece of the rather dark word “hegemony” is, I think, revealing. Personally, I think we Europeans have been very fortunate to have been saved and then protected by American military leadership and its strong, even dominant, economy. Just ponder what life would have been like for us if any of the Socialist alternatives ( From National Socialism to Communism) had held sway over us for the last century or so. Life is full of trade offs. American leadership and dominance on the world stage of course has some downsides but overall it has been hugely beneficial for the nations of Europe and democratic states worldwide. We lucky Europeans are free today thanks to our American friends. Of course they are not perfect ( who is?) but let’s try to be their constructive allies and certainly not spit in their faces.
Good description of imperialism at work, especially the cultural component. But doesn’t it always end in imperial overstretch? The vassal states tend to be the first victims.
Good description of imperialism at work, especially the cultural component. But doesn’t it always end in imperial overstretch? The vassal states tend to be the first victims.
As long as Biden, or whoever it is who/what is pulling his strings, is governing the US, we are in no greater reality than that described in Alice in Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass. This is why China is laughing all the way to Taiwan, the White House, the EU, the UK, Australasia, and all of the Western World’s Universities. The CCP Belt and Road project is the end of the Western Enlightenment paradigm.
As long as Biden, or whoever it is who/what is pulling his strings, is governing the US, we are in no greater reality than that described in Alice in Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass. This is why China is laughing all the way to Taiwan, the White House, the EU, the UK, Australasia, and all of the Western World’s Universities. The CCP Belt and Road project is the end of the Western Enlightenment paradigm.
On a minor but telling point, it is noticeable that Von Der Leyen and other EU spokespersons continue almost always to make their speeches and statements in English, which is now the language of only one minor country within the EU, Ireland. If the EU is serious about functioning as a European entity, could French, the traditional language of diplomacy, not now be used as the main functioning language of the EU?
Pointless – the most sensible language to use is the most common 2nd language – which is English by some distance.
No. Not enough people speak it and not all countries would agree.
More EU citizens speak English than any other language. It’s everyone’s second language. So English it is.
Latin?
etiam retrorsum vultus 🙂
Ixnay atinlay
etiam retrorsum vultus 🙂
Ixnay atinlay
Macron keeps pushing that old chestnut obviously, but English is just too dominant. Changing to French now and making all the diplomats, officers, bureaucrats and assorted hangers on in the EU learn French, and to a working standard? It’s just not practical.
Pointless – the most sensible language to use is the most common 2nd language – which is English by some distance.
No. Not enough people speak it and not all countries would agree.
More EU citizens speak English than any other language. It’s everyone’s second language. So English it is.
Latin?
Macron keeps pushing that old chestnut obviously, but English is just too dominant. Changing to French now and making all the diplomats, officers, bureaucrats and assorted hangers on in the EU learn French, and to a working standard? It’s just not practical.
On a minor but telling point, it is noticeable that Von Der Leyen and other EU spokespersons continue almost always to make their speeches and statements in English, which is now the language of only one minor country within the EU, Ireland. If the EU is serious about functioning as a European entity, could French, the traditional language of diplomacy, not now be used as the main functioning language of the EU?
What nonsense:
” … one can only conclude that the dream of European military independence must once again be deferred, this time for a decade or a generation or even longer.”
The point is, there is no dream of European military independence, sop your article is based on a straw man.
Brexiters used the bogeyman of a common European army to great effect in their secessionist campaign.
Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.
It is the European who are clinging to the Americans.
Positing this as some sort of US plot is nonsense.
I ask you, which major political party, in Britain or indeed in any EU country, is openly campaigning on a common EU/ European army ticket?
Europe simply hasn’t matured that much yet.
The EU is an attempt at maturation, but it is so bureaucratic, undemocratic, and elitist that it cannot ever be effective. It inhibits European growth and innovation. Moreover, 75 years of living under an American defense umbrella has made Old Europe complacent.
European countries do not need to give up their national armies, but they do need to practice working together in drills for what could occur with further Russian aggression. They also need to understand that China will undermine them just as they are the African nations.
“Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.”
And I would suggest that very few would also give up their language and culture. Nor should they! Therefore, the concept of a EU is a fantasy. Never going to happen. The geographical and demographic facts are not in their favor in the 21st century world.
In a 100 years, most of them will be content with being a pleasant place for Asians to visit and muse about the romantic, “old world” cultures. That’s, of course, if they are not first overrun by Middle Eastern and African immigrants.
Wonder what would happen, if the next US President won’t care much about NATO. All the European countries will throw a hissy fit…
The EU is an attempt at maturation, but it is so bureaucratic, undemocratic, and elitist that it cannot ever be effective. It inhibits European growth and innovation. Moreover, 75 years of living under an American defense umbrella has made Old Europe complacent.
European countries do not need to give up their national armies, but they do need to practice working together in drills for what could occur with further Russian aggression. They also need to understand that China will undermine them just as they are the African nations.
“Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.”
And I would suggest that very few would also give up their language and culture. Nor should they! Therefore, the concept of a EU is a fantasy. Never going to happen. The geographical and demographic facts are not in their favor in the 21st century world.
In a 100 years, most of them will be content with being a pleasant place for Asians to visit and muse about the romantic, “old world” cultures. That’s, of course, if they are not first overrun by Middle Eastern and African immigrants.
Wonder what would happen, if the next US President won’t care much about NATO. All the European countries will throw a hissy fit…
What nonsense:
” … one can only conclude that the dream of European military independence must once again be deferred, this time for a decade or a generation or even longer.”
The point is, there is no dream of European military independence, sop your article is based on a straw man.
Brexiters used the bogeyman of a common European army to great effect in their secessionist campaign.
Very few of the European countries, whether inside or outside the EU, would be willing to let go of their national armies.
It is the European who are clinging to the Americans.
Positing this as some sort of US plot is nonsense.
I ask you, which major political party, in Britain or indeed in any EU country, is openly campaigning on a common EU/ European army ticket?
Europe simply hasn’t matured that much yet.
I declare that every political entity is the result of uniting some groups of people and winning a war. E.g., France winning the 100 Years War, the US winning the Revolutionary War, and Germany winning three wars ending in the Franco-Prussian War. And then there’s Lenin and Mao, bless their hearts.
Thus, if Europe wants to be something more then a puppy of the US, it needs to get its male thing going, tell the US to go fly a kite, unite and defeat some dreadful foe for the eternal glory of Europe. Russia?
Remember the beloved British philosopher Enoch Powell who said that the EU could not work because there was no European demos?
I declare that every political entity is the result of uniting some groups of people and winning a war. E.g., France winning the 100 Years War, the US winning the Revolutionary War, and Germany winning three wars ending in the Franco-Prussian War. And then there’s Lenin and Mao, bless their hearts.
Thus, if Europe wants to be something more then a puppy of the US, it needs to get its male thing going, tell the US to go fly a kite, unite and defeat some dreadful foe for the eternal glory of Europe. Russia?
Remember the beloved British philosopher Enoch Powell who said that the EU could not work because there was no European demos?
“In living memory in the Sixties and Seventies, American film students analysed the work of French and Italian directors, while educated Americans had to have at least a bluffer’s guide’s worth of knowledge about contemporary German, French and British philosophy.”
Thank George Lucas for American Cultural Hegemony. As William Friedkin (director of The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer) noted:
https://quotefancy.com/quote/1654603/William-Friedkin-If-Star-Wars-had-failed-you-wouldn-t-have-90-percent-of-what-s-out-there
Here’s a great interview on the legacy of Star Wars on American (and hence world) pop culture:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/cinephiliabeyond.org/a-discussion-with-william-friedkin/amp/
And here is what progressive critic Rick Perlstein has to say about it:
https://washingtonspectator.org/juvenilia-strikes-back/
“In living memory in the Sixties and Seventies, American film students analysed the work of French and Italian directors, while educated Americans had to have at least a bluffer’s guide’s worth of knowledge about contemporary German, French and British philosophy.”
Thank George Lucas for American Cultural Hegemony. As William Friedkin (director of The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer) noted:
https://quotefancy.com/quote/1654603/William-Friedkin-If-Star-Wars-had-failed-you-wouldn-t-have-90-percent-of-what-s-out-there
Here’s a great interview on the legacy of Star Wars on American (and hence world) pop culture:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/cinephiliabeyond.org/a-discussion-with-william-friedkin/amp/
And here is what progressive critic Rick Perlstein has to say about it:
https://washingtonspectator.org/juvenilia-strikes-back/
The EU and the US differ in one fundamental respect.
You can vote to get out of the European Union. You can’t vote to get out of the American Union.
Tried it quite a while ago, and it didn’t fly.
So the two will always differ in how power is wielded.
As long as the EU has the current makeup, it is doubtful it will ever match the way the US wields power.
Just the result of two very different histories.
The EU and the US differ in one fundamental respect.
You can vote to get out of the European Union. You can’t vote to get out of the American Union.
Tried it quite a while ago, and it didn’t fly.
So the two will always differ in how power is wielded.
As long as the EU has the current makeup, it is doubtful it will ever match the way the US wields power.
Just the result of two very different histories.
A more interesting question is what are the long term consequences for the EU from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The days of France and Germany being accepted as leaders of the EU is surely over, after both have shown their sympathy for the Russian empire to eat into Eastern Europe.
A more interesting question is what are the long term consequences for the EU from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The days of France and Germany being accepted as leaders of the EU is surely over, after both have shown their sympathy for the Russian empire to eat into Eastern Europe.
If the EU had an army of 10,000 heavy tanks, 25,000 fighter jets and bombers, and 20,000,000 men permanently under arms, perhaps it could be taken seriously as a military power?
If the EU had an army of 10,000 heavy tanks, 25,000 fighter jets and bombers, and 20,000,000 men permanently under arms, perhaps it could be taken seriously as a military power?
Thanks for your report. You present a scenario of productive possibilities that, I hope, can find fruition in the years come.
If the Ukrainians and their Euro Allies can remove the destructive Russian yoke, without putin throwing a cataclysmically destructive tantrum, we may get through this in a manner that will assure peace and productivity for the next generation.
Thanks for your report. You present a scenario of productive possibilities that, I hope, can find fruition in the years come.
If the Ukrainians and their Euro Allies can remove the destructive Russian yoke, without putin throwing a cataclysmically destructive tantrum, we may get through this in a manner that will assure peace and productivity for the next generation.