A Europe-U.S. Divorce Over Ukraine
The German government finally wakes up, a little bit at least, and recognizes the obvious fact that U.S. neocons want to drag Europe into a war. It is now openly blaming certain circles within the U.S. government and NATO of sabotaging the Minsk ceasefire agreement. Especially offensive is the fantasy talk of U.S. and NATO commander General Breedlove::
For months, Breedlove has been commenting on Russian activities in eastern Ukraine, speaking of troop advances on the border, the amassing of munitions and alleged columns of Russian tanks. Over and over again, Breedlove's numbers have been significantly higher than those in the possession of America's NATO allies in Europe. As such, he is playing directly into the hands of the hardliners in the US Congress and in NATO.The German government is alarmed. Are the Americans trying to thwart European efforts at mediation led by Chancellor Angela Merkel? Sources in the Chancellery have referred to Breedlove's comments as "dangerous propaganda." Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier even found it necessary recently to bring up Breedlove's comments with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg.
But Breedlove hasn't been the only source of friction. Europeans have also begun to see others as hindrances in their search for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict. First and foremost among them is Victoria Nuland, head of European affairs at the US State Department. She and others would like to see Washington deliver arms to Ukraine and are supported by Congressional Republicans as well as many powerful Democrats.
Indeed, US President Barack Obama seems almost isolated. He has thrown his support behind Merkel's diplomatic efforts for the time being, but he has also done little to quiet those who would seek to increase tensions with Russia and deliver weapons to Ukraine. Sources in Washington say that Breedlove's bellicose comments are first cleared with the White House and the Pentagon. The general, they say, has the role of the "super hawk," whose role is that of increasing the pressure on America's more reserved trans-Atlantic partners.
The U.S., including Obama, wants to strengthen the U.S. run NATO and thereby its influence in Europe. And Europe, by losing business with Russia and risking war, is supposed to pay for it.
The German public, despite tons of transatlantic propaganda, has well understood the game and the government can not escape that fact. It has to come back to some decent course and if that means trouble with Washington so be it. The foreign ministers of Germany, France and the U.S. are currently meeting in Paris and Secretary of State Kerry will not like what he will hear:
In Berlin, top politicians have always considered a common position vis-a-vis Russia as a necessary prerequisite for success in peace efforts. For the time being, that common front is still holding, but the dispute is a fundamental one -- and hinges on the question of whether diplomacy can be successful without the threat of military action. Additionally, the trans-Atlantic partners also have differing goals. Whereas the aim of the Franco-German initiative is to stabilize the situation in Ukraine, it is Russia that concerns hawks within the US administration. They want to drive back Moscow's influence in the region and destabilize Putin's power. For them, the dream outcome would be regime change in Moscow.
Europe has no interest in regime change in Russia. The result would likely be a much worse government and leader then the largely liberal Putin.
The U.S., the empire of chaos, does not care what happens after a regime change. In the view of U.S. politicians trouble and unrest in the "rest of the world" can only better the (relative) position of the United States. If production capabilities in Europe get destroyed through war the U.S. could revive its export industries.
It seems that at least some European leaders now understand that they got played by Washington and they are pushing back. A Eurasian economic sphere is in Europe's interest. Will Obama accept their view and turn off the hawks or will he escalate and risk the alliance with Europe? A first sign looks positive. The U.S. called off, on short notice, a plan to train Ukrainian National Guard (i.e. Nazi) forces:
[O]n Friday, a spokesman for US forces in Europe, confirmed the delay in a statement and said: "The US government would like to see the Minsk agreement fulfilled.""The training mission is currently on hold but Army Europe is prepared to carry out the mission if and when our government decides to move forward," the statement said.
Some Europeans, like the writers in the piece above, still see Obama as a reluctant warrior pushed to war by the hawks in his own government and the Republicans in Congress. But the surge in Afghanistan, the destruction of Libya, the war on Syria and the trouble in Ukraine have all been run by the same propaganda scheme: Obama does not want war, gets pushed and then reluctantly agrees to it. It is a false view. The buck stops at his desk and Nuland as well as General Breedlove and other official hawks concerned about their precious bodily fluids are under Obama's direct command. He can make them shut up or get them fired with a simple 30 second phone call. As he does not do so it is clear that he wants them to talk exactly as they do talk. Obama is the one driving the neocon lane.
The Europeans should finally get this and distance themselves from that destructive path.
Posted by b on March 7, 2015 at 18:09 UTC | Permalink
« previous page“The EU’s defense ambitions (EU Army) are detrimental to our national interest (UK), to NATO, and to the close alliances that Britain has with many countries outside the EU,” UK Conservative politician Geoffrey Van Orden said. “Not least the United States, Gulf allies, and many Commonwealth countries.”
Hm, so, to paraphrase, what he really meant to say, was:
"NATO serves the the national interests of the close alliances Britain has outside of the EU, being the United States, Gulf Allies, UK and many Commonwealth countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) to the detriment of the EU.
Posted by: Outraged | Mar 10 2015 2:09 utc | 102
If you really believe divorces happen because husband and wife are "against" each other, I cannot engage ...
Posted by: Ed Lozano | Mar 9, 2015 7:15:04 PM | 100
Good argument. When it comes to divorce, History clearly shows that if 1 partner bails out then the marriage is over.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 10 2015 2:40 utc | 103
03/09/2015-23:40
The head of occupation headquarters of Mariupol`, Roman Sokolov, told that intensive clashes are occurring in settlement Shirokino.
A combatants’ offensive began on 9:30 a.m. and is still going on. “From 11 until 17 o’clock, 120 mm mortars were used (by both sides). Since 17 o’clock it is small arms and tanks”, he informed.
03/09/2015-12:26
Combatant “Sich” (“Owl”) ofLugansk Republic army told that “there was a fight at outpost 29 (Bakmutka area), a small fight, but different of those in past days. The Ukrainians suddenly become lively. Columns pass one after another! Regretfully, they are not leaving the combat line, but go back, to the front.
...
In Stanitsa-Luganskaya, the opponent is pulling up many units of long-range artillery and rocket systems".
Posted by: Fete | Mar 10 2015 4:22 utc | 104
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31806946
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says pro-Russian rebels in the east have withdrawn a "significant" amount of heavy weapons.
Speaking on TV, Mr Poroshenko said his government forces had also pulled back "the lion's share" of their rocket and heavy artillery systems.
Under a ceasefire reached in February both sides were due to pull back heavy weapons by the beginning of March.
The ceasefire appears to be taking hold despite continuing clashes.
Posted by: okie farmer | Mar 10 2015 5:50 utc | 105
Outraged
You havent produced any facts, you keep saying the same thing repeatedly.
1. Facts is EU army is against Russia (do you need a link?)
2. Fact is that EU army is pushed by nato country Germany (do you need a link?)
3. Fact is that it is not against nato (do you need a link?)
4. Fact is that UK is against EU (do you need a link?)
THESE are all facts.
What you have presented is your opinion which is not the same as facts.
"If you really believe divorces happen because husband and wife are "against" each other, I cannot engage an intelligent discussion with you for you're not an adult person."
Yes of course I belive that, people "divorce" because they have different interests, EU/US/NATO elite dont have that according to themselves so you wont see any "divorce".
Posted by: Anonymous | Mar 10 2015 6:59 utc | 107
@Outraged 101
Obviously you are right again. The trolls are desperate to prove otherwise. Pathetic.
Posted by: Prosperous Peace | Mar 10 2015 9:01 utc | 109
[I]t’s not enough for Merkel to simply understand what is going on. She needs to huddle with her EU colleagues and take positive steps to derail Washington’s plan now, otherwise the US will continue its incitements and false flags until Putin is forced to respond. Once that happens, a broader and, perhaps, catastrophic conflagration will be unavoidable.
Mike Whitney at counterpunch. True enough for what it's worth. That's not his best line, though, in my opinion. I like ...
How can the US possibly cast itself as “steward of the global security system”, when its interventions have left a trail of decimated failed states from the southernmost border of Somalia to the northern tip of Ukraine, a chaotic swathe of smoldering ruin and agonizing human suffering that rivals the depredations of the Third Reich.
I'll bet that has a LOT of 'counterpunchers' spewing their morning coffee at their flat screen monitors.
Your A Europe-U.S. Divorce Over Ukraine meme requires a special suspension of disbelief, like watching those old Betty Boop cartoons, ...it helps a lot to be on acid. States and Flags are anachronisms of our time, they merely serve to anchor the country-club Mil.Gov good old boys. European leaders and USAian leaders will do what they do and say what they say like an English football club, they're in it for the money, and nothing they say or do has any real impact on global societies, when compared to the international banking system, which you'll notice has no State and has no Flag, and doesn't need no stinkin' State or Flag.
Fewer words? The Reporter is not the (reality behind) the News, and Mil.Gov is not Reality. See if you can watch LE ROI DE COEUR and take all this EU-NATO-US-RU pandering and postering in that light: vanity of the Poroshenkos and the Nylandistas.
Posted by: NoReply | Mar 10 2015 11:20 utc | 111
Was going to read the Whitney piece at CP, when I came across this Isolated Emotions: the Rise and Fall of Joy Division instead. I think we have a few music fans at the Bar. Their regular cult. contributor, Kim Nicolini, looks again at at Corbijn's 2007 biopic of Joy Division, Control. Did not know the film. Blimey, another item in the backlog....
Punk and post-punk are often discriminated against by a skewed perspective. They are seen as crude, rude or unsophisticated. Actually, the music of Joy Division is multi-layered sonic poetry grounded in the dichotomy of transcendence and realism.
Nicolini quotes Isolation from "Closer," so I will, too, though I prefer "Unknown Pleasures" more raw sound. Here's Shadowplay live.
And let me sneak back on thread. Via Russia Insider, Antiwar's Justin Raimondo revisits the immortal words of Assistant Secretary of State for Baking and Canning Victoria "Chef" Nuland, F#%$ the EU!
The Germans, however, are waking up to the reality of Washington’s domination – because they, after all, will be in the free-fire zone if and when an actual shooting war erupts between Russia and the US. That they will be happy to be America’s pawns in such a deadly game is rather doubtful.
Regrettably, nothing clarifies the mind like a little collateral damage. You have the play the long game, alienation and divorce is a long process, bad to rush the breakup (see Yugoslavia). The worry is the damage to the kids while Mom & Dad sort it out.
Who will finally win the hand of the fair Europa? Uncle Sam seems to abuse and neglect her. Will union with the dashing Bear allow her to finally slake her eastern longings peacefully and tame her violent passions?
Posted by: rufus magister | Mar 10 2015 16:17 utc | 112
A European army is a nice idea on paper, but it doesn't solve the fundamental issue:
The United States has nearly 50000 troops stationed just in Germany and Italy. Germany hosts 50+ American bases.
Any theoretical separation of European interests and American interests would devolve these bases into a Guantanamo type situation - uncomfortable at best.
Furthermore, these bases are now (perhaps were not originally intended, but that's not absolutely clear) the equivalent of spreading US military defense contracts all over US states: it creates a significant local proponent for US interests motivated solely by the economic gains provided for through the presence of US military spending in the areas in which the US bases are in. I haven't looked, but I would be personally surprised if many of the NATO non-American commanders who are such loud proponents of US interests in Europe, directly benefit from this type of dynamic.
I'm no expert nor am I in the circles of power, but it seems obvious to me that the only way to extract this type of US engagement in Europe is via an economic strategy. Only when the US is unable or unwilling to further support the very high cost of these bases and troops, will there be any possibility of disengagement. The displacement of the US dollar as reserve currency and the ongoing diminishment of the US both as consumer of first resort and as the largest economy in the world are all scorecard points towards this aim.
The reorientation of the Chinese economy towards consumption is another important milestone, one which we'll all have to wait to see if it succeeds.
Posted by: ǝn⇂ɔ | Mar 10 2015 18:09 utc | 113
Via "No Bread and Circus for You," this article calls the present idea of Europe into question. Raúl Ilargi Meijer presents Europe, The Morally Bankrupt Union. This will need some time to sink in. "The union that was supposed to put an end to all fighting across the continent, is about to be the fuse that sets off a range of battles."
Posted by: rufus magister | Mar 10 2015 20:55 utc | 114
Rufus@114-
Thanks for posting the Ilargi link- searing stuff. I took it in with the Mike Whitney article at counterpunch- again ouch:
For the first time, EU leaders, particularly Merkel, understand that the United States’ strategic objectives (the pivot to Asia) do not align with those of the EU, in fact, Washington’s geopolitical ambitions pose a serious threat to Europe’s security. Regrettably, it’s not enough for Merkel to simply understand what is going on. She needs to huddle with her EU colleagues and take positive steps to derail Washington’s plan now, otherwise the US will continue its incitements and false flags until Putin is forced to respond. Once that happens, a broader and, perhaps, catastrophic conflagration will be unavoidable.
Hard to believe that no one in a leadership position in the free world has had the courage to speak out against the continual stream of lies re Russia and the Ukraine. But here we are:
And make no mistake: this absence of moral values is something Europe in its present form will never be able to claim back. Never. The EU has shown itself to be a gross moral failure, and that’s it: the experiment is over. They can’t come back in 10 or 20 years and say: now we want it back, we’re different now. You’d need to have a whole new union, new rules and principles, and new leadership.It’s like the US, which once (post WW) had an enormous moral high ground in the world to walk on, and it’s completely gone. Nobody trusts anything America says anymore. America has lost its place in the world as guardian of freedom and democracy, and so has Europe. All they can do now to exert influence is to engage in political scheming and military sabre rattling. Everything else is gone....
Europe’s leaders across all of its institutions are completely lost, whether it comes to intelligence, morals or simple decency. They’re all too willing to trample upon their own people in order to have access to power. And that can only lead to more misery.
Stick a fork in their ass and turn them over. They’re done.
Posted by: Nana2007 | Mar 11 2015 2:32 utc | 116
Nana2007 -- Thanks. I still have to read Whitney, I got distracted. He's one of my fav regs. at CP. I've seen Ilargi's byline before (at Naked Capitalism, I think), this is his first pc. to make an impression on me. But he left a big one.
Hard to call the bigger moral failing. We pushed it hardest, but the Europeans have more cause to know better.
I just hope the divorce is not too messy by being too long in the making.
Posted by: rufus magister | Mar 11 2015 3:43 utc | 117
How completely unforeseeable that just about the same time that the US agrobusinesses take an interest in the Ukraine that olive plantations in southern Europe become infested with a pest introduced "from the Americas". Cor blimey, wot's the chances, guv???
Posted by: Cortes | Mar 12 2015 1:36 utc | 118
PS: some lovely Ukr friendly colour coding in BBC "Casualty" medidrama witnessed last Saturday evening on pub TV...
Posted by: Cortes | Mar 12 2015 1:44 utc | 119
Succint and insightful comments by Ray McGovern and some further analysis
Most significant break between Germany and US since WWIIHayden has his nose out of joint. He is neocon who is very dissatisfied these days and particularly with the performance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel because she is not acting obediently anymore. She actually sees Germany interests first, and has prevented a worsening of the situation in Ukraine. General Hayden doesn’t like that. He doesn’t like Angela Merkel being an upstart and saying that she’s displeased at having her handy, her little cell phone monitored. Well, “she should know her place.”
So Hayden here is not the most diplomatic person in the world. He is trying to tell Merkel and everyone else who is outside the [Five Eyes intelligence alliance] - the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - that they are secondary citizens and they will remain so as long as they don’t spring to obedience the way the other four do.
Making NATO defunct: Is EU Army intended to reduce US influence in Europe?An EU army that would cancel out NATO would have a heavy strategic cost for the US. In this context, Washington would lose its western perch in Eurasia. It “would automatically spell the end of America’s participation in the game on the Eurasian chessboard,” in the words of former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.
The intelligentsias in the US are already alarmed at the risks that an EU military would pose to American influence. The American Jewish Committee’s influential Commentary Magazine, which is affiliated to the neo-cons in the Washington Beltway, has asked, as the title of the article by Seth Mandel illustrates, “Why Is Germany Undermining NATO?” This is while the Washington Examiner has asked, as the title of the article by Hoskingson says, “Whatever happened to US influence?”
Posted by: Outraged | Mar 13 2015 8:03 utc | 120
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Hm, so, to paraphrase, what he really meant to say, was:
Posted by: Outraged | Mar 10 2015 2:08 utc | 101