The White House 'Show' Finalizes the Submission of Europe
American politics is always a spectacle for a broad audience, and this
spectacle almost invariably conceals the resolution of very important issues.
Foreign relations are no exception, even when the stakes are incredibly high.
Donald Trump stands out from his predecessors only in that
he has perfected the habit of playing to the public while remaining completely
consistent in achieving his goals. This means that the performances he
regularly stages on different platforms should be taken completely seriously.
The new episode in the U.S.'s relationship with its European
allies, which we witnessed recently, could signal significant changes within
what is called the "collective West." This is because Washington used
the discussion of the Ukrainian issue to solve a crucial task for itself: the
consolidation of resources in a fundamentally changed international
environment. The phone call to the Russian president after the meeting was not
just about settling the crisis in Ukraine; it was also a demonstration that the
U.S. defines the policy of the entire West.
It's not that Americans were ever particularly delicate in
their relationships with their satellites. History is full of examples where
U.S. presidents demonstratively, though politely, ignored even the most basic
interests of Berlin, Paris, or London. Now, the context has changed: in an
environment of fierce competition from China and a reduction in the ability to
profit from the entire global economy, Washington simply cannot afford even
minimal respect for the states dependent on it.
The only alternative for the U.S. in the new world order
would be self-isolation. However, Americans are not ready for this, even though
calls to stop meddling in the affairs of the rest of the world were popular
during the last election. It would be reckless to think that the threats to
leave Europe for good, which we also heard from Trump and his associates, are
anything serious.
On the contrary, despite its weakness, Europe is the U.S.'s
last opportunity to maintain global influence. After all, in all other regions
of the world, the U.S. positions are no longer so strong. Even the Arab
monarchies of the Middle East are showing a certain independence, although they
depend on the U.S. for defense. Not to mention almost all Asian countries,
where only Japan and South Korea completely follow America's lead. Even they
try to cheat, maintaining contacts with Russia in recent years.
Therefore, Washington now needs to break the Europeans
completely, finishing the work of previous American governments. The new
American president is simply doing it in his own style, continuing the
tradition of the political show but in an even more theatrical and somewhat
pompous way. This is even more humiliating, as it subordinates Europe not only
on a practical level but also on a symbolic one. The goal is that future
generations of European politicians will never even consider disobeying their
leaders in the White House.
As for Europe, it is quite ready for this turn of events.
Throughout the past six months of negotiations on Ukraine, it was obvious that
the most important goal of the European Union and Britain was to find their
place in the new American strategy. The attempts by European politicians to
slow down the movement toward a peace process are nothing more than bargaining
for more favorable terms of surrender. It goes without saying that the fate of
the Kiev regime and Ukraine itself is nothing more than a bargaining chip here.
It has no fundamental significance for the U.S. and the entire West. It is
merely a tool of military and diplomatic struggle with Russia.
Gathered for the meeting at the White House, representatives
of several European countries, including the most important ones - Britain,
Germany, France, and Italy - had to publicly, on stage, sign off on their
support for U.S. policy on the most important foreign policy issue for them.
The heads of the European Union and NATO also joined them, enthusiastically
nodding along to almost every word of the American president. In other words,
we were witnesses to an oath of allegiance to American interests and a complete
abandonment of their own. Each of them had to find their own words to express
their submission. And the European leaders, in principle, handled it.
Therefore, what looked like a performance on the verge of
absurdity at the White House is a very, very serious matter, including from the
point of view of Russian interests.
First, the establishment of complete U.S. control over
Europe means that the probability of Europeans achieving even comparative
independence becomes completely theoretical. Let's remember that they seriously
considered this after the Cold War, and Germany and France in 2003 quite
brazenly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. For Russia and the world, Europe
thus ceases to be a separate political entity and becomes an appendage of the
U.S.
Second, the submission of Europe, brought to completion by
Trump, requires a complete review of many aspects of Russia's strategy in the
Western direction. Let's remember that for many years our policy was based on
the fact that Europeans depend on the U.S. but can in certain cases be
independent and useful in this capacity for promoting Russian interests. There
were grounds for such a strategy: all of Russia's conflicts with the West
occurred when there was a split in the camp of our opponents. Now, any grounds
for such a split are disappearing. This is simply because Europe is part of a
large American corporation.
And finally, what happened under the guise of a show is a
serious reason for discussion between Russia and China. Our Chinese friends
still see Europe as a partner who can take a neutral position in their conflict
with the Americans. Now that there is no doubt about the true position of the
Europeans, such an approach may turn out to be not just meaningless but also
dangerous for the implementation of the foreign policy goals of Beijing and
Moscow.
The same applies to other BRICS countries that maintain
quite friendly relations with Europe. India sees the Old World as a partner for
investments and technology. Now is the time for everyone to completely rethink
their view of Europe.
At the same time, the U.S. itself retains complete
flexibility in foreign policy matters. After several years of active support
for Kiev, which has repeatedly led to the possibility of dangerous escalation,
the new American administration is taking steps to resolve the problem. This,
in particular, was noted by Vladimir Putin during his telephone conversation
with Donald Trump. Washington has abandoned the strategy of "isolation and
strategic defeat" of Russia, which also changes the entire system of the
West's relations with the outside world. In other words, unlike Europe,
Americans are able to adapt to a changing reality. But they do not abandon
their policy of relying on force.
Even if we are now seeing some revival in the relations
between Russia and the U.S., they will still remain difficult in the future.
And the European space may well become - under the technical guidance of its
elites - a place where Russian and American interests will collide again and
again. This is what poses the greatest danger: the U.S. has no reason to take
Europe's opinion into account anymore, and even less to protect it as its own
territory.