I do not think that a prosperous society equates to greater freedoms because prosperity is just as likely to lead to inertia and lethargy which may be a point where the problem starts because there is no question that as an economy falters, a government will resort to greater censorship and manipulation to protect itself from the public wrath it perceives may come, but often never does
As a fellow geo political junkie, I've watched the last two decades with considerable interest as public demand for change, particularly in the US and UK, has been met with the sort of savage resistance we grew up believing was the sort of thing that only happened in Communist China or the Soviet Union. That the debate in the US is aimed at Donald Trump as the individual rather than the agenda he is fronting, and in the UK whether to rejoin the EU rather than how to make the will of the majority work, speaks volume about the real power behind the facade
I think this would have continued ad infinitum were it not for the fact that the EU is presiding over a self authored slump, is becoming increasingly authoritarian and sees its only route out as all out war with Russia. Von der Leyen has no more mandate for this course of destructive action than Keir Starmer whose efforts to become a great war leader seem set to end in ignominious failure as he attempts to follow the European line
I ask myself why do this ? As the US and Russia look to build a relationship that is argued to be the most logical global partnership, Europe (and the UK) likely to be squeezed hard if this arrangement becomes fully trilateral with China via negotiation rather than a cold war.
Between them the US, Russia and China have everything Europe's empty pantry and dependency on the US exposed, yet still the governing class simply double down again
Is it simply a question of perceived sovereignty ? Does the ruling class in Europe believe they are sovereign over the people hence this arrogance on the world stage ?
An interesting perspective as always John, thank you. I have tended to see re-arming Europe as a necessary step to creating parity with Russia and enabling trade to resume. It's hard to see where Europe's growth comes from without Russian raw materials, including energy.
My feeling is that the US knows that the defence of Taiwan is impossible long term but needs to focus there now to delay the inevitable. Europe defending itself is a necessity for that to happen and no longer just a talking point.
Starmer saying the UK would commit troops to Ukraine post a peace was qualified by the need for a US security blanket. That does not feel like war-mongering to me. The German population is split down the middle on whether to send troops to Russia. It's the people as well as the politicians who want the fruits of freedom without the inconvenience of defending it, at home or abroad.
The war in Ukraine has shown that Russia is not a global power. It cannot be allowed to dominate Europe, but the Western European nations are strong enough to resist it. In that light, Vance's argument that if you won't defend free speech we won't defend you is a slap round the face. It's the medium not the message. The message is get your cheque book out and we mean it this time.
I regard Russia as a rising power rather than a superpower though it can be argued that its strategy in Ukraine was based on it being a proxy conflict with NATO and thus the classic Russian attritional warfare against a stronger opponent
Since the provocative NATO Bucharest Declaration in 2008, Russia has engaged the West in an assortment of proxy battles in Georgia, Crimea, Syria and now Ukraine from which it has emerged stronger
I agree completely that Europe should be allied with Russia given its hopeless lack of collateral I have a suspicion that the EU thought Russia’s weakness was an opportunity to absorb Russia into itself as is its raison d’etre
But even as NATO started the ball rolling in 2008, it’s also clear that the EU and specifically the Eurozone dysfunction was eroding the European economies from within and that has led to a more totalitarian approach to government which they can now blame on Russia
Thank you for an excellent article
Discussions about freedom of expression and inquiry start with a superb summary by the Hitch in Toronto in 2006.
https://youtu.be/zDap-K6GmL0?si=6uM__Rt-eIgp6tXT
I do not think that a prosperous society equates to greater freedoms because prosperity is just as likely to lead to inertia and lethargy which may be a point where the problem starts because there is no question that as an economy falters, a government will resort to greater censorship and manipulation to protect itself from the public wrath it perceives may come, but often never does
As a fellow geo political junkie, I've watched the last two decades with considerable interest as public demand for change, particularly in the US and UK, has been met with the sort of savage resistance we grew up believing was the sort of thing that only happened in Communist China or the Soviet Union. That the debate in the US is aimed at Donald Trump as the individual rather than the agenda he is fronting, and in the UK whether to rejoin the EU rather than how to make the will of the majority work, speaks volume about the real power behind the facade
I think this would have continued ad infinitum were it not for the fact that the EU is presiding over a self authored slump, is becoming increasingly authoritarian and sees its only route out as all out war with Russia. Von der Leyen has no more mandate for this course of destructive action than Keir Starmer whose efforts to become a great war leader seem set to end in ignominious failure as he attempts to follow the European line
I ask myself why do this ? As the US and Russia look to build a relationship that is argued to be the most logical global partnership, Europe (and the UK) likely to be squeezed hard if this arrangement becomes fully trilateral with China via negotiation rather than a cold war.
Between them the US, Russia and China have everything Europe's empty pantry and dependency on the US exposed, yet still the governing class simply double down again
Is it simply a question of perceived sovereignty ? Does the ruling class in Europe believe they are sovereign over the people hence this arrogance on the world stage ?
Not much to quibble in the Zerohedge article
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-cannot-allow-declining-europe-drag-us-down
An interesting perspective as always John, thank you. I have tended to see re-arming Europe as a necessary step to creating parity with Russia and enabling trade to resume. It's hard to see where Europe's growth comes from without Russian raw materials, including energy.
My feeling is that the US knows that the defence of Taiwan is impossible long term but needs to focus there now to delay the inevitable. Europe defending itself is a necessity for that to happen and no longer just a talking point.
Starmer saying the UK would commit troops to Ukraine post a peace was qualified by the need for a US security blanket. That does not feel like war-mongering to me. The German population is split down the middle on whether to send troops to Russia. It's the people as well as the politicians who want the fruits of freedom without the inconvenience of defending it, at home or abroad.
The war in Ukraine has shown that Russia is not a global power. It cannot be allowed to dominate Europe, but the Western European nations are strong enough to resist it. In that light, Vance's argument that if you won't defend free speech we won't defend you is a slap round the face. It's the medium not the message. The message is get your cheque book out and we mean it this time.
I regard Russia as a rising power rather than a superpower though it can be argued that its strategy in Ukraine was based on it being a proxy conflict with NATO and thus the classic Russian attritional warfare against a stronger opponent
Since the provocative NATO Bucharest Declaration in 2008, Russia has engaged the West in an assortment of proxy battles in Georgia, Crimea, Syria and now Ukraine from which it has emerged stronger
I agree completely that Europe should be allied with Russia given its hopeless lack of collateral I have a suspicion that the EU thought Russia’s weakness was an opportunity to absorb Russia into itself as is its raison d’etre
But even as NATO started the ball rolling in 2008, it’s also clear that the EU and specifically the Eurozone dysfunction was eroding the European economies from within and that has led to a more totalitarian approach to government which they can now blame on Russia