Sarah Wagenknecht, her name probably doesn't ring any bells. However she leads Germany's largest opposition party, the Left Party, and she seems to like what she's hearing from the Great Orange Bloat.
Wagenknecht wants two things. She wants NATO dissolved, broken up, dispersed. She also wants Germany to enter a "security union" with Russia.
"NATO must be dissolved and replaced by a collective security system including Russia," Wagenknecht told Germany's "Funke" media group.
Wagenknecht, who leads the opposition Left Party in parliament, added that comments made by the future US president "mercilessly reveal the mistakes and failures of the [German] federal government."
This is how complicated it could soon become. Wagenknecht doesn't like Trump, not one bit, but she likes his "wrecking ball" mentality.
I want NATO gone. Since the Berlin Wall came down NATO has been desperately searching for a new role. Mostly, NATO has functioned as an arm of the US State Department. NATO just makes messes. We'd be better off without it.
ReplyDeleteNATO has certainly lost focus since the great, post-Soviet, march east. It transformed from a viable mutual defence alliance to an instrument for hegemony, provocation. The tortured interpretation of Article 5 to justify the Afghan folly was a further example along with the bombing of Libya.
ReplyDeleteI have no trouble with a close military alliance of North America and Western Europe for the narrow purposes of mutual defence and military preparedness. Seemingly NATO leadership felt we needed a hostile threat to maintain the alliance's credibility so it went out of its way to antagonize Russia.
My argument has been that we need a new North Atlantic alliance, one that incorporates North America, Western Europe and all of Scandinavia. No tendrils reaching out to Asia, the Middle East or Eastern Europe.
Gotta agree with Toby here. Why do we need a new North Atlantic alliance? Europe can easily afford to defend itself against any Russian aggression. Russia has 143 million people; the EU alone has 508 million - 447 million once Britain leaves. Europe, even with Britain gone, has a GDP of $18 trillion (PPP), dwarfing Russia's GDP of $3.5 trillion. And if it ever came to lobbing nukes, both Britain and France have them. So why exactly do we need NATO? It currently just acts as America's foreign legion.
ReplyDeleteCap
You missed my point, Cap. I support a new North Atlantic Alliance, a genuine mutual defence and military preparedness organization very much along the lines it was originally constituted.
ReplyDeleteThe world is embarking on a very challenging period and alliances may be more important than we imagine. It's like insurance. You had better have it when you need it but you won't get it after the fact.
In my view it's obvious that there is ample commonality of interest among North America (the US and Canada at least) and what Rumsfeld dismissively called "Old Europe" to warrant this sort of alliance. We have to take into account the economic and security aspects of the rapidly changing Arctic.
However I'm open to changing my mind if you can show me that we've somehow entered a threat free environment in which we can handle any problems ourselves. That's not the world I see.
Security union of Germany with Russia?
ReplyDeletePoles will be thrilled ;-)
But this union will not happen anytime soon.
Responding to the theme touched on by Cap:
A couple years ago you have posted Mound an analysis of the origin of the Ukraine conflict. That analysis, which was made by a prof from UK, stated that the primary goal for instigation of the conflict was to stop Russian integration into European orbit. EU with its human resources (and GDP greater than US), having access to Russia's natural resources, was the sole competitor to the global USA domination. The plan worked flawlessly, EU is in disarray, Russia is cut out from technology and $.
A..non
When the Berlin wall fell the new Russian Federation was fair game for the USA and it's products.
ReplyDeleteThe Russians were willing participants and could not get enough McDonalds , UPS, etc.
The Russians wish to be more Westernised; why do we deny them the opportunity?
On the other hand China is a repressive country that we turn a blind eye to it's atrocities, hacking, patent infringements, poor ecological record ; the list goes on.
We accept China because it creates the cheap goods we now rely upon to sustain our standard of living( but with diminishing returns)
Europe, in my opinion, missed the boat when Russia suggested joining the Union.
Perhaps as the USA influence becomes less desirable to the EU they will reconsider their alternatives.
TB
ReplyDeleteHow do you like your tea, TB? Will that be with polonium or without?
How do you like your cigar Mound, plain or exploding?
ReplyDeleteA..non
ReplyDeleteA..non, containing Russia has been a constant US obsession since the collapse of the Soviet Union, even earlier than that. One example is the TAPI fiasco. Cheney's Haliburton and Unocal joined together to get Afghani approval for a pipeline route that would transmit oil and gas out of the Caspian basin across Afghanistan and Pakistan to India.
The strategic focus of TAPI was to keep the Caspian energy resources south of and, hence, safely out of Russian control to diminish European reliance on Russia, especially for natural gas.
Bush/Cheney were dead set on getting Georgia under America's umbrella and possibly into the EU and NATO. That didn't turn out well. Ukraine followed a similar pattern.
I'm sure Putin expects he can reverse many of those setbacks with Trump at the wheel. Trump will convince himself and his supporters that he's "making deals" with Russia but that's not how Putin operates. I would give Vlad the upper hand over Donald any day.
"I would give Vlad the upper hand over Donald any day"
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
Do you agree with:
"Europe... missed the boat when Russia suggested joining the Union"?
A..non
How do I like my cigar? I prefer it unlit. Apparently that's better for my health.
ReplyDeleteHow do you like your tea, TB? Will that be with polonium or without?
ReplyDeleteMy my such a low blow; I expected better.
Surely after a lifetime ( never mind decades) of USA UK and all things Anglo
manipulation of this world ; we live in fear because our 'elected' master race decided that amongst other things that we should invade Iraq , Afghanistan,Lybia ; you know the list!
The actions cost millions of lives; not one and will likely take many more due to it's repercussions.
As to Alexander Likvienco.
Poisoned by polonium in his tea; how terribly British..
Not good enough to be shot stabbed or car bombed ; he had to be the victim of a Le Carre esk plot.
Remember David Kelly and his investigation of WMD?
His death was mysterious in the least .
It was never suggested that Kelly had died from a tainted poisonous dart from the middle east or the like.
Whilst his death was very suspicious there was no political purchase to be made from it and so it faded!!
TB
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ReplyDeleteOh, Anonymouse. You almost cleared the bar. You can THIS close. Except for the "liberal hack" business. You're gone. Too bad.
ReplyDelete