increasing european and russian partnership
TRANSCRIPT
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Increasing European and Russian Partnership
Christopher King argues that Britain and Europe should look eastwards, towards Russia
and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and abandon the deadly embrace of the United
States if they are to realize their economic
potential and regain their political
independence.
Despite the Cold War, Russia and Europe traded commodities
entirely reliably and since abandonment of Russia’s command
economy with its dogmas a broad movement for closer economic
links has developed. More importantly, Russia’s culture is
European in depth so it has also been possible for imaginative
Europeans to think in terms of other areas of convergance.
Deauville summ it
It was therefore a welcome surprise to read of the Deauville summit this week at which Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev, his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a meeting of minds
on, in the Russian view, building “a common vision of Europe”. Apparently, Medvedev sees Russia as part of Europe,
which is an excellent sign.
There is a great deal to gain on both sides, in both economic and political terms. Moscow hopes to create a
Russia-EU committee on foreign policy
and security, according to Russian news
reports, and to build security cooperation
in the “Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia region”.
French diplomats have floated the idea of
a new zone of economic and security
cooperation comprising the EU and Russia,
while German officials say they are open
to the idea of Russian participation in the
EU’s political and security committee,
which is responsible for setting the bloc’s
foreign policy. (See “At Deauville, Europe
embraces Russia”,New York Times.)
An important suggestion is the possibility of Russia scrapping its visa requirements for European Union visitors.
This would have an enormously positive effect in marketing Russia as part of Europe to the EU public, which has
an older generation impressed with memories of the Cold War and younger people who, certainly in Britain, have
recently been subjected to a barrage of pro-American propaganda about Russian aggression following the Georgian
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invasion of South Ossetia. Russia is a treasure trove of interest to tourists and of possibilities for business. Making
the country more accessible and a good personal experience to visitors will pay enormous dividends on both sides.
In summary, Russia wants a security treaty with the EU in parallel with NATO and assistance with modernizing;
France and Germany also want security assurances as well as secure energy supplies and would welcome the
opportunity for their highly-skilled companies to work in Russia. In principle there appear to be no problems and it
appears to be this that was being explored at Deauville.
France and Germany in the lead
France, Germany and Russia “have a visceral aversion to warfare that Britain and the United States, because of
their own histories of successful aggression, do not feel. Britain and the US do not, therefore, understand the core
motivations of Europe and Russia.”
Why only France
and Germany with
Russia at
Deauville? Some
countries are upset
at this. Obviously
these are the
biggest EU
countries with thestrongest economies
and armed forces. A
factor just as
important however
is the history of
these countries.
France and
Germany were the
initiators of the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) with the objective to make war between them impossible by economic
integration. That small beginning became the European Union. Russia suffered terribly in World War II and has
had the unhappy experience of invasion from both France and Germany. These three countries have a visceral
aversion to warfare that Britain and the United States, because of their own histories of successful aggression, do
not feel. Britain and the US do not, therefore, understand the core motivations of Europe and Russia.
This is not to say that other EU countries do not have an aversion to warfare but they interpret it differently.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are in accord with France and Germany and joined in the original
ECSC. Members of the European Union who joined later have viewed the EU merely in terms of economic
advantage, if not financial handouts, and never understood its fundamental purpose. As EU members Poland and
the Czech Republic have been playing America off against Russia and the EU itself in accepting US missile bases.
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US divisiveness
America, which controls NATO, has pushed for the EU and NATO to extend to Russia’s borders in its own interests,
as it mistakenly perceives them. Worse, at the same time as pressing for EU and NATO admission for Georgia, the
US initiated a war between Georgia and Russia. The UK’s Brown government and the UK media were unanimous,
with the US, in loud condemnation of Russian aggression. Those event were thoroughly investigated by the EU.
The US role and the UK’s partisanship will have been seen very negatively by the core EU countries and Russia.
The United States made another very serious mistake, however. Recently, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands and Norway
asked the US to remove its
nuclear weapons from Europe.
The US refused. An
unidentified bureaucrat said
that this was a NATO decision
and individual countries
should not become involved in
such matters. This was really a
test of US attitudes following
the Georgian debacle and will
also have been seen very
negatively in Europe.
Europe has become
disenchanted with the US wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were hawked around Europe by Anthony Blair on the basis of lies and a specious
argument that NATO needed to become involved in theatres outside Europe in order to preserve the alliance. The
US views its seizure of Middle East oil reserves as entirely legitimate given its military force, its economic interests
and its desire to contain various countries that from time to time it decides it dislikes. The European and UK
publics have never been in favour of participation in these wars which have served to undermine confidence in their
own governments and leaders. Most European leaders now realize that they must exit these wars as quickly and
with what grace they can.
Iran, Turkey and Shanghai Co operation Organization
The three at Deauville discussed Iran and have “left the door open” for a negotiated settlement on its nuclear
enrichment programme. This gives a hint of future developments. Turkey is also sympathetic to Iran’s entitlement
to enrich uranium and China has made oil deals with Iran. Let us bear in mind the existence of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) that is concerned broadly with security and economic cooperation, including the
possibility of creating a common reserve currency. Indeed, according to the Financial Times a number of the world’s
biggest banks, including HSBC, StanChard, CityGroup and JP Morgan, are promoting the Chinese renminbi for
trade.
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“We are seeing not only a deepening relationship between the EU and Russia but the commencement of Eurasian
cooperation across the whole continent. The push factor is that the United States has become a source of global
problems.”
The SCO group includes
China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan. At the 2010
meeting in Yekaterinburg,
India, Pakistan, Iran and
Mongolia attended as
observers. The request
from the US to attend as
an observer was refused; it
is not, after all, part of
Eurasia. Essentially, the
European Union has an
opportunity to join this
continent-spanning group from the advantageous economic position of having Russia, the European member, on its
borders with Russia taking primary responsibility for security problems that might arise when dealing with the
others. Fundamentally, because of its geographical position, Russia is seeking not dominance as the Americannarrative would have it, but security and stability. The EU offers the best initial possibilities here. It is an
opportunity that the EU should seize.
We are seeing not only a deepening relationship between the EU and Russia but the commencement of Eurasian
cooperation across the whole continent. The push factor is that the United States has become a source of global
problems. Unhappily, because of its own publicly-stated objectives of full-spectrum military and financial world
dominance, the US sees enemies and countries to “contain” or for interventions everywhere. Its mistaken actions
are contributing to serious instabilities. The pull factor is the need for law and stability at a time when patterns of
trade and resource availability are changing.
Britain out in the cold
It is unfortunate that Britain has attached itself strongly to the US both economically and militarily. Britain’s
enthusiasm for the European Union project is so weak that it would not have occurred to the Deauville three to
invite its participation in these talks about wider integration.
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“ Britain’s neglect of Europe and
Russia is to its economic and
strategic disadvantage. There is little
doubt that it is now merely a satrapy
of the United States.”
Britain’s neglect of Europe and
Russia is to its economic and
strategic disadvantage. There is little
doubt that it is now merely a
satrapy of the United States. Its
allegedly independent strategic
nuclear deterrent, the Trident
submarine system, now has the
systems for arming, fusing and firing
its warheads designed and
manufactured by the United States. There have been problems in obtaining proper information about these, clearly
because the US controls the use of these weapons. Effectively, therefore, Britain has no independent strategic
defence at all; Trident is merely an arm of the US military and might as well be scrapped.
As a result of Britain’s attachment to the United States and its own incompetence, the British Ministry of Defence
has a cumulative budget overspend of GBP 35 billion. One result is that commitments have been given for theconstruction of two aircraft carriers for which there will be no aircraft. The government also suffers from a massive,
unsustainable deficit in other areas of government spending.
The United States attempts to tie other countries to it economically and militarily – witness arms sales to Iraq,
Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and other gulf states. These are to support the US arms industry and can only
contribute to further instability in the Middle East. Britain, whose aircraft industry has all but disappeared, will
cut its order of the Lockheed Martin F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. It would do well to cancel the order for this
long-delayed, troubled aircraft whose price continues to increase far beyond initial estimates in accordance with the
traditions of US arms suppliers.
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In place of the F35 JSF, Britain should evaluate the Russian Sukhoi-designed PAK-FA fighter that would be much
cheaper and is a superior aircraft. It appears that a carrier-based version will be built, which would be useful on
those two new plane-less aircraft carriers. Australian Air Power’s evaluation considers that “The PAK-FA renders
all legacy US fighter aircraft, and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, strategically irrelevant and non-viable
after the PAK-FA achieves IOC (initial operational capacity – i.e. service entry) in 2015” (this website can be
difficult to open but it is worthwhile persisting as this is an excellent professional evaluation of the PAK-FA). It
says that the only viable option is for the US to terminate the JSF programme immediately and further develop the
F-22 raptor (which has subsequently been cancelled by the US). India is building 250 of these air-superiority
aircraft in collaboration with the Russians. Britain would do well to explore means of also obtaining it in gaining
the best fighter in
the world at a
better price than
the JSF.
It is an unhappy
fact that Britain’s
supposed “special
relationship” to
the United States
has been a
disaster.
Anglo-Americaneconomics has
drained Britain of
cash in America’s
favour while
simultaneously destroying America’s own economy. Participation in and the marketing of America’s wars has
destroyed Britain’s international credibility as well as parasitising its armed services. The trend is obvious. Britain
has no option but to undertake a complete review, not merely of its spending plans but its place in the world and
future for the 21st century. Let us hear no more grandiose plans for “projecting power globally”. Those days were
over many years ago. It is time for Britain to take a rational and mature view of its position. If it continues to
entertain fantasies of world power in concert with the Americans, its present downward trends will continue.
The future for Europe lies in further integration with Russia in course of planning Eurasian cooperation. Europe is
inescapably an integral part of Eurasia and Britain needs to decide whether it wishes to continue on its present
path of failure or join Europe in its positive and exciting rapprochement with Russia. The UK media has it that
Euro-Russian accord became possible following the US’s initiative in undertaking a new START nuclear treaty
with Russia. That is not correct. Europeans are not children; they have understood the US’s recent provocations of
Russia and their purpose. The United States is now aware that Europe will move toward Russia despite its
provocations and wishes. The new START treaty is the US’s attempt to avoid being left out and to gain advantage.
Unhappily, the United States is merely being opportunistic and doubtless everyone is aware of this.