Europe: Insane, Selfish, and Cynical
I was about to write that Europe has lost its mind, but I’m starting to wonder whether it had anything to lose. The meltdown over Trump having the audacity–the temerity!–to try to end the war in Ukraine (or at least bring a respite to the fighting) continues apace. Indeed, it seems to ramp up daily.
One common response to the US insistence that Europe put on its big boy pants and provide for its own defense is to say that well, if the US is going to abandon Europe, Europe should ally with China. Now, many of those saying so are just online midwits and dimwits, but not all of them. Indeed, the UK deep state’s preferred think tank, Chatham House, is flogging the idea:
How is this supposed to work, actually? China is going to protect Europe against Russia? You know, the Russia that is in an alliance with China, and which China provides much of the support necessary to keep the war in Ukraine going on? That Russia? Will China base troops in Europe to defend against Russia? Oh, and is China going to put Europe under its nuclear umbrella . . . to deter a nuclear attack by Russia?
So please do tell: just how is China going to replace what the US has provided Europe for the past 80 years?
I’ve heard idiotic ideas in my time, but this is in the running for the most idiotic.
Because it’s not a rational response. Instead, it is adolescent petulance, along the lines of: “Daddy is forcing me to support myself. I’ll show him! I’ll go down on the local fentanyl dealer!”
Go for it. I’m sure that will be awesome, and that China will respect you in the morning!
Europe is also making moves to strengthen its military.
Shot:
As detailed by the invaluable Eugyppius, to achieve the “game-changing plan”, German crypto chancellor Merz made an insane deal with the Greens to change the constitution to permit breaking budgetary restrictions. This deal will do little to enhance actual German defense capability, but will throw €100 billion at more climate change unicorns, which will just go to dig Germany’s economic grave even deeper.
Chaser:
So even if Germany does defy my expectations and buy some armaments, they won’t have anybody to fight using them. Maybe they’ll buy robots (from Tesla?) with voices like Arnold in Terminator to operate them.
France’s Henery Hawk, AKA Manny Macron, is acting very butch. He is flying the French version of AWACS over the Black Sea, pretending it can replace the intel the US is providing. A portion, boy, only a portion.
But Macron has inadvertently given away Europe’s real motive for not wanting the war in Ukraine to end:
That is, if fighting stops in Ukraine, Putin will move on to attack other countries, so the fighting must go on. In other words, Europe wants to fight to the last Ukrainian because they are petrified at their own impotence. All the while camouflaging their cynicism with lofty statements about protecting Ukrainian sovereignty.
The Baltics, in particular Estonia, have also been very vocal in their demands that “let’s you and him fight to protect me.”
Very revealing. Though as I’ve said repeatedly, if you look at capabilities, their fears are vastly overblown.
And as for the last Ukrainian, it is not hyperbole to say that Ukraine would be a dying nation even without this war. Europe as a whole is a demographic nightmare, and Ukraine is the most nightmarish country of them all:
That 23.8 million forecast decline represents 61 percent of Ukraine’s current population. 61 percent.
To put it bluntly: why should the US, or Europe for that matter, fight Putin over what will soon be a corpse? And why should the US, and the rest of Nato, shackle itself to what is soon to be a corpse, and promise to go to war (under Article 5) to protect it? That didn’t work out well for Germany in WWI with Austria-Hungary.
To me the most telling sign of Putin’s malignity is that he is willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of Russians to take control of a terminally ill nation. Especially in light of Russia’s own demographic train wreck, which looks good only in comparison with Ukraine (and some other eastern European nations, notably Poland).
So will hostilities cease soon despite Europe’s wish that they continue? I don’t know, but I can say that Europe’s desires matter not at all, except if they feed Zelensky’s delusions sufficiently to make him to reject reality and refuse any compromise.
Zelensky has–after being reminded through the limited withdrawal of US support of his dependence on America–agreed to the cease fire plan offered by Trump. Putin has publicly said that he will agree too . . . with conditions. In response to which the cry has gone up “See–he isn’t interested! It was dumb to expect otherwise! Why does Trump even bother? It must be because he’s Putin’s poodle!”
Said by people who apparently don’t understand that public statements–especially by the likes of Putin–must be discounted heavily. What matters is what transpires out of view. Trump and Putin will supposedly speak this week. That’s what matters, though the usual bedwetters are saying that this only proves that Trump is Putin’s stooge.
Methinks their real fear is that Trump will bring the fighting to an end, at least for a while.
Putin needs a deal, for many reasons. But he has proven that he is willing to expend lives to gain some concessions. Europe and the foreign policy establishment in the US refuse to countenance any such concessions, including in particular a denial of Nato membership for Ukraine.
But that is a price that the US should be more than willing to pay: indeed, Biden should have offered it in 2021 or 2022, in which case the war might well never have begun in the first place. Again, shackling the US to a Ukrainian corpse-to-be would be all pain and no gain for the US.
If that’s a hill the Europeans want to die on (or more accurately, want the Ukrainians to die on), so be it. The US should not be party to their folly, and their selfish cynicism.
Prof, this is getting unhinged…
“how is China going to replace what the US has provided Europe for the past 80 years?”
So the US giving huge concessions to Russia (which repeatedly invades its neighbours) is just good statesmanship, but the EU (which has repeatedly confronted China in the past) looking to improve relations with China slightly is inevitably going to mean we roll over and ask Xi for belly rubs?
“This deal will do little to enhance actual German defense capability”
You think that up to an extra €1 trillion won’t enhance German defence capability?
“but will throw €100 billion at more climate change unicorns”
€100 billion over 10 years. How will the German economy POSSIBLY survive?!
“they won’t have anybody to fight using them”
Lots of countries, the US included, have or have had recruitment difficulties. These are problems that can be solved.
“Europe wants to fight to the last Ukrainian because they are petrified at their own impotence… Very revealing”
That’s… that’s literally what both Ukraine and Europe has said is happening for years now… this is not news.
“Europe and the foreign policy establishment in the US refuse to countenance any such concessions, including in particular a denial of Nato membership for Ukraine”
So… we shouldn’t take Trump literally, we should heavily discount Putin’s statements… but European statements must be taken at face value without any hint of posturing. Why?
Comment by HibernoFrog — March 17, 2025 @ 3:41 am
Do less science indeed! Hey, instead let’s pick one random data point on base our whole supposition on that!! So we get:
One common response to the US insistence that Europe put on its big boy pants and provide for its own defense is to say that well, if the US is going to abandon Europe, Europe should ally with China
A common response where exactly?? I’ve literally seen or heard nothing along these lines from anyone with half a brain or more.
PS It’s funny how the “Prof” (aka Craig to his true fans) steadfastly refuses to blog about anything in his actual field of expertise i.e. economics. The US economy is literally tanking before our eyes, yet he seems to spend all his efforts railing against us Euros or some other side issue. Didn’t he call Trump something like an economic nitwit in a post last year? So it has come to pass.
Comment by David Mercer — March 17, 2025 @ 1:52 pm
Europe is being invaded. But not by Russians.
Comment by philip — March 18, 2025 @ 3:49 pm
there is so much the prof could talk about. It’s a shame he chooses not to. Attacks on the judiciary, trade policy/ tariff incontinence, pardons for violent criminals and corrupt politicians, self-dealing and massive conflicts of interest among the administration, a crypto strategic reserve (insert clown emoji), absurd talk about annexing their northern neighbor.
Ah must be special to live that far deep down in Trump’s colon that none of that matters.
Comment by [email protected] — March 18, 2025 @ 8:10 pm
I see the fucktards are out in force.
Comment by Christopher L Hunt — March 19, 2025 @ 7:54 pm
@Chunt Sorry fella are we ruining your safespace?
Comment by David Mercer — March 20, 2025 @ 4:19 pm