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European Union: Discussion Thread
George1- Posts : 18456
Points : 18955
Join date : 2011-12-22
Location : Greece
- Post n°151
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
GarryB- Posts : 40006
Points : 40502
Join date : 2010-03-30
Location : New Zealand
- Post n°152
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
The EU is a colonial power, and nothing would weaken them faster than having such a person in charge...
kvs likes this post
George1- Posts : 18456
Points : 18955
Join date : 2011-12-22
Location : Greece
- Post n°153
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
I dont know if you noticed but in the latest european election in Cyprus a 24years old Fidiad Panayiotoy was elected MP as AN IDEPEDENT GRABBING 20% of votes.
GarryB likes this post
Kiko- Posts : 3435
Points : 3499
Join date : 2020-11-11
Age : 75
Location : Brasilia
- Post n°154
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Fear and Loathing: Trump Shakes Europe, by Elena Karaeva for RiaNovosti. 07.27.2024.
If there is one thing that unites the European bloc, it is the fear in the eyes and the stomach of the Republican presidential candidate in the United States.
It would seem that where is Washington with its rattles, and where is Brussels with its hut? But in the event of a possible Trump victory in November, the entire European establishment will have to prepare. At the very least, for a showdown - loud and scandalous, like Voronya Slobodka, or simply for a spanking.
It is under the Democrats that the Eurobonds and Eurobonds feel quite good. Trump is not liked in the European Union, both historically and in the future tense. They are not liked to such an extent that even sociologists have joined the anti-Trump recruits. The famous French Ipsos has also joined the race, obviously on the side of the Democratic Party, and has issued an unimaginably manipulated poll , according to which Trump's rival Harris is ahead of him and has practically already won.
It doesn't matter that the statistical error is about three percent and that the figures of those who were polled are deceitful. Ipsos has decided to use political technology to mislead Europeans and will continue to do so until November.
The example with the sociologists is indicative, since it demonstrates how deeply the American deep state has taken root in the European Union as well. The pan-European bloc, conceived by its founding fathers, de Gaulle and Adenauer, as a political and economic alternative to the then US hegemony in the West, has quietly fallen under the Atlanticist Anglo-Saxons over the past twenty years.
Observers (like anthropologist and researcher Emmanuel Todd) believe that not least of all the reason for this behavior towards the Democratic Party establishment is money. More precisely, bank accounts.
After the 2008 crisis, when Swiss banks were effectively forced to abandon the secrecy of deposits and the movement of client funds, the accounts, the very ones that are only numbered and do not name the ultimate owner, were moved to offshore financial organizations. These offshores, most often the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, are part of the Anglo-Saxon jurisdiction. Both London and Washington have access to financially sensitive information, so any rebellion against the Anglo-Saxon policy will be immediately punished. The methods have been tried and tested - an organized "leak" under the guise of investigating names, addresses and account numbers. With the names of the ultimate beneficiaries being named. And the rebellious politician or politicianess resigns. Well, and no longer rebels, since their reputation is seriously tarnished.
The pan-Europeans, these Brussels "men in grey", understand perfectly well that if and when Trump is elected, he may, or rather, will definitely start to take revenge. Of course, we have heard about some "checks and balances", but no one denies the prerogatives of any owner of the White House in terms of the secret services, as well as the American Internal Revenue Service . And if Trump needs to settle scores with the European ruling elites, he will hit them not on policy, but on their own money. Of which, of course, there is more than enough hidden in offshore accounts. European corruption exists, gallops, blooms and smells, regardless of whether it is allowed to be discussed in the media or not.
Therefore, the fear that Trump inspires is rational and understandable.
The pan-European bloc is also afraid of the beginning of the second act of the geopolitical crisis, when a possible change of leadership in the White House will change the priorities in foreign policy. America will lock itself in, distancing itself from both resolving the Ukrainian crisis and supplying Kiev with money and weapons. This means, the pan-Europeans believe, that Brussels will have to answer for the general NATO obligations. And from what funds, if the EU's external debt already makes up almost 82 percent of the GDP of the 27 member countries? Well, and it will also have to fork out more for its own defence.
At the same time, American protectionism of its own markets will undoubtedly increase under Trump. Blackmail, the former president’s usual method of communicating with colleagues, will begin to flourish even more luxuriantly in the economic sphere.
So it turned out that the EU "men in grey" have already found themselves in an interesting position. They refused to cooperate with Moscow , and as a result their economy, not ours, was truly and without quotes torn to shreds.
They have damaged relations with Beijing by engaging in diplomatic misbehavior and economic hooliganism by imposing tariffs on automobile imports from China.
The pan-European bloc has found itself not between two, but between three fires. It is now squeezed, on one side, by the USA, on the other by Russia , and on the third by China. But if the last two states are led by predictable and balanced leaders, then Captain America can be a character with a cowboy mentality, when they first shoot from the hip and only then ask the name of the defeated opponent.
An extremely weakened Europe not only does not want to, but it will not be able to resist the US in this configuration. Therefore, all forces, including sociologists, will be thrown into the political annihilation of Trump. The most interesting thing will begin, of course, if Trump wins. So we stock up on popcorn to watch how those who plotted against Trump will try to kiss his boots in a bow. In the literal and figurative sense.
The flexibility of the EU establishment is as limitless as its lack of principles, and we know this very well. Better than others.
https://ria.ru/20240727/evropa-1962259981.html
If there is one thing that unites the European bloc, it is the fear in the eyes and the stomach of the Republican presidential candidate in the United States.
It would seem that where is Washington with its rattles, and where is Brussels with its hut? But in the event of a possible Trump victory in November, the entire European establishment will have to prepare. At the very least, for a showdown - loud and scandalous, like Voronya Slobodka, or simply for a spanking.
It is under the Democrats that the Eurobonds and Eurobonds feel quite good. Trump is not liked in the European Union, both historically and in the future tense. They are not liked to such an extent that even sociologists have joined the anti-Trump recruits. The famous French Ipsos has also joined the race, obviously on the side of the Democratic Party, and has issued an unimaginably manipulated poll , according to which Trump's rival Harris is ahead of him and has practically already won.
It doesn't matter that the statistical error is about three percent and that the figures of those who were polled are deceitful. Ipsos has decided to use political technology to mislead Europeans and will continue to do so until November.
The example with the sociologists is indicative, since it demonstrates how deeply the American deep state has taken root in the European Union as well. The pan-European bloc, conceived by its founding fathers, de Gaulle and Adenauer, as a political and economic alternative to the then US hegemony in the West, has quietly fallen under the Atlanticist Anglo-Saxons over the past twenty years.
Observers (like anthropologist and researcher Emmanuel Todd) believe that not least of all the reason for this behavior towards the Democratic Party establishment is money. More precisely, bank accounts.
After the 2008 crisis, when Swiss banks were effectively forced to abandon the secrecy of deposits and the movement of client funds, the accounts, the very ones that are only numbered and do not name the ultimate owner, were moved to offshore financial organizations. These offshores, most often the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, are part of the Anglo-Saxon jurisdiction. Both London and Washington have access to financially sensitive information, so any rebellion against the Anglo-Saxon policy will be immediately punished. The methods have been tried and tested - an organized "leak" under the guise of investigating names, addresses and account numbers. With the names of the ultimate beneficiaries being named. And the rebellious politician or politicianess resigns. Well, and no longer rebels, since their reputation is seriously tarnished.
The pan-Europeans, these Brussels "men in grey", understand perfectly well that if and when Trump is elected, he may, or rather, will definitely start to take revenge. Of course, we have heard about some "checks and balances", but no one denies the prerogatives of any owner of the White House in terms of the secret services, as well as the American Internal Revenue Service . And if Trump needs to settle scores with the European ruling elites, he will hit them not on policy, but on their own money. Of which, of course, there is more than enough hidden in offshore accounts. European corruption exists, gallops, blooms and smells, regardless of whether it is allowed to be discussed in the media or not.
Therefore, the fear that Trump inspires is rational and understandable.
The pan-European bloc is also afraid of the beginning of the second act of the geopolitical crisis, when a possible change of leadership in the White House will change the priorities in foreign policy. America will lock itself in, distancing itself from both resolving the Ukrainian crisis and supplying Kiev with money and weapons. This means, the pan-Europeans believe, that Brussels will have to answer for the general NATO obligations. And from what funds, if the EU's external debt already makes up almost 82 percent of the GDP of the 27 member countries? Well, and it will also have to fork out more for its own defence.
At the same time, American protectionism of its own markets will undoubtedly increase under Trump. Blackmail, the former president’s usual method of communicating with colleagues, will begin to flourish even more luxuriantly in the economic sphere.
So it turned out that the EU "men in grey" have already found themselves in an interesting position. They refused to cooperate with Moscow , and as a result their economy, not ours, was truly and without quotes torn to shreds.
They have damaged relations with Beijing by engaging in diplomatic misbehavior and economic hooliganism by imposing tariffs on automobile imports from China.
The pan-European bloc has found itself not between two, but between three fires. It is now squeezed, on one side, by the USA, on the other by Russia , and on the third by China. But if the last two states are led by predictable and balanced leaders, then Captain America can be a character with a cowboy mentality, when they first shoot from the hip and only then ask the name of the defeated opponent.
An extremely weakened Europe not only does not want to, but it will not be able to resist the US in this configuration. Therefore, all forces, including sociologists, will be thrown into the political annihilation of Trump. The most interesting thing will begin, of course, if Trump wins. So we stock up on popcorn to watch how those who plotted against Trump will try to kiss his boots in a bow. In the literal and figurative sense.
The flexibility of the EU establishment is as limitless as its lack of principles, and we know this very well. Better than others.
https://ria.ru/20240727/evropa-1962259981.html
GarryB likes this post
Kiko- Posts : 3435
Points : 3499
Join date : 2020-11-11
Age : 75
Location : Brasilia
- Post n°155
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Europe has expressed itself to the fullest, by Vladimir Kornilov for RiaNovosti. 07.29.2024.
For several days now, the world has been heatedly discussing the nauseating show of ugly transvestites during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris. Opinions are divided. For example, German-Finnish businessman Kim Dotcom called this performance "the closing ceremony of humanity."
But there are also those in France who ardently justify and even praise the action. Thus, the Associated Press cites the opinion of one of these same freaks, who recently won a nationwide transvestite competition on a national television channel: "The French government knows what it is doing. They wanted to show themselves as best as possible. They are demonstrating that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression."
So, let us note: insulting the religious feelings of believers (and transvestites parodied the scene of Christ's Last Supper), sexualizing the Olympics, showing explicit pornography to a multi-million audience, including children - this is just "freedom of expression", which is an integral part of the liberal society of Europe.
Amid this heated global debate, no one outside France paid much attention to the fact that last week the country's official state censor effectively banned a popular TV channel. For what? Also for exercising "freedom of expression", but the "wrong" kind of freedom, from the point of view of that same liberal society. We are talking about the scandalous decision of the Audiovisual and Digital Communications Regulatory Authority, known in France by the acronym ARCOM.
On July 17, this body adopted a resolution on "respect for the principle of pluralism of thought and opinion" on television and radio. And just a week later (how promptly!) it accused the popular opposition channel C8 of violating this pluralism and revoked its public broadcasting license for broadcasts that were aired in the first half of this year. Without any courts or other unnecessary ceremonies. So much for freedom of expression!
First of all, the channel got it for a very popular political show, which constantly ridiculed the very same wook culture for which the liberals praise the Olympic organizers so much. That is, it is possible to hold transvestite contests on the state television channel of France, to show the testicles of some freak to a multi-million global audience - this is an expression of "freedom". But it is forbidden to criticize such phenomena - this is already an "encroachment on the pluralism of opinions"!
Moreover, no one is particularly hiding the political bias of the censor's decision. The leader of the French right, Marine Le Pen, commenting on this scandal, said: "For the authorities, pluralism is unbearable. Therefore, they are gradually trying to make it disappear, so that all TV channels and radio transmit the same message as state broadcasting." And on the website of the "National Rally" a collection of signatures began in support of the C8 channel, stating the fact: "The censors are glad that they have silenced an independent voice. Welcome to our democracy, in which diversity of opinions is increasingly under threat."
And such blatant extrajudicial reprisals against unwanted media outlets are becoming increasingly commonplace in Europe. A blatant example is the recent closure of the opposition magazine Compact in Germany and the searches of its editor-in-chief. This magazine has truly become a powerful mouthpiece for the right, especially in East Germany, creating a solid multimedia platform for criticizing the government in the areas of migration, foreign policy, and health care.
On July 13, a detailed interview with the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, appeared on the Compact YouTube channel, immediately gaining more than 300 thousand views. And already on July 16, the German Interior Ministry, without resorting to any unnecessary ceremonies (Court? What court?) closes the magazine and raids the editor-in-chief's apartment, finding him in a dressing gown. So much for the pluralism of opinions! If this opinion is wrong, and especially Russian, no courts are needed to ban popular media.
Moreover, the authorities do not hide the fact that they are dissatisfied with the magazine's closeness to the Alternative for Germany party. The mainstream press directly blames the editors of Compact for its plans to hold a series of public festivals, the Blue Wave, in support of the Alternative for Germany in the state elections this fall.
In September, such elections are coming up in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. According to polls, in all three states, the Alternative is now confidently leading, which cannot but worry the authorities. Here is your solution - just before the elections, ban a popular media platform in support of the main opposition force. Let us emphasize once again: ban it without any court, by a simple decree of the Ministry of Internal Affairs! And no politics, right?
And these people teach the world about democracy and freedom! These people shout from every corner about freedom of speech and freedom of expression, if suddenly someone starts criticizing the use of state media for the propaganda of minorities, perversions, corruption of minors. But it is worth expressing an opinion that differs from the opinions of the liberal crowd - you are immediately subjected to harsh censorship. Such are the realities of today's "democratic" Europe: "freedom of expression" still remains its integral basis, but only if you express yourself "correctly".
https://ria.ru/20240729/evropa-1962525776.html
For several days now, the world has been heatedly discussing the nauseating show of ugly transvestites during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris. Opinions are divided. For example, German-Finnish businessman Kim Dotcom called this performance "the closing ceremony of humanity."
But there are also those in France who ardently justify and even praise the action. Thus, the Associated Press cites the opinion of one of these same freaks, who recently won a nationwide transvestite competition on a national television channel: "The French government knows what it is doing. They wanted to show themselves as best as possible. They are demonstrating that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression."
So, let us note: insulting the religious feelings of believers (and transvestites parodied the scene of Christ's Last Supper), sexualizing the Olympics, showing explicit pornography to a multi-million audience, including children - this is just "freedom of expression", which is an integral part of the liberal society of Europe.
Amid this heated global debate, no one outside France paid much attention to the fact that last week the country's official state censor effectively banned a popular TV channel. For what? Also for exercising "freedom of expression", but the "wrong" kind of freedom, from the point of view of that same liberal society. We are talking about the scandalous decision of the Audiovisual and Digital Communications Regulatory Authority, known in France by the acronym ARCOM.
On July 17, this body adopted a resolution on "respect for the principle of pluralism of thought and opinion" on television and radio. And just a week later (how promptly!) it accused the popular opposition channel C8 of violating this pluralism and revoked its public broadcasting license for broadcasts that were aired in the first half of this year. Without any courts or other unnecessary ceremonies. So much for freedom of expression!
First of all, the channel got it for a very popular political show, which constantly ridiculed the very same wook culture for which the liberals praise the Olympic organizers so much. That is, it is possible to hold transvestite contests on the state television channel of France, to show the testicles of some freak to a multi-million global audience - this is an expression of "freedom". But it is forbidden to criticize such phenomena - this is already an "encroachment on the pluralism of opinions"!
Moreover, no one is particularly hiding the political bias of the censor's decision. The leader of the French right, Marine Le Pen, commenting on this scandal, said: "For the authorities, pluralism is unbearable. Therefore, they are gradually trying to make it disappear, so that all TV channels and radio transmit the same message as state broadcasting." And on the website of the "National Rally" a collection of signatures began in support of the C8 channel, stating the fact: "The censors are glad that they have silenced an independent voice. Welcome to our democracy, in which diversity of opinions is increasingly under threat."
And such blatant extrajudicial reprisals against unwanted media outlets are becoming increasingly commonplace in Europe. A blatant example is the recent closure of the opposition magazine Compact in Germany and the searches of its editor-in-chief. This magazine has truly become a powerful mouthpiece for the right, especially in East Germany, creating a solid multimedia platform for criticizing the government in the areas of migration, foreign policy, and health care.
On July 13, a detailed interview with the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, appeared on the Compact YouTube channel, immediately gaining more than 300 thousand views. And already on July 16, the German Interior Ministry, without resorting to any unnecessary ceremonies (Court? What court?) closes the magazine and raids the editor-in-chief's apartment, finding him in a dressing gown. So much for the pluralism of opinions! If this opinion is wrong, and especially Russian, no courts are needed to ban popular media.
Moreover, the authorities do not hide the fact that they are dissatisfied with the magazine's closeness to the Alternative for Germany party. The mainstream press directly blames the editors of Compact for its plans to hold a series of public festivals, the Blue Wave, in support of the Alternative for Germany in the state elections this fall.
In September, such elections are coming up in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. According to polls, in all three states, the Alternative is now confidently leading, which cannot but worry the authorities. Here is your solution - just before the elections, ban a popular media platform in support of the main opposition force. Let us emphasize once again: ban it without any court, by a simple decree of the Ministry of Internal Affairs! And no politics, right?
And these people teach the world about democracy and freedom! These people shout from every corner about freedom of speech and freedom of expression, if suddenly someone starts criticizing the use of state media for the propaganda of minorities, perversions, corruption of minors. But it is worth expressing an opinion that differs from the opinions of the liberal crowd - you are immediately subjected to harsh censorship. Such are the realities of today's "democratic" Europe: "freedom of expression" still remains its integral basis, but only if you express yourself "correctly".
https://ria.ru/20240729/evropa-1962525776.html
GarryB, xeno and kvs like this post
GarryB- Posts : 40006
Points : 40502
Join date : 2010-03-30
Location : New Zealand
- Post n°156
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
"The French government knows what it is doing. They wanted to show themselves as best as possible. They are demonstrating that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression."
Except if you support Putin or Russia.
They wanted to be open and inclusive and they ban Russian and Belarussian flags... how tolerant of them...
kvs and Kiko like this post
kvs- Posts : 15617
Points : 15754
Join date : 2014-09-11
Location : Turdope's Kanada
- Post n°157
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Not just Putin or Russia. If you don't support child genital mutilation, then you are not tolerated. Somehow it became normal without discussion
that it is justified to put children on hormone blockers to prevent puberty and resolve 80% of gender dysphoria. You see the victims of this
freak show on YouTube in de-transition videos. Children require adult guardians because they are not competent to make critical life decisions.
The only guardians that children should have are their parents. Not the state and not LGBTXYZ pedophile promoters.
The NATzO west has slid into the Sodom and Gomorrah mode on an accelerating trajectory. The rest of the world needs to unite to contain this
cancer.
that it is justified to put children on hormone blockers to prevent puberty and resolve 80% of gender dysphoria. You see the victims of this
freak show on YouTube in de-transition videos. Children require adult guardians because they are not competent to make critical life decisions.
The only guardians that children should have are their parents. Not the state and not LGBTXYZ pedophile promoters.
The NATzO west has slid into the Sodom and Gomorrah mode on an accelerating trajectory. The rest of the world needs to unite to contain this
cancer.
GarryB likes this post
Kiko- Posts : 3435
Points : 3499
Join date : 2020-11-11
Age : 75
Location : Brasilia
- Post n°158
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Europe Prepares for Dark Times in America, by Gevorg Mirzayan for VZGLYAD. 08.03.2024.
Europe Prepares for Dark Times in America.
The European Union is creating a special group to prepare for the change of the US president. The Europeans are openly afraid of Donald Trump's return to the White House, as this is fraught with huge expenses for them. However, problems threaten Europe even if Kamala Harris wins in America.
Specially selected officials and experts will have to develop a strategy for the EU's behavior in the event of a "dramatic change in the American approach to European affairs." That is, if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November.
It would seem that this is an absolutely logical move, given that European media regularly make alarmist statements about Trump, and the likelihood of his victory is assessed as high. The Republican candidate is positioned almost as the Antichrist, foreshadowing the collapse of transatlantic ties in the event of his return to the White House.
The problem here is not only the personality of the Republican candidate, but also who stands behind him.
"Trump himself is unpredictable. However, in addition to his personality, there is also a party aspect. Republicans are generally less inclined to take into account Europe's opinion than Democrats. And the EU traditionally has worse relations with Republican administrations," recalls Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities.
The reason, in his opinion, is that the Republicans are imperialists, for whom the US is the real center of the universe, and the Democrats are globalists, inclined to recruit "assistants" in other countries. The European elites are also mostly globalists, so they are on the same wavelength with the Democrats.
In addition, the Republican Party has swung to the right: Trump represents the wing that is commonly called neo-isolationist, which calls for focusing primarily on solving domestic problems in the United States and allocating less money to foreign adventures.
Europe cannot appoint the right person as US president (as in Moldova, for example). "Nobody asks anything of the Europeans now. It is not a question of whether the Europeans can influence the outcome of the elections at all. They have only one option - to adapt," explains Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, senior research fellow at the IMEMO RAS.
Adaptation can be done at different levels. For example, at the national level, when each country will work according to the principle of "a drowning man must save himself". Some are already saving themselves this way.
"Many politicians in Europe have no contacts with Trump's entourage or Trump himself. That is why, for example, the Poles are going to allocate money to promote their interests through American media and lobbying structures. To position themselves as people with whom Trump can negotiate," says Ofitserov-Belsky.
Another option is to adapt at the level of the European Union as a whole, that is, to save ourselves together and look for methods by which Europe can collectively protect its interests from the Republican White House.
In particular, Donald Trump is going to reduce American participation in the Ukrainian conflict. This approach is unacceptable for Europe – European elites view the current conflict with Russia through an ideological prism and do not allow thoughts of losing. Therefore, they are preparing to take on a significant share of the costs of maintaining Ukraine.
"They are working on an option to support Kyiv without the US - with Britain, Canada and Norway. For this purpose, the EU is strengthening the military component," says Vadim Trukhachev.
It was no coincidence that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, voiced the idea of a European Defence Union. “EU member states will always be responsible for their troops, from doctrine to deployment,” she said . The EC promises to present a detailed plan (the so-called “White Paper on the Future of European Defence”) at the end of autumn.
However, if Trump is ready not only to distance himself from the Kyiv regime, but also to seek compromises with Moscow, Europe will have to enter into conflict.
"They won't negotiate at Trump's request right away - they'll have to be bent. Washington has enough tools for this. The Americans can spend less on European bases, raise energy prices for Europeans, and even impose sanctions on European companies in the American market," Trukhachev continues.
Then Europe, in his opinion, will respond to Trump by working with the “Washington swamp,” the Democrats and “systemic Republicans,” using these tools not only to fight off pressure on the Ukrainian issue.
"We are talking about trade duties on European goods imported to the US, and about spending on weapons," says Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky. According to the expert, Trump is connected with the military-industrial lobby and will demand that Europeans spend as much as possible on weapons. Moreover, European industry will not be able to meet the increased demands for American weapons.
The irony of the situation is that the task force will work not only on Ukraine and not only on Trump. It is being created, among other things, to analyze the consequences of Kamala Harris's possible move to the White House.
According to one version, it will be easier with her. "She is a complete novice in international affairs, and the Europeans will be able to manipulate her to some extent. This is especially true for the highly experienced new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will work with her through the North Atlantic Alliance and, indirectly, the European Union," Vadim Trukhachev is confident.
In addition, Harris is a left-wing Democrat and globalist, belonging to the "Clinton clan." That is, practically "of the same blood" with the current EU leadership.
However, her inexperience and the presence of radical characters in the team could play a cruel joke on the European Union. The course of escalation in foreign policy and Ms. Harris's need to prove her "iron will" could plunge the collective West into a serious political crisis.
The European Union needs to calculate this scenario and understand how to get out of this crisis with minimal losses. So the group has something to work on.
https://vz.ru/world/2024/8/3/1280362.html
Europe Prepares for Dark Times in America.
The European Union is creating a special group to prepare for the change of the US president. The Europeans are openly afraid of Donald Trump's return to the White House, as this is fraught with huge expenses for them. However, problems threaten Europe even if Kamala Harris wins in America.
Specially selected officials and experts will have to develop a strategy for the EU's behavior in the event of a "dramatic change in the American approach to European affairs." That is, if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November.
It would seem that this is an absolutely logical move, given that European media regularly make alarmist statements about Trump, and the likelihood of his victory is assessed as high. The Republican candidate is positioned almost as the Antichrist, foreshadowing the collapse of transatlantic ties in the event of his return to the White House.
The problem here is not only the personality of the Republican candidate, but also who stands behind him.
"Trump himself is unpredictable. However, in addition to his personality, there is also a party aspect. Republicans are generally less inclined to take into account Europe's opinion than Democrats. And the EU traditionally has worse relations with Republican administrations," recalls Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities.
The reason, in his opinion, is that the Republicans are imperialists, for whom the US is the real center of the universe, and the Democrats are globalists, inclined to recruit "assistants" in other countries. The European elites are also mostly globalists, so they are on the same wavelength with the Democrats.
In addition, the Republican Party has swung to the right: Trump represents the wing that is commonly called neo-isolationist, which calls for focusing primarily on solving domestic problems in the United States and allocating less money to foreign adventures.
Europe cannot appoint the right person as US president (as in Moldova, for example). "Nobody asks anything of the Europeans now. It is not a question of whether the Europeans can influence the outcome of the elections at all. They have only one option - to adapt," explains Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, senior research fellow at the IMEMO RAS.
Adaptation can be done at different levels. For example, at the national level, when each country will work according to the principle of "a drowning man must save himself". Some are already saving themselves this way.
"Many politicians in Europe have no contacts with Trump's entourage or Trump himself. That is why, for example, the Poles are going to allocate money to promote their interests through American media and lobbying structures. To position themselves as people with whom Trump can negotiate," says Ofitserov-Belsky.
Another option is to adapt at the level of the European Union as a whole, that is, to save ourselves together and look for methods by which Europe can collectively protect its interests from the Republican White House.
In particular, Donald Trump is going to reduce American participation in the Ukrainian conflict. This approach is unacceptable for Europe – European elites view the current conflict with Russia through an ideological prism and do not allow thoughts of losing. Therefore, they are preparing to take on a significant share of the costs of maintaining Ukraine.
"They are working on an option to support Kyiv without the US - with Britain, Canada and Norway. For this purpose, the EU is strengthening the military component," says Vadim Trukhachev.
It was no coincidence that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, voiced the idea of a European Defence Union. “EU member states will always be responsible for their troops, from doctrine to deployment,” she said . The EC promises to present a detailed plan (the so-called “White Paper on the Future of European Defence”) at the end of autumn.
However, if Trump is ready not only to distance himself from the Kyiv regime, but also to seek compromises with Moscow, Europe will have to enter into conflict.
"They won't negotiate at Trump's request right away - they'll have to be bent. Washington has enough tools for this. The Americans can spend less on European bases, raise energy prices for Europeans, and even impose sanctions on European companies in the American market," Trukhachev continues.
Then Europe, in his opinion, will respond to Trump by working with the “Washington swamp,” the Democrats and “systemic Republicans,” using these tools not only to fight off pressure on the Ukrainian issue.
"We are talking about trade duties on European goods imported to the US, and about spending on weapons," says Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky. According to the expert, Trump is connected with the military-industrial lobby and will demand that Europeans spend as much as possible on weapons. Moreover, European industry will not be able to meet the increased demands for American weapons.
The irony of the situation is that the task force will work not only on Ukraine and not only on Trump. It is being created, among other things, to analyze the consequences of Kamala Harris's possible move to the White House.
According to one version, it will be easier with her. "She is a complete novice in international affairs, and the Europeans will be able to manipulate her to some extent. This is especially true for the highly experienced new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will work with her through the North Atlantic Alliance and, indirectly, the European Union," Vadim Trukhachev is confident.
In addition, Harris is a left-wing Democrat and globalist, belonging to the "Clinton clan." That is, practically "of the same blood" with the current EU leadership.
However, her inexperience and the presence of radical characters in the team could play a cruel joke on the European Union. The course of escalation in foreign policy and Ms. Harris's need to prove her "iron will" could plunge the collective West into a serious political crisis.
The European Union needs to calculate this scenario and understand how to get out of this crisis with minimal losses. So the group has something to work on.
https://vz.ru/world/2024/8/3/1280362.html
kvs- Posts : 15617
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Join date : 2014-09-11
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- Post n°159
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Degenerate U-rope considers any restoration of sanity in the USA to be "dark ages". F*ck off and die, vermin. Borrell's garden is a toilet of
depravity. The sane region is the "jungle".
depravity. The sane region is the "jungle".
Kiko- Posts : 3435
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- Post n°160
Re: European Union: Discussion Thread
Here’s who the EU is really afraid of (and it’s not Trump or Musk), by Rachel Marsden, a columnist, political strategist and host of independently produced talk-shows in French and English, for RT. 08.15.2024.
The biggest risk that Brussels faces after the pair’s fireside chat is that Europeans might start learning some inconvenient truths from each other.
When X owner Elon Musk announced a digital fireside chat on the app with former US president and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, at least one EU official promptly went ballistic.
EU Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton reacted to the online promotion of the exclusive event with a threat – the kind of thing that goes over far better on an official company letterhead (the European Commission’s in this case) than, say, in a whispery, untraceable phone call.
“I am writing to you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU,”, Breton wrote to Musk.
He warned the billionaire about ongoing compliance investigations and insisted on the need to mitigate “amplification of harmful content” which “if unaddressed might… generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”
Ah, yes. Because anything that goes against the official EU establishment narrative and agenda is generally considered to be a threat to public order. The plebs might actually discover some inconvenient realities that better explain why daily life in Europe has become more challenging than that of our gatekeeping overlords.
Worse, they may decide to do something about it, which presents an even greater inconvenience to the ruling establishment in that they may actually have to rework some of their policies to the detriment of some opaque special interests.
How fitting that Breton evoked the recent unrest in the UK, which wasn’t caused by an actual migrant but nonetheless sparked public outcry over migration and asylum issues – something that’s so “fake” that the British government itself has tried to hide the extent of the problem by stocking migrants on an offshore barge and proposing to send them to Rwanda.
Breton also CC’d X CEO Linda Yaccarino on his letter in the same way that a principal chewing out an unruly student in writing would also copy the kid’s mom so she could give him a good spanking at home. But Breton found out that getting mom onboard is hard to do when the “kid” in this case supports the whole household.
"This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US,” replied Yaccarino. “It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.”
Usually, when the EU is accused of foreign interference, it’s because it’s riding shotgun with Uncle Sam, who wasn’t around for backup this time when Musk himself fired back with a meme from the movie, Tropic Thunder – a still image of actor Tom Cruise in his role as a talent agent, captioned with the line, “Take a big step back and literally, f**k your own face!”
Chief editor of France Inter’s digital operations, Stephane Jourdain, cited European Commission sources who told him that Musk’s reply would be added to their files against X. Aye, aye, commissars!
Oh, but wait. It appears that Breton got out ahead of the EU clownmobile and is now about to get a deep back massage from the jalopy’s tire tracks. The European Commission “denied Breton had approval from its President Ursula von der Leyen to send the letter,” reported the Financial Times. Breton now knows exactly how every EU citizen feels when unelected “Queen Ursula” makes the same kind of top-down decisions for all Europeans as that which the unelected Breton just tried to unilaterally impose on Musk.
All this drama for what, exactly? The fact that Trump might say something that doesn’t jibe with the EU’s propaganda, which apparently is so tenuous and fragile that it needs to be preemptively protected from any potential future challenges, however rational or nutty?
It turns out that the EU didn’t have much to worry about. Trump doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s actually going on here.
“They take great advantage of the United States in trade,” Trump said of Europe, which was goaded by the Biden administration into foregoing its trade relationship with Russia, whose cheap energy allowed it to compete with the US on the global playing field. It now has a greater dependence on pricier American liquified natural gas. And the trade deficit that the US has with the EU is largely the result of all the protectionist tariffs that it slaps on its other competitors, like China – an idea that Trump has long supported himself – leaving the US with fewer suppliers, like the EU. The US is doing a far better job of screwing itself than anyone else could.
“Why is the United States paying disproportionately more to defend Europe than Europe? That doesn’t make sense,” Trump said to Musk. “That’s unfair, and that is an appropriate thing to address.” Except that the US cash “for Ukraine” is mostly just being dumped into the US military industrial complex, which is actually a great deal for Washington cronies. And when the US demands that Europe spends more on weapons for itself, guess who the big winner is? “In the 2019-2023 period, 55% of imports to Europe were from the US, up from 35% in the 2014-2018 period,” French state media outlet, France 24, said of EU weapons.
As if the EU is going to clarify any of those Trump statements. If Brussels had to be honest, it’d be like, “Well, actually, Trump was spreading fake news when he said that we’re not paying enough for Ukraine. Our own arms industries are also starting to cash in on the charade now, too.”
The EU also probably won’t want to admit that it has become more dependent on the US for everything – including trade – despite the whole idea of breaking up with Russia having been in the interests of avoiding getting too committed to any one partner. Yet here’s Trump sounding like he has no clue why Brussels has become such a stage-five clinger that it needs the US to buy more of its stuff.
The more Trump blabs, the more the average European citizen can assess for themselves how much his reality jibes with theirs. And the more daylight that exists between them, the less influence Trump will have on them. Which is why it could actually serve the EU’s own agenda to let him talk as much as possible.
The downside, of course, is that open debate on anything EU-related evoked by Trump – even cluelessly – risks sparking an online public dissection of EU actions that would bleed into the more conventional media. And the danger there is that there is a high probability of EU politicians being outed as inept jokers.
https://www.rt.com/news/602614-trump-musk-eu-x/
The biggest risk that Brussels faces after the pair’s fireside chat is that Europeans might start learning some inconvenient truths from each other.
When X owner Elon Musk announced a digital fireside chat on the app with former US president and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, at least one EU official promptly went ballistic.
EU Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton reacted to the online promotion of the exclusive event with a threat – the kind of thing that goes over far better on an official company letterhead (the European Commission’s in this case) than, say, in a whispery, untraceable phone call.
“I am writing to you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU,”, Breton wrote to Musk.
He warned the billionaire about ongoing compliance investigations and insisted on the need to mitigate “amplification of harmful content” which “if unaddressed might… generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”
Ah, yes. Because anything that goes against the official EU establishment narrative and agenda is generally considered to be a threat to public order. The plebs might actually discover some inconvenient realities that better explain why daily life in Europe has become more challenging than that of our gatekeeping overlords.
Worse, they may decide to do something about it, which presents an even greater inconvenience to the ruling establishment in that they may actually have to rework some of their policies to the detriment of some opaque special interests.
How fitting that Breton evoked the recent unrest in the UK, which wasn’t caused by an actual migrant but nonetheless sparked public outcry over migration and asylum issues – something that’s so “fake” that the British government itself has tried to hide the extent of the problem by stocking migrants on an offshore barge and proposing to send them to Rwanda.
Breton also CC’d X CEO Linda Yaccarino on his letter in the same way that a principal chewing out an unruly student in writing would also copy the kid’s mom so she could give him a good spanking at home. But Breton found out that getting mom onboard is hard to do when the “kid” in this case supports the whole household.
"This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US,” replied Yaccarino. “It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.”
Usually, when the EU is accused of foreign interference, it’s because it’s riding shotgun with Uncle Sam, who wasn’t around for backup this time when Musk himself fired back with a meme from the movie, Tropic Thunder – a still image of actor Tom Cruise in his role as a talent agent, captioned with the line, “Take a big step back and literally, f**k your own face!”
Chief editor of France Inter’s digital operations, Stephane Jourdain, cited European Commission sources who told him that Musk’s reply would be added to their files against X. Aye, aye, commissars!
Oh, but wait. It appears that Breton got out ahead of the EU clownmobile and is now about to get a deep back massage from the jalopy’s tire tracks. The European Commission “denied Breton had approval from its President Ursula von der Leyen to send the letter,” reported the Financial Times. Breton now knows exactly how every EU citizen feels when unelected “Queen Ursula” makes the same kind of top-down decisions for all Europeans as that which the unelected Breton just tried to unilaterally impose on Musk.
All this drama for what, exactly? The fact that Trump might say something that doesn’t jibe with the EU’s propaganda, which apparently is so tenuous and fragile that it needs to be preemptively protected from any potential future challenges, however rational or nutty?
It turns out that the EU didn’t have much to worry about. Trump doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s actually going on here.
“They take great advantage of the United States in trade,” Trump said of Europe, which was goaded by the Biden administration into foregoing its trade relationship with Russia, whose cheap energy allowed it to compete with the US on the global playing field. It now has a greater dependence on pricier American liquified natural gas. And the trade deficit that the US has with the EU is largely the result of all the protectionist tariffs that it slaps on its other competitors, like China – an idea that Trump has long supported himself – leaving the US with fewer suppliers, like the EU. The US is doing a far better job of screwing itself than anyone else could.
“Why is the United States paying disproportionately more to defend Europe than Europe? That doesn’t make sense,” Trump said to Musk. “That’s unfair, and that is an appropriate thing to address.” Except that the US cash “for Ukraine” is mostly just being dumped into the US military industrial complex, which is actually a great deal for Washington cronies. And when the US demands that Europe spends more on weapons for itself, guess who the big winner is? “In the 2019-2023 period, 55% of imports to Europe were from the US, up from 35% in the 2014-2018 period,” French state media outlet, France 24, said of EU weapons.
As if the EU is going to clarify any of those Trump statements. If Brussels had to be honest, it’d be like, “Well, actually, Trump was spreading fake news when he said that we’re not paying enough for Ukraine. Our own arms industries are also starting to cash in on the charade now, too.”
The EU also probably won’t want to admit that it has become more dependent on the US for everything – including trade – despite the whole idea of breaking up with Russia having been in the interests of avoiding getting too committed to any one partner. Yet here’s Trump sounding like he has no clue why Brussels has become such a stage-five clinger that it needs the US to buy more of its stuff.
The more Trump blabs, the more the average European citizen can assess for themselves how much his reality jibes with theirs. And the more daylight that exists between them, the less influence Trump will have on them. Which is why it could actually serve the EU’s own agenda to let him talk as much as possible.
The downside, of course, is that open debate on anything EU-related evoked by Trump – even cluelessly – risks sparking an online public dissection of EU actions that would bleed into the more conventional media. And the danger there is that there is a high probability of EU politicians being outed as inept jokers.
https://www.rt.com/news/602614-trump-musk-eu-x/
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