From Hamburg to Warsaw

The once powerful United States of America are aligning themselves with the values and policies of Putin’s Russia. We should be alarmed not by secret memos and covert operations but with what’s going on in plain sight. As the Zombies protested at the G20 in Hamburg, its become clearer and clearer that this has consequences for global security and for Theresa May’s dissolving Brexit negotiations.

In  a frankly terrifying breakdown in Politico writer Molly McKew assesses how ‘Trump Handed Putin a Stunning Victory’ . She summarises the outcomes from the President’s Warsaw ‘summit’ as:

  • First, the United States will “move on” from election hacking issues with no accountability or consequences for Russia; in fact, the U.S. will form a “framework” with Russia to cooperate on cybersecurity issues, evaluating weaknesses and assessing potential responses jointly.
  • Second, the two presidents agreed not to meddle in “each other’s” domestic affairs—equating American activities to promote democracy with Russian aggression aimed at undermining it, in an incalculable PR victory for the Kremlin.
  • Third, the announced, limited cease-fire in Syria will be a new basis for cooperation between the U.S. and Russia; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went so far as to say that the Russian approach in Syria—yielding mass civilian casualties, catastrophic displacement, untold destruction and erased borders—may be “more right” than that of the United States.

Britain’s Atlantacist era  – in which a generation of UK politicians sunned themselves in the Democrat sun and soaked up ideas, influence, mythology and the aura of Western progress – is dead in this context. As we look inwards, and scrabble for friends and strategic allies in the coming wake of Brexit, we find only confusion, ‘deep state’ mysticism and latent authoritarian oligarchy.

The death of Atlantacism will make the world a much more lonely place for Global Britain, the new brand being pushed by Boris and the Brexiteers. As John Williams noted way back in 1997:

“Europe suffers from an identity crisis. The consequence is a crisis of collective political will in organising its own post-cold-war security system. This has resulted in Europe failing both to identify its actual security requirements and to generate the necessary collective political will to fulfill them. The root cause of these combined failures lies in Atlanticist theology. Like all theologies, the theology of Atlanticism is based on a myth – namely, that the geo-political and geo-strategic interests of Europe and America being inseparable in the final analysis. Like all theologies, too, it is theology that dictates a code of long term accumulative behaviour irrespective of the logic or illogic underpinning it.

Hence the fundamental characteristic dominating post-second-world-war international relations has been the lack of a distinct European identity. This is because post-second-world- war international relations, rather than being governed by geo-political and geo-strategic logic, was dictated by Atlanticism generating a cold-war syndrome based on the myth of the Soviet threat. Split into two, Europe’s potential post-second-world-war collective international identity and political will were the casualties. This has resulted in Atlanticism generating a false sense of European security. Europe, having been sapped of its collective self-identity and political will, consequently finds itself in a self-identity crisis concerning how to fulfill Europe’s post- cold-war security requirements.”

Now, in the fire forged by insurgent English nationalism, Russian aggression to the east, and American collusion, a new European identity is emerging, as the myth of imminent post-Brexit collapse is exposed as so much wishful thinking. This will strain NATO but the collapse of the central myth that US and European interests are inseparable has wider more immediate implications.

A Very Special Relationship

In such emerging chaos wiser heads have called for the “urgent need to slow down”. Trump is promising the opposite. His statements after meeting May at the G20 in Hamburg included promising to come to London saying:

“No country could possibly be closer than our countries,” he said.

“We have been working on a trade deal which will be a very, very big deal a very powerful deal, great for both countries and I think we will have that done very, very quickly.”

Expect chlorinated chicken soon.

Trump added that he and May have “developed a very special relationship.”

Meanwhile as Britain grasps at whatever ‘good news’ it can lay its hands on, the Brexit negotiations are not going well. As former negotiator Steve Bullock points out:

The pre-negotiation phase has been a disaster for the UK. The UK government first tried to divide the EU27, and then, when that didn’t work, set about deliberately breeding resentment and mistrust. The balance of power is such that the EU27 hold almost all the cards, but the government seems in a state of denial about this. Its Cabinet ministers hectored, smeared and threatened the very people they are asking for help and concessions from.

The EU27’s carefully drafted position papers synthesise a multitude of opening positions from 27 governments, the European Parliament, and the Commission. While these papers do not represent a final offer, they equally do not represent a first go at a vague wish list. The UK government knows this. Yet its approach has been to pretend that the EU27’s positions were mere posturing, particularly over the sequencing of negotiations (which the UK caved in on in the first hours of negotiations), citizens’ rights and the Four Freedoms. This was absurd and served to make UK look like it was not a serious negotiator.”

As many have pointed out this may be the plan all along. In the absence of a coherent alternative, the No Deal catastrophists still have the wheel. May is weak but not weak enough. It is difficult to see how we are to avoid going over the abyss into a World Trade scenario hand in hand with an unhinged American President.

As McKew points out, in Warsaw: “Trump attacked NATO and the EU, the twin pillars of the post-World War II transatlantic architecture, again demonstrating he has no interest in being the leader of the free world, but rather its critic in chief. ” And crucially: “Trump did not defend Western democracies: In fact, he did not once mention democracy in his speech. As for values, he mentions them seven times: first, in the negative—immigrants who are against them—and second, in the context of traditionalism.”

The Zombies are coming.

 

 

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Comments (17)

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  1. bringiton says:

    Those idiots who think that the EU has not been responsible for keeping the peace in Europe for the last 7 decades are about to find out that they are wrong.
    Russia and the USA are both attempting to undermine this stability for different reasons.
    The Russians see the EU as an obstacle to resurrecting the old USSR and the Americans see an organised European bloc as a barrier to “free” trade ( i.e. trade on their terms).
    As far as Olde Blighty is concerned,they are now entirely dependent on the USA for survival and will roll over to Trump at every opportunity.
    Expect our health services to be high on the American’s shopping list.
    What happens when Trump is no longer on the scene and there is a USA president who takes a very different global view?

    1. Pogliaghi says:

      Spot on. Noam Chomsky made similar points to oppose Brexit.

      There is no “lexit” plan whatsoever for alternate global institutions comparable the EU, which is, and which only has to be, better than all the alternatives. As soon as Brexit-UK being a satellite of America gets a new acronym the lexiters will start fighting it forgetting they had already been complicit in the destruction of the only possible alternative.

  2. jack elliot says:

    http://jackelliot.over-blog.com/2017/07/warsaw.html

    It is good to consider Kaczynski

    A major reason for Trump’s visit

    Kaczynski is the most powerful man in Poland

    Kaczynski is religious and loves to  pick  fights with Germany and the European Union.

    Kaczynksi leads Poland back to its conservative, Catholic roots 

    http://jackelliot.over-blog.com/2017/07/warsaw.html

  3. Charles L. Gallagher says:

    Hi Bringiton,

    Amen to all of this. As for any food their tawdry deal brings to our shores will not end-up in our kitchen as we’ll be examining ‘Country of Origin’ and their chlorinated chickens, GM modified food and beef pumped full of hormones will stay on the shelves no matter how cheap they are.

    1. Kerly says:

      Government will probably remove the need for labeling food when we leave eu so u cannot tell where it came from

      1. Charles L. Gallagher says:

        Kerly, we’ll still have Farmers Markets and Farm Shops – the POWER of the consumer.

  4. Jim says:

    Hi

    Could I just point out that there is no aggression coming from Russia – it is all coming from the US & NATO.

    Please read the articles linked below and – of course – check the credentials of the authors. Excepting the article by Professor Tim Anderson – which doesn’t allow comments – you can challenge the authors on any point or points you disagree with.

    https://consortiumnews.com/2016/07/06/merkel-urged-to-temper-natos-belligerence/

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-dirty-war-on-syria/5491859

    https://popularresistance.org/us-expands-military-footprint-in-syria-to-eight-base/

    https://consortiumnews.com/2016/12/12/us-intel-vets-dispute-russia-hacking-claims/

    Thank you for taking the time to read these articles.

    1. bringiton says:

      Not sure that many of the residents of Crimea and Georgia would agree with that.
      These events were a big wakeup call for the EU.
      The intent from Russia is clear.

      1. Jim says:

        Hi.

        I’m not sure what to make of your reply; you seem to have read them and … disagreed with the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity? They have – between them – hundreds of years of experience and knowledge of the Intelligence community in top positions. They still have connections in the Intelligence community.

        May I respectfully ask on what information you base your statements on?

        Also – again, respectfully – if you HAVE information that these veterans should be aware of, then perhaps you should let them know.

        Thank you for taking the time to read this reply.

        1. bringiton says:

          Russia annexed Crimea.
          How would the world have reacted if the EU had annexed Kaliningrad?

          1. Jim says:

            Hi again.

            Yes, Russia annexed Crimea – at the democratic request of the Crimeans.

            Did you read the articles?

  5. Legerwood says:

    Trump said:
    “”We have been working on a trade deal which will be a very, very big deal a very powerful deal, great for both countries and I think we will have that done very, very quickly.”

    So May is going to sell the NHS to the Americans then. What could be bigger than that?

  6. J Galt says:

    What a load of garbage.

    Paranoiac stupidity heaped upon paranoiac stupitidy.

    1. Doghouse Rielly says:

      I’m impressed with such a direct repudiation. Nothing like smashing the echo chamber.

      But please, elucidate, I’m genuinely keen to hear.

    2. majestic12 says:

      I tend to agree. It’s a rather skewed view and the predictable and ubiquitous demonisation of Russia is tiresome. But an isolated U.K. becoming the virtual 51st of America is worryingly plausible. I think this has been the core aim of a certain powerful cabal in the establishment for a long time.

  7. Willie says:

    The NHS is ripe for privatising.

    It is a very big deal indeed. Absolutely huge and there are equally huge corporate returns to be made and Trump and May are the ones to make it happen.

    No wonder therefore that the NHS can be allowed to remain in public ownership.

    But what of the consumers. Them that get sick, need treatment or whatever.

    Well that is an even better bit. When ill, folks either pitch up and pay for treatment or else go without.

    What better business driver could there be for a corporate profit seeker – “Buy or Die”

    Sixty million Americans with no health care choose the latter.

    Well, that’s their choice .

    And like them we have the same choice.

  8. Pogliaghi says:

    Mike,

    Am pleasantly surprised to find you not adopting an RT-style line that the Western alliance has somehow blessedly averted a Cold War 2 confrontation with Putin under Hillary. (A mythos that relies, ironically, on the very historical framing it feigns to transcend). The whole point: when the “leader of the free world” cavorts with a demagogic leader of the old Red Menace, a flagrant murderer of opposition journalists, and US Republicans clearly find this nothing more than another bit of virile posturing, then the entire 20th century liberal-authoritarian polarization upon which “Western” legitimacy was based is either in crisis or in its death throes..

    Atlanticism, however, is alive and well, only now subordinate to a slightly different set of large scale geopolitical imperatives. A set which, while a permanent feature of the “special relationship”, when it changes, reminds us of Britain’s sad hubristic insignificance. Formerly vis a vis power players in the Middle East (Saudi, Israel); now increasingly vis a vis the Russian kleptocracy.

    In foreign policy we are the show poodle. But there probably is an autonomous centre of UK global power, namely the City. Not the relatively “cute”, designed-for-mass-consumption cliche of (semi-)above-board “financial services” and desk-bound Canary Wharf traders slaving themselves to death in pursuit of million pound bonuses. Rather the (yet more lurid) reality that obtrudes into British culture and society in the spectacle of London wealth and inequality amidst disasters like Grenfell. The blatantly yet legally laundered money in British offshore trusts’ cash, sloshing around London and its property market. The iceberg-tip of assets estimated by Tax Justice Network at “equivalent to 1/3rd global GDP” sheltered in City-linked offshore tax havens.

    The surreal pantomime villainy of Trump, Putin and the Brexiteers has no other parallel than with the sinister substratum of secret yet strangely obtruding global kleptocracy. This is not a concrete point-to-point link, it’s a sort of hypothesis-based pattern-matching. Nothing else matches the weirdness. “Deep state” is starting to sound quaint to describe what looks more like a coherent project of kleptocratic, trans-national shadow government. A network with no real geopolitical end in mind except using chaos to forestall their own being brought to account by democratic systems. And perhaps the traditional “liberal” capitalist Western establishment shares many of its features, albeit without subordination to them. The more clearly and alarmingly the “right wing of Capital” presents itself, the more it throws into relief the fatal features of the whole.

    There are notably some critical links between the gangsters of “funny money” and the real economy. One is global property bubbles. The other is ultimate revenue streams derived from the classic cause of “resource curses”; fossil fuels, a business for which both Russian and the US establishments are the leading rear-guard combatants. Both have untapped oil-rich territories around the Arctic, resurgent gas export businesses and, given the consequences of their climate criminality are comfortably north of the equator.

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