The report is absolutely scathing. Some choice quotes:
But when the next crisis came, both the US and the governments of Europe fell back on old models of alliance leadership. Europe, as EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell loudly lamented prior to Russia’s invasion, is not really at the table when it comes to dealing with the Russia-Ukraine crisis. It has instead embarked on a process of vassalisation.
But “alone” had a very specific meaning for Scholz. He was unwilling to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the US also sent its own main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. It was not enough that other partners would send tanks or that the US might send other weapons. Like a scared child in a room full of strangers, Germany felt alone if Uncle Sam was not holding its hand.
Europeans’ lack of agency in the Russia-Ukraine crisis stems from this growing power imbalance in the Western alliance. Under the Biden administration, the US has become ever more willing to exercise this growing influence.
No, but this is war. Even if you're not needed on the front lines you're needed repairing infrastructure or baking bread. I don't buy the "I need to protect my wife abroad" thing btw you're moving to Poland or Germany, not Somalia.
No I'm saying that America is infiltrated by Russian assets and they're being quite oblivious to how Russia operates in that regard. Russia has successfully had Americans at each other's throats for a good 20 years now.
Even if we accept the "they only want those territories" idea: Noone has achieved any goals before the war is over. They also have to hold those territories -- and probably also want to get rid of sanctions. War is the continuation of politics by different means (Clausewitz, read him), as long as Ukraine doesn't cede to Russia's claim, or is forced to, Russia's political and thus war goals are not achieved.
The whole thing was in response to "Europe needs the US to be protected against Russia". That's the context. No, Ukraine could not stand against Russia without foreign help, at least not in the way it is now -- we'd see a partisan war.
But given that Ukraine, with all this backing, still has a smaller military capacity than the rest of Europe, no, Europe isn't reliant on the US for its own protection. As said, France alone could do it. NATO could vanish and we'd be fine (if a bit disorganised) as the EU, too, is a mutual defence pact. Article 42 (7) TEU. Turkey would be left in the dust... well, technically, that's why the US has always been keen on undermining EU military integration, but in reality we'd have their back if Russia tried to do shit. Not that they could Turkey is armed to the teeth, the only thing they'd have trouble with is fighting a two-front war, Russia and Greece.
Generally speaking if I hear "The US is defending Europe" it's usually from Trumpists or, I guess this proves the horseshoe theory, Tankies.
Is not our national anthem. Yep the GDR one was better.
But more to the point, as to banger national anthems, try the Tuvan one, complete with throat singing.
As to European music, motherfucker. Probably 90% of the world's metal output is written here and countries which are unable to produce metal (such as France) then rock when it comes to other things, in France's case, Electronica. Case in point, have some minimal Techno. But to circle back to Ukraine, have some Heilung.
There we have it. Thank you for finally stopping the assumption that I'm arguing some grander point than I was. Russia can match Ukraine. We can move on from this now. Only took some 10 replies.
You do know that there are other reasons for people to not want to be in a warzone other than "protecting wife", don't you? Not going into the Somalia/Germany comparison there, but there are people, be they bakers, engineers or even soldiers, that have fled from Ukraine, but are legally barred to do so. What do you think of those men who only wish to leave Ukraine and the war but legally can't? I'd bet there are even some ethnic Russians and other minorities from Ukraine that'd rather not be part of it too. Not to protect some elusive wife, but to protect themselves.
Then we're just arguing semantics. Russia currently controls most of the claimed regions and if God demanded an armistice they'd keep most of it. It is up to the Ukrainian forces to change that if they insist on war. They don't need to wait for some formal declaration of peace so long as they hold the regions. They have de facto achieved their goals. Both Korean countries claims jurisdiction over all Korea, but they don't have much authority in each other lands. It would be plainly ignorant for either to demand the other to unconditionally cede their domain. But it would also be nonsensical to claim then that either is trouncing the other given they can't push each other out of their respective domains. The ball is on Ukraine's court to take the lands back if they so wish, which means they're on the losing side right now. You're missing the forest for the trees on that one.
I'm confused. Where are the Tankies in this? Are we Trump? The USA? Europe? The Leopards? If you people are at war with each other and the USA helps out, what do we have to do with it? Are we asking the USA to defend or attack Europe? Very confusing.
Or do you refer to the USA protecting European capitalist interests (which don't include the interests of the working class Europeans) by destabilising foreign powers that pose a threat to European imperialism? Well, if that is the case, I'm not sure how the wars on Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan, or the dozen interventions in America Proper helped the working class Europeans. If y'all really don't like the Unitedstadian support, please do ask for a referendum to leave or disband NATO. You'll find plenty of leftist support worldwide.
Ah yes, Unitedstadians haven't been famously killing and oppressing their own before Putin got into power. The FBI is a KGB branch and all.
sounds neat, reminds me of this monster hunter track
I'm sorry, neither of those are really that popular out there. K-pop, Funk and hip-hop variants are really blooming though. Also why is the Ukrainian one German and singing in English? Either way, have yet another cultural wonder from far away.
...says the one with a lemmygrad account.
I'd actually be in favour of that but at the same time would worry about what the US will be doing without our moderating input.
When it comes to intervention abroad the US and EU have vastly different outlooks (even though France kicked off Libya).
Random recent example, take Mali: Their government said "Help we have ISIS here and can't deal with it", France said "No problem my old colonial subject we'll solve it", Mali said "We know the French, they are arrogant and are only going to stomp ISIS, then leave us as defenceless as we were before" upon which Germany said "We also know the French, yes they're arrogant we'll train you". Thus France went to fight, and Germany went to train. Then, and this is a bit speculation, Russia bribed some top Mali brass in any case the net effect was a military coup in Mali, the Junta then inviting Wagner over and their military started to massacre random people in joint operations with Mali. France and Germany promptly left and/or suspended operations, Wagner trying to blame the human rights abuses on France (playing into general anti-French propaganda Russia has been peddling in the region for quite a while). And no they didn't do anything to combat ISIS they only made things worse.
How many points in that -- coming when invited, doing a clean job, leaving when asked, would you expect the US to do? The European sentiment is that the fucked-up internal state of Mali politics cannot be solved by imposition from the outside, they will have to find their own way out of it, sure if they want we can lend a hand but ultimately it's their responsibility to not fuck up their own country. It's a kind of non-interventionist interventionism. We are precisely limited by not backing dictatorships, unlike Russia which prefers people who it can bribe, China which actually doesn't care one way or the other, regarding it as simply business, and the US well they're not even really in Africa but you know all to well how they treated, and are treating, South America. 60 fucking years and they're still pissed Cuba dared to rebel against them as colonial overlords.
Side note yes you should totally look into Wagner's operations in Africa. If that doesn't look like an attempt at colonialism then I don't know what does.
Who needs K-pop when you have the insanity that produces Eurovision.
I mean... it's respected. It's funky. But also rather specific, or alternatively used as ingredient in other styles. But speaking of Eurovision. No I don't know what that is, either, there's a reason there's a gazillion Eurovision drinking games.
Hmm. K.I.Z. is all the rage among the younger lefties but I could never really get into hip-hop. Other bands make other kinds, cult classic not in the least because of the lyrics, and then, well, over here everything ultimately turns out metal.
Not German, Germanic would fit better, genre is proto-germanic ritual folk. The band is as much German as Norwegian as Danish and the relation to Ukraine is in the theme and lyrics of the song. Ukrainians, btw, are an age-old mixture of Slavic and Germanic culture, Vikings settled there when travelling between the Baltic and Black Sea and mixed with the local Slavic population starting about 750CE.
As to Ukrainian music -- I'm a bit stumped but there's definitely Jinjer. They also punch way above their weight in Eurovision, counted by wins per time participated they lead the pack.
But as I didn't accost you with enough metal yet I'll add what should have been Germany's entry last year before the powers that be decided it to be "not suitable for radio play", which radio stations then promptly commented by playing it up and down.
You know I tried to come up with South American artists but failed twice -- first idea was Manu Chao, but the guy is French of Basque-Galician descent, and then Santana, well, closer, at least he's (originally) Mexican.
If you ask around in Spain or Portugal they'll know more of your stuff. And, just remembered, for some reason DTH are popular in Argentinia.