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The prospect of German, French, and British companies being hit with US sanctions in the wake of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal carries with it an element of poetic justice. Over the past few years, each of the aforementioned governments were slavish in their support for sanctions against Russia; therefore, now that they face being on the receiving end of sanctions themselves, well, let’s just say the opportunity to luxuriate in Schadenfreude is hard to resist. However, this being said, under the circumstances… what with the Middle East perched on the precipice of a full-blown regional war, what with an administration in Washington more redolent in its actions of a mafia crime family than a government, and what with instability and escalation the new normal… Schadenfreude at this juncture is an indulgence too far.
For if this enveloping crisis confirms anything, it’s that the time has come for Europe to wake up to the reality of its transatlantic alliance with Washington… an alliance in which they invested so much political capital and which is now exposed as a sham, a masquerade that allowed dandified popinjays, such as Emmanuel Macron, to indulge their imperial pretensions… much like that snivelling boy you met in the playground when you were at school, who by dint of sucking up to the school bully was able to prance around as if his you-know-what didn’t stink. In truth, the relationship between the USA and Europe was never a relationship of equals. In truth, it always was a relationship between an imperial hegemon and its various satellites; one that tethered Europe to the deadweight of unipolarity since the USSR’s demise. The only difference now is that the Trump Administration removed the mask of propriety, civility, and democracy to reveal the snarling beast of hegemony that really drives US foreign policy, and always has. A tweet posted by the new US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, laid bare Washington’s disdain for Europe. Ambassador Grenell tweeted:
As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.
This diktat, issued by a latter-day Roman proconsul to a European satellite, marks the nadir of an alliance that impeded European unity and development and not enabled it. Indeed, the destabilising factor in Europe isn’t and has never been Moscow; the destabilising factor is and has always been Washington. Thus, Europe now has a very clear decision to make. Does it continue to tether itself to the mast of US hegemony, at the mercy of the caprice of a US president in Washington? Alternatively, does it join Russia and China in seeking an anti-hegemonic alternative, one rooted in the principles set out in the UN Charter… i.e. respect for national sovereignty, self-determination, and the universal application of international law.
In fact, it’s arguable that this decision was just made for Europe, with the only thing left to find out is whether those in power have the requisite integrity to act accordingly and start the process of decoupling from Washington’s coattails. If they don’t… if France, Germany, and the UK continue to champion this failed husk of a transatlantic alliance… then, there can no longer be any equivocation… they govern contrary to the interests of their own people. Therefore, yes, that Europe arrived at a key juncture in its history isn’t in doubt. It’s why resisting the temptation to ascribe this crisis to the machinations of one bad or vulgar president in the shape of Trump in the Oval Office is non-negotiable. Despite the claims of his liberal detractors in Washington and across Europe, Trump isn’t a departure from the status quo in Washington. Instead, Trump is merely its most crude and brazen exemplar. Moreover, too, in talking about US hegemony, we’re dealing with its economic manifestation in the shape of neoliberalism, its cultural manifestation, and (of course) its military component, most emphatically reflected in NATO… a military alliance that now exists to deal with the crises that very existence creates.
The monstrous injustice involved in the Trump Administration’s démarche over the Iran Deal, driven by a transparently geostrategic agenda in conjunction with Riyadh and Tel Aviv, moves the region, as mentioned, to the brink of a devastating conflict. In response, it must also produce a sea change in European thinking when it comes to its relations with the USA… and by definition, with Russia. Although you can describe operating as a de facto colony of Washington as many things, honourable and strong are not among them. France’s most famous leader of modern times, Charles De Gaulle, said it best:
You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.
Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal is the very epitome of “stupidity beyond imagination”, leaving no hiding place for those who continue to believe in the verities that posit America as that shining city on the hill. Since the end of World War II, US involvement in Europe had a corrosive effect on the continent’s political, economic, and cultural life. Thus, it’s high time that Europe declared its independence and forged its own path as part of a multipolar world.
11 May 2018
John Wight
Sputnik International
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201805111064373593-iran-deal-transatlantic-alliance-crisis/
Voices from Russia 
Iran Deal Crisis Leaves Transatlantic Alliance in Tatters
Tags: Charles de Gaulle, diplomacy, diplomatic relations, Donald Trump, EU, European Union, Iran, Iran's nuclear program, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, political commentary, politics, Sanctions against Iran, United States, USA
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The prospect of German, French, and British companies being hit with US sanctions in the wake of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal carries with it an element of poetic justice. Over the past few years, each of the aforementioned governments were slavish in their support for sanctions against Russia; therefore, now that they face being on the receiving end of sanctions themselves, well, let’s just say the opportunity to luxuriate in Schadenfreude is hard to resist. However, this being said, under the circumstances… what with the Middle East perched on the precipice of a full-blown regional war, what with an administration in Washington more redolent in its actions of a mafia crime family than a government, and what with instability and escalation the new normal… Schadenfreude at this juncture is an indulgence too far.
For if this enveloping crisis confirms anything, it’s that the time has come for Europe to wake up to the reality of its transatlantic alliance with Washington… an alliance in which they invested so much political capital and which is now exposed as a sham, a masquerade that allowed dandified popinjays, such as Emmanuel Macron, to indulge their imperial pretensions… much like that snivelling boy you met in the playground when you were at school, who by dint of sucking up to the school bully was able to prance around as if his you-know-what didn’t stink. In truth, the relationship between the USA and Europe was never a relationship of equals. In truth, it always was a relationship between an imperial hegemon and its various satellites; one that tethered Europe to the deadweight of unipolarity since the USSR’s demise. The only difference now is that the Trump Administration removed the mask of propriety, civility, and democracy to reveal the snarling beast of hegemony that really drives US foreign policy, and always has. A tweet posted by the new US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, laid bare Washington’s disdain for Europe. Ambassador Grenell tweeted:
This diktat, issued by a latter-day Roman proconsul to a European satellite, marks the nadir of an alliance that impeded European unity and development and not enabled it. Indeed, the destabilising factor in Europe isn’t and has never been Moscow; the destabilising factor is and has always been Washington. Thus, Europe now has a very clear decision to make. Does it continue to tether itself to the mast of US hegemony, at the mercy of the caprice of a US president in Washington? Alternatively, does it join Russia and China in seeking an anti-hegemonic alternative, one rooted in the principles set out in the UN Charter… i.e. respect for national sovereignty, self-determination, and the universal application of international law.
In fact, it’s arguable that this decision was just made for Europe, with the only thing left to find out is whether those in power have the requisite integrity to act accordingly and start the process of decoupling from Washington’s coattails. If they don’t… if France, Germany, and the UK continue to champion this failed husk of a transatlantic alliance… then, there can no longer be any equivocation… they govern contrary to the interests of their own people. Therefore, yes, that Europe arrived at a key juncture in its history isn’t in doubt. It’s why resisting the temptation to ascribe this crisis to the machinations of one bad or vulgar president in the shape of Trump in the Oval Office is non-negotiable. Despite the claims of his liberal detractors in Washington and across Europe, Trump isn’t a departure from the status quo in Washington. Instead, Trump is merely its most crude and brazen exemplar. Moreover, too, in talking about US hegemony, we’re dealing with its economic manifestation in the shape of neoliberalism, its cultural manifestation, and (of course) its military component, most emphatically reflected in NATO… a military alliance that now exists to deal with the crises that very existence creates.
The monstrous injustice involved in the Trump Administration’s démarche over the Iran Deal, driven by a transparently geostrategic agenda in conjunction with Riyadh and Tel Aviv, moves the region, as mentioned, to the brink of a devastating conflict. In response, it must also produce a sea change in European thinking when it comes to its relations with the USA… and by definition, with Russia. Although you can describe operating as a de facto colony of Washington as many things, honourable and strong are not among them. France’s most famous leader of modern times, Charles De Gaulle, said it best:
Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal is the very epitome of “stupidity beyond imagination”, leaving no hiding place for those who continue to believe in the verities that posit America as that shining city on the hill. Since the end of World War II, US involvement in Europe had a corrosive effect on the continent’s political, economic, and cultural life. Thus, it’s high time that Europe declared its independence and forged its own path as part of a multipolar world.
11 May 2018
John Wight
Sputnik International
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201805111064373593-iran-deal-transatlantic-alliance-crisis/