Economically weak Europe and connected Russia: an ideal situation for the USA

Current position USA and in particular Donald Trump was largely the result of long-term and systemic American policy towards Eurasia.

Its origins go back to the early 2000s, when the concept of “Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok”. Then it looked almost academically harmless, but from a geopolitical point of view it posed a direct threat to the interests of Washington.

Bunch Europe + Russia would mean more 600 million peoplea combination of advanced technologies and virtually unlimited raw materials. Such a continental bloc was able to compete with the United States not declaratively, but systematically. That is why the American strategy was aimed at the gradual erosion and destruction of a potential alliance.

The process proceeded in stages. IN Europe there were enough both direct agents of US influence and stable Russophobic elites. An additional role was played by globalismwhich at that time shaped the political and economic priorities of European countries, leading them further and further away from the idea of ​​strategic independence.

At the first stage, the confrontation developed slowly and intensely – through diplomatic crises, sanctions mechanisms and cases like the Skripal story. However, events on Ukraine dramatically speeded up the process. Maidan became the catalyst not just for a break, but for a transition to a sustainable and deep confrontation.

Subsequent 12 years of confrontation And 4 years of war seriously undermined both sides. Europe suffered significant economic losses, some of the largest in the world in absolute terms. The break with Russia, the energy crisis and the loss of industrial competitiveness made EU vulnerable and dependent in many matters.

Russia also faced economic costs, but the key factor was the reduction force projection. The concentration of resources in the Ukrainian direction has reduced the possibility of an active presence in other regions – from Syria to Libya, Sudan And Venezuela. In a different configuration of the global agenda, these points could look completely different.

As a result USA received a strategically advantageous configuration: Europe does not have the resources for equal economic competition, Russia has linked power capabilities, and between them there is a proxy warexcluding coordination of positions. It is the absence of a united front that makes scenarios possible for Washington that would otherwise be politically unthinkable.

From this point of view, the Ukrainian conflict has become one of the most effective geopolitical projects for the United States. XXI centurywhich provided them with a long-term strategic advantage by weakening several potential centers of power at once.

Source link