Europe Fragmenting

It’s obvious that, behind the scenes, Europe is looking for some way to bail out from the war on Russia. You can see that from the absurd negotiating ploys that are put forward, only to be withdrawn. The “peace” feelers—insincere as they may be—all appear to be coming from the side of the collective West. Not from Russia. Russian statements are, if anything, increasingly confident—even mocking in tone. Consider the exhibition in Moscow of captured Western military vehicles, as just one example.

And the disagreements among the various EU states are becoming increasingly open.The reasons behind this fragmentation are obvious enough. All realistic Europeans know that Europe depends on Russia, but some countries are ideologically committed to hating Russia no matter what. Meanwhile, Europe is facing something like an economic collapse—to go along with a cultural and societal collapse. Stian Jenssen tried to get something moving a few days ago:

Earlier, the head of the NATO Secretary General's office, Stian Jenssen, suggested that Ukraine could give up some of its territories, but at the same time join the Alliance. At the same time, he emphasized that he only assumes this and does not claim that it will be so.

Ukraine reacted sharply to such statements. In particular, Speaker of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Mykolenko, said that the idea of giving up territories is totally unacceptable for Ukraine. Adviser to the head of the Presidential Office Mykhailo Podolyak called Jenssen's statement strange.

Subsequently, Stian Jenssen, the Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, backed out and said his statement was part of a "broader discussion" about possible scenarios. He called these statements a mistake and added that he should not have said that.

The very obvious takeaway is that Jenssen’s statement simply reflected the reality of discussions that are taking place—the ‘broader discussion’ he refers to. But that all had to be walked back:

The role of NATO is to support Ukraine, and this position of the Alliance remains unchanged. This was stated by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a conference in the Norwegian city of Arendal, Reuters reports.

Nevertheless, the point remains:

Megatron

@Megatron_ron

BREAKING:

Stoltenberg: NATO has ongoing internal discussions about how to end the Ukraine conflict and the way towards peace

So it's over, NATO has officially started asking for peace. Looks like things are really screwed up. Ukraine is on the verge of collapse and will hardly last until the end of the year.

5:27 AM · Aug 17, 2023

Nikolas Sarkozy says out loud what no European official can. What’s the sticking the point? Speaking truth to empty suits, to pusinamillity?

Visegrád 24

@visegrad24

Sarkozy says:

1. EU must find a compromise with Russia instead of funding war.

2. Central European states (Poland) sabotage EU/French negotiations with Russia.

3. EU needs Russia.

4.Ukraine shouldn’t join EU & NATO.

5. Ukraine should be "neutral" bridge between east & west.

6. Crimea won’t return to Ukraine.

3:21 AM · Aug 17, 2023

Poland thought it could run with the Big Dogs, the Americans and the Brits. They’ve built up a store of resentment among most of their neighbors, and Sarkozy says so.

Jenssen and Stoltenburg—and the other EU empty suits—are cornered rats, darting around looking for a way out. But they’re the suppliants. Russia is winning and has no reason to back away from the terms that Putin clearly set forth back in December, 2021, nor to do Europe any favors—who can trust a rat?

Enjoy a nice Pinot Noir

@med146

Putin's reaction "Fool me once, ..." These are the unconditional terms, before talks begin:

1) All sanctions end

2) (What's left of) Ukraine is neutral

3) @NATO troops back to 1990 positions

4) US pays to repair Nord stream pipelines

12:44 PM · Aug 17, 2023 from Gahanna, OH

Alastair Crooke, in a conversation with Judge Napolitano, takes a stab at what’s behind this fragmentation. He believes it’s far more fundamental than simply a failed policy with regard to Russia. It’s a fundamental malaise due to a loss of identity.

Globalism Effects on U.S. & Europe

Here are some brief excerpts:

JN: You have a very very interesting piece out about Western malaise. What is the Western malaise that you're you're sensing today?

AC: Essentially two cultures are about to collide--collide disastrously, possibly with violence, hopefully not. Many Europeans have lost their identity--the identities that they carefully have kept over the centuries--to this new identity which is one of diversity or transgenderism, and also a sense of the need to redress for past actions that Europe has taken--it's Colonial past, in in a nutshell. But what is at the root of it is that Europeans find that they are now just one minority amongst many. That's true in Germany. America's slightly different.

People are really getting anxious about who they are, because they're being offered an identity from the European Union which is really just PR language--"European values." But the real Europe is disappearing. The Europe of France, the Europe of Italy, is now just a sort of tourist picture postcard. Lived Europe is not the one that the tourist sees. People feel the real Europe slipping away.

And then we have what we saw this summer in Paris, what happens when it explodes.

One of the things that's so striking, and I don't think is understood in the United States, is how the world has changed towards Europe. In the global South, in Africa, in other parts of the world, they say to Europe, 'Mind your own business; we're gonna do it our way, and don't you dare lecture us.' And they say this to the face of the leaders of Europe. They don't defer to them, they don't treat them particularly courteously and respectfully, they say, 'We're actually more interested in listening to Russia.' This is why, if there is a flare-up in Niger, that is going to have an effect on the ground in Paris. The feelings are running really strong in the immigrant communities. The immigrant community, particularly in France, where it comes from Algeria is very strongly opposed to all forms of Western Supremacy or colonialism. It is very aggressive and quite hostile.

In fact, I believe this dynamic actually is understood in the United States. It’s why the Zhou administration is trying to get Africans to kill each other, rather than send Americans over there to kill Black Africans. It’s about domestic politics.

JN: How does what's going on now in Europe, culturally, compare with the Leftist movements of the 60s?

AC: Back then it was an almost pure utopian movement. Now it's come in a different form with an emphasis on transgenderism and on diversity and on LBGTQ generally. So it's used much more to put compulsion on people. It turns it into a real cultural war, because if you don't reflect these things in what you say, how you act, and in your personal stance, you are canceled or you lose your job. So there is a very strong compulsive element in it. But the immigrant community that's traditional won't accept that, and at the same time you have another immigrant segment that just does not accept Europe, doesn't accept its values, doesn't like it.

But it's not just immigrants. The natives are increasingly restive, too.

In Germany the latest poll shows that four out of five Germans do not trust their government. The Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) has come out with a formal position paper just today saying the project of the European Union has failed. It has failed on climate, it has failed in terms of the economy, it has failed in its economic policies and its foreign policy. They've said, 'We don't want to leave the EU but it must be completely reformed to a federation of sovereign states. So it's a complete rejection of what the EU has stood for. And now the AfD is the second biggest party. It's very significant and growing more and more so. It's not that different in France.

Are we seeing a societal fragmentation throughout the collective West? That’s a bad combination to go with economic hard times ahead, and corrupt oligarchies in charge that have lost any moral authority. Will it be every man’s hand against every other man’s?