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A United Europe Aligning With China Would Be A Disaster For The United States
The Federalist ^ | December 30, 2020 | Sumantra Maitra

Posted on 12/30/2020 9:02:07 AM PST by Kaslin

Under no scenario would a unified European Union aligned with China be in the interest of America. Indeed, a united EU might not be a friend but a foe.


Joseph Borrell, a former Spanish socialist and current High Representative of the European Union, recently argued the EU needs to be strategically independent. “It is foreseen that in 20 years, we [the EU] will not represent more than 11 percent of world GNP, far behind China, which will represent double it, below 14 percent for the United States and at par with India,” Borrell wrote, adding the next two decades would be critical “because China will use them to become the first global power.”

Borrell’s statement is illuminating. For the first time, a high-ranking politician of the EU has publicly stated that the rise of China as the premier power of the world is not just happening, but it an inevitability. This implies, forebodingly, a decline of the United States.

Now, despite European academics warning against such an action, the European Union is inviting China for an investment deal — much to Washington’s impotent displeasure. France and Germany have both blessed the deal, showing some nominal Chinese concessions.

Meanwhile, Germany is proceeding with Huawei’s access in its 5G sector. True, after joint American and Australian pressure, Britain gave up on Huawei earlier this year, but Germany’s insistence on sticking with Huawei should be a clear sign to Washington, D.C. that real, tangible power has shifted.

As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, “The biggest victory in the U.S. lobbying campaign against Huawei came in the U.K., which has banned the purchase of Huawei’s technology beginning in January.” Yet that the German decision, led personally by Angela Merkel as a gesture to the United States, “marks a setback for the outgoing U.S. administration, which has lobbied European allies to reject Huawei’s technology.”

This comes amidst and despite ongoing active aggressive Chinese intelligence bullying, which recently included a Chinese agent physically tailing a Czech cyber agency director in Prague. As if to rub it in even further, the EU responded to the incoming Biden administration’s request for a consultation on China with a confirmation of a deal with China.

Unlike Britain and Australia steadfastly aligning with the United States in preparation for a coming binary world, the EU is not. So it is time for America to take note, return the favor, and make the stakes clear to the EU.

Many commentators thought that, after the Cold War, permanent institutionalized peace in Europe would mean the entire continent would be both strong and subservient to the United States. In reality, like most great powers throughout history, the EU turned into a quasi-empire, with independent interests rapidly diverging from the United States.

While the classical British grand strategy for 500 years was always cognizant of the danger of a united European mainland — and therefore understood that “divide and rule” was a cynical but better option to maintain a favorable balance of power — their modern American counterparts were more faithful to their providential understanding of geopolitics.

American policymakers now face hard choices, but that is also partly due to a still pervasive belief in an inevitably positive and peaceful arc of history. Yet the paradox in American policy towards Europe is that policymakers in D.C. expect the EU to be both independent as an ally and have similar interests as the United States. That is, historically speaking, rarely the case.

There are largely pro-American countries within the EU, and there are virulently anti-American countries. To unite them all together under one flag and one umbrella means the chance those who are anti-American might have power someday.

Consider the historical British grand-strategy whenever there was a singular hegemonic continental power. Britain supported the Dutch against the Spanish, Austria against Napoleon, and France against both Kaiser Wilhelm II and Adolf Hitler. American grand strategy was originally similar, supporting Western Europe against the Soviets. This changed, however, post-Cold War, with a Clintonian democratic peace theory that forgot the rules of realpolitik in favor of institutionalizing a hegemon in the form of the EU.

Has anyone considered the possibility of the enormous accumulated power that would be opposed to the United States if the EU and China are aligned? What that would mean for American companies and trade? To give just one example, the biggest power the United States still possesses is the ever-looming threat of sanctions against an adversary. Yet that would be effectively meaningless if a united Europe refuses to comply with American demands in the future.

There was a logic in the British “divide and rule” policy. Compared to a lot of Eastern European countries, Britain was in a better position to unilaterally move out, given British economy and military power, something a lot of smaller countries are not capable of. American strategists worth their salt would start thinking about how to exploit these rifts within the EU.

To have a united Europe side with China would mean the end of American hegemony in the western hemisphere. The threat that the mostly pro-American Eastern EU countries face is from both Russia and a hegemonic EU. America should use that and pry open the centrifugal forces within the EU, or at least threaten the EU leadership of the consequences of aligning with China.

Given that it is the EU’s explicit intention to be a third pole between the United States and China, as Borrell recently said, one might argue they are aligning with China on purpose. In that scenario, a potent threat from the American side would be to pull back all troops out of Europe and let Europeans defend themselves against Russia.

Under no scenario would a unified EU with enormous trade and military power be in the interest of America. It is time to think in grand-strategic terms and consider the possibility that a united EU might not be an ally. Indeed, to help it further unite would be an extraordinary blunder.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Germany
KEYWORDS: alliances; allies; antiamericanism; beltandroad; ccp; china; communism; eu; europe; europeanunion; eussr; foreignpolicy; fourthreich; globalaffairs; globalstrategy; kingofthenorth; kingsoftheeast; redchina; worldaffairs
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1 posted on 12/30/2020 9:02:07 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

BS. When you are a vassal, as the US will soon be, alliances are meaningless.

But hey, it’s not all bad. The Chinese are bright enough to make sure we have internet and smartphones. Of course, internet content will be changed a little.


2 posted on 12/30/2020 9:05:15 AM PST by brownsfan (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.)
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When has a united Europe ever been a friend? Particularly one based on the so-called “social market economy” and expounds “respect for the principles of the (communistic) United Nations charter”?

Kaiser Wilhelm II described the notion of having “a United States of Europe against America” at the beginning of the last century.


3 posted on 12/30/2020 9:06:35 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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Fuqum, did my part.


4 posted on 12/30/2020 9:07:18 AM PST by dsrtsage (Complexity is merely simplicity lacking imagination)
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To: Kaslin

Slight variation on the Hitler-Tojo axis. This time, the Germans won’t need to bomb Pearl Harbir.


5 posted on 12/30/2020 9:07:35 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: Kaslin
One step closer to a one world government. We are slowly but surely being marginalized.
6 posted on 12/30/2020 9:09:07 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: Kaslin

Note to The Federalist: I hate to break it to you, but that ship sailed a while ago.


7 posted on 12/30/2020 9:09:39 AM PST by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds. )
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To: Kaslin

[There was a logic in the British “divide and rule” policy. Compared to a lot of Eastern European countries, Britain was in a better position to unilaterally move out, given British economy and military power, something a lot of smaller countries are not capable of. American strategists worth their salt would start thinking about how to exploit these rifts within the EU. ]


The Chinese have been doing that with the EU. Trump was doing that with the EU, which is why so many EUnuchs were so angry with him. Biden is continuing with the Clinton strategy of fashioning Europe into a powerful enemy to counteract American power.


8 posted on 12/30/2020 9:11:46 AM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: Kaslin

Tell it to the Italians. I think they had enough of the Chinese.


9 posted on 12/30/2020 9:12:43 AM PST by Kid Shelleen (Beat your plowshares into swords. Let the weak say I am strong)
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To: Kaslin

If the Euros want to align with China, they better use a very long spoon.


10 posted on 12/30/2020 9:13:03 AM PST by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
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To: Kaslin
So then we are allying with Russia? And India?

Probably East Asia will divide. The countries close to China go with us, the ones further out with China?

11 posted on 12/30/2020 9:14:04 AM PST by x
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To: Kaslin

European socialists and statists are embracing Europe’s decline and second-class status.


12 posted on 12/30/2020 9:14:14 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Kaslin
“It is foreseen that in 20 years, we [the EU] will not represent more than 11 percent of world GNP, far behind China, which will represent double it, below 14 percent for the United States and at par with India,”

Decline is a choice, both for Europe and for us. China and India have not made that choice - they choose to ascend.

Trump tried to reverse that choice, but the inertia of decades of deliberate appeasement of Communist China aren't easy to resist, let alone reverse.
13 posted on 12/30/2020 9:14:47 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Kaslin

No it would not! The US needs more isolation, to get back to its roots of self sufficiency!


14 posted on 12/30/2020 9:22:27 AM PST by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: Kaslin

The Eurowimps need Chinese labor in China to produce cheaply the consumer goods, electronics and heavy materiels that are too costly and enviormentally detrimental to produce in Europe. China in turn needs the markets, the flow of capital and access to innovative technology and advances. Both benefit. Yet neither are a real threat to the United States. The United States will never fight a land war with China on the Asian mainland. China for all its penetrations into the American economy and political infrastructure cannot really really control America.

Yet China model of economic development is fatally flawed. The Communist Party controls the central bank and the allocation of capital. As a result huge amounts of laboursly earned capital have been and continue to be squandered. There is chronic economic and political instability in China. When it acutely worsens the CCP will do all it can to preserve its grip on power. China has always coveted Russia’s rich but underpopulated Siberian and Pacific coast territories. During a crisis the prize would be very tempting to desperate communists.

Therefore very much doubt there will be a conflict involving the Eurowimps or the Americans. However a serious fight between Russia alligned perhaps with India, financed by Japan against China one day will happen.


15 posted on 12/30/2020 9:28:26 AM PST by allendale
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To: Kaslin

That Stasi has been PM of Deutschland for a long time. Is she really that popular? Or do they use Dominion machines there, too?


16 posted on 12/30/2020 9:29:12 AM PST by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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To: All

Good. We can get out of NATO and take down all our military bases over there


17 posted on 12/30/2020 9:29:33 AM PST by escapefromboston (Free Assange )
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To: Kaslin

Is it a disaster for the US or Biden? It would be a shame if the big guy didn’t get his 10%.


18 posted on 12/30/2020 9:42:57 AM PST by alternatives? (If our borders are not secure, why fund an army?)
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To: escapefromboston

Why do you think that would be the case?

Withdraw from enemy territory and wait for him to build up and come here?


19 posted on 12/30/2020 9:43:24 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: x

Russia has been allied with China for decades. How would you propose breaking that alliance?


20 posted on 12/30/2020 9:44:11 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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