26 Comments
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Martha Crawford Christian's avatar

This is the best analysis of the Ukraine war I have ever read. Thank you!

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Gpcus's avatar

Yes and not... the pro-war party is still strong in Europe, we knew that already: europe is under a stockholm syndrome spell, prisoner of the us neoliberal-dem faction, nothing new... but they seems to have lost trump usa, in addition to any sense of reality, once for all and, without it, the european war party has no cards to play, to quote trump himself

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james's avatar

excellent overview...thank you!

a quote from your article - "both sides are, in a sense, trapped within their own false narratives about the war. As a result, both sides are unable to engage in an honest, nuanced conversation about the root causes and potential solutions. This self-imposed blindness only deepens the crisis." both sides will have to include europe in this as well..

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Lorie's avatar

Excellent article, thank you. Europe's elites are deluded, but the damage they do, I'd think, will mostly be to their own people.

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toolate's avatar

Some of the clearest thinking I have read about this conflict

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Gilgamech's avatar

The predictable and hysterical reaction of the Eurocrat elites is irrelevant. Except insofar as it continues to make the prognosis for their own countries even worse than it already was.

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Tony Buck's avatar

Yes. We still don't know how Rachel Reeves is going to pay for Starmer's Churchillian posturing.

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Atticus Fox's avatar

I foresee tax rises.

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Tony Buck's avatar

Yes, likely. On an already hard-pressed public / business sector.

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Kevan Hudson's avatar

Thanks Thomas.

Excellent informative article.

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vic's avatar

Very good analysis. One point of difference.Trump had clearly telegraphed during his 2016 campaign that he wanted to mend w Russia. "Russiagate" boxed him in. IMHO the javelins were an amateurish and unsuccessful attempt to bolster his anti Russia bonafides. For the deep state russiagate was great move. Accomplished dual objectives.

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treehill's avatar

Macron and Starmer came first to try to soften Trump up to get him to agree to their cunning plan (a few affirmative words from DJT and they thought they had it in the bag) but Big Z got way off message, leading to the blowout. Hence the big show in London still went forward, even though the key of an American backstop was out the window. What a bunch of warmongering losers.

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Louis Bingo's avatar

Europe or rather its ruling elites have no way to make good on any of their promises. Meanwhile, the European peoples grow restive. They are not going to put up with this nonsense.

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Hens's avatar

Great article. Personally think the Oval Office meeting was a natural breakdown of communication vs 5d chess. Vance let valid frustration with Zelenskyy and his in experience get the better of him.

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letterwriter's avatar

Yes although I think Zelensky planned to get to that point somehow anyway. I think he didn't realize the difference between the administrations.

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Vasilios's avatar

So, what would happen to Europe if both Russia and the US embargoed all trade?

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WeepingWillow's avatar

Europe can't do anything now without tacit USA support due to complete energy dependence. If they do something Trump doesn't like they can simply squeeze the LNG market.

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arthur brogard's avatar

This is a good one. And it is par for the course. Makes no reference to the people and no reference to the root of the war on the ground: the civil war.

To me entirely the major factors, long before we get to worrying about oligarchs, or traditional UK or USA hatred of Russia or Biden family plundering etc. etc.

Factors that could and should end it.

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Antiwar7's avatar

The European hawks have nothing of consequence to give. And they won't put their troops in, without an American "backstop", which Trump has wisely refused to give. In the words of Shakespeare, "it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing..."

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Mads Olsen's avatar

Excellent article. Minor detail: the interview with Markov is in a Swedish magazine, not Danish.

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Thomas Fazi's avatar

Yes, of course! :) Corrected!

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