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| Europe |
| INTERVIEW: Be it Trump or Biden, Europe must protect itself, says chief of European Defence Agency |
| 2020-11-01 |
| [AlAhram] A Joe Biden presidency would be a welcome relief in Europe, said Nick Witney, the founder and first chief executive of the European Defence Agency in Brussels. Certainly it would be less overtly challenging, as the world’s fondations continued quietly rotting. Some interesting Qs and As: AO: Do you think the Europeans are heading in the right direction regarding their security, regardless of who occupies the White House?NW: I think there are two realisations that are widely shared in Europe. The first is that the world in the 21st century is not the same as the world of the 20th century, and whether we like it or not, the extent of American protection and the American willingness to focus on Europe will diminish during the coming decades, regardless of whether we have a republican or democratic president, and therefore the Europeans should do more to ensure their security. The second realisation is that Europe does not necessarily see the diminish of US interest as a bad thing, because Uncle Sam's protection of Europe had its upsides and downsides. The commercial, industrial, cultural, and even psychological interests of the Europeans may be better served by achieving a greater degree of independence from America in order to achieve "strategic autonomy" for Europe. This term is being talked about increasingly. Therefore, I think that there are two realisations there, namely that America will no longer be as engaged as it was in the past, and that this may be a good thing for Europe. But so often with matters to do with Europe, it is one thing to achieve an intellectual realisation, and it is quite a different matter to do anything about it, i.e. to make the policy changes, the hard decisions to spend money, and to make actions conform with these intellectual realisations. I am much less confident about that second part. AO: But European security is at stake. Because of US policies in countries like Syria and Iraq, we have an immigration crisis, and Europe is the continent that pays the price. Why can't Europe put in place policies that resist the chaos America is creating? NW: I think the European foreign policy is not ambitious. In the Middle East, I believe that the policy of the European Union during the coming period will be defensive and protective. You are right that the biggest concern Europeans are facing is illegal immigration. The second concern is terrorism, a threat that has become present again in France in recent days. But does this mean that Europeans believe they can or should play a more active role in the Middle East? I am sorry to say no. I think that the Europeans have reached the conclusion that any attempt to be active in the Middle East will end in a disaster similar to the experiences of American intervention during the past two or three decades. The best way to fight terrorism is to stay out of the Middle East and focus completely on the activities of the security services. The best way to combat illegal immigration is not a military intervention, but to help the region to prevent migrants from leaving for Europe. I think our policy will be very defensive, and not ambitious, and this assessment includes Britain as well. AO: How will the US elections affect other policies in the region? NW: If Biden is elected, he will restore the nuclear agreement with Iran, and the Europeans will be very pleased about that. The Europeans also did not support Trump's policy to encourage a rapprochement between Israel and the Gulf states, because they considered that this alliance was driven by hostility to Iran and was not constructive and that Europe could not support it. But the European Union will not do anything specific about it. The Europeans will keep talking about the rights of the Palestinians and so forth, but they will not do anything concrete about it. The European instinct will be to keep out the Middle East. After all, oil does not matter that much anymore. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #4 America can help speed Europe on their way by increasing tariffs from 2.5% to 25%. |
| Posted by: Thrairong Ebbusomp4597 2020-11-01 17:56 |
| #3 The Europeans also did not support Trump's policy to encourage a rapprochement between Israel and the Gulf states, because they considered that this alliance was driven by hostility to Iran Translation: "Trump is intent on making sure that Iran does not nuke Israel. Such an intention is incompatible with traditional European values." |
| Posted by: Matt 2020-11-01 11:20 |
| #2 *Blink* Feel free to start any time you're ready. Really, just do it! |
| Posted by: magpie 2020-11-01 03:49 |
| #1 Pay your own defense bills. I'd suggest kicking Turkey out of NATO and clawing back the equipment and money sent to them. |
| Posted by: Theager Borgia1057 2020-11-01 01:34 |