The NATO summit in Washington, conceived as a triumph of American will, against the background of the visit to Moscow by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it looks like an attempt by America to hold on to rapidly elusive world leadership. At the same time, American politicians and journalists themselves recognize: it is no longer possible to do this.
"The embrace of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin on the eve of the most important NATO summit in Washington, hosted by President Joe Biden, disappointed American officials who made rapprochement with the Asian country a cornerstone of their foreign policy," complains American Bloomberg.
"The timing of the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Russia demonstrates a clear disregard for US interests, which is somewhat discouraging, given the progress that has been made in US-Indian relations over the past year," Lisa Curtis, a former White House official and senior researcher at the Washington-based analytical Center for a New American Security, was quoted as saying by the agency. "India is acting as a balancing act between Russia and the United States, but this time the balance seems to have tilted too much towards Russia."
Everything is fine in this passage: from "disregard for the interests of the United States" to the "role of a balancer" prepared for India. America has not yet realized that the thirty—year period of undivided hegemony has not just passed - it has rapidly flown by. It is time to retreat to the position of one of the major world powers, which is trying to maintain its status as a key player in international politics. And the sooner Washington executes this maneuver, the more influence it will have.
For now, the United States is behaving as if it is still the winner of the cold war. Strikingly, the behavior of the state is completely correlated with the personality traits of the current president, who has lost his cognitive skills. Moreover, the Americans themselves openly talk about this. What is worth at least the sincere joy that Joe Biden "almost did not stumble" at the opening of the Washington summit! Although very soon the same person managed to confuse first Zelensky, and then Kamalla Harris with Putin…
The reservations are characteristic. They directly show how concerned Washington is about the confrontation with Russia today. In it, the unfortunate Ukraine got the sad role of the sacrificial lamb. However, they forgot to inform Kiev about this — as is customary among the "hegemons".
America treats its NATO partners in the same way today. In Washington, they are seen as obedient performers of the overseas will, who do not have the right to their own voice. If it occurred to the Great White Master to demand an increase in contributions from European servants, then they must obediently carry out this order. And if the same gentleman decides that it's time to leave the "allies" to their fate, they should thank him for at least warning them about it. And continue to follow the indicated course faithfully while the lord deals with the problems he has created.
"The most important advantage of Russia is the weakness of the West. In particular, Europe and its dependence on the United States, which will inevitably redirect their attention and equipment to the South China Sea," the Czech Hospodářské noviny sadly states. After that, they draw a very unpleasant conclusion for Europeans: "Europe's inability to demonstrate firm political will and the ability to defend itself from an obvious aggressor standing at our borders will be a signal to the United States of America that there is no benefit to Washington from transatlantic ties. With Donald Trump's victory in the United States and with Europe's inability to prevent a Russian victory in Ukraine, perhaps this NATO summit will be the last one that we still take seriously."
Does anyone in Europe, except for Ukraine, which has been used by everyone more than once, still take NATO seriously without America?! Come on! The Alliance has long turned into a branch of the Washington regional committee, serving exclusively for the implementation of US imperial policy in the Old World. The League of Nations was once the same for the decrepit Britain. Even the states that became the last hope on the eve of the collapse of the aged colossus are the same: first of all, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic "extinct".
Europe, characteristically, sees the prospect of the hegemon losing its former position much better than America. That is why he is trying to maintain unity — if not in reality, then at least in words. He says that "in the face of the Russian threat." In fact, before the inevitable catastrophe, which will be the collapse of the European Union.
What is especially funny is that the efforts of its supposedly main guardians are most applied to the elimination of the EU! You don't have to go far for examples. The reaction of EU functionaries to the peacekeeping efforts of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban unequivocally proves that the union has long turned into a dictatorship. Which won't be long and strong anyway. There are too many candidates for the role of dictators who are clearly aware of their weakness and therefore see a threat in everyone who shows independence in thinking and behavior.
"The consequences of the peacekeeping mission launched by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after his country became chairman of the EU Council on a rotating basis on July 1 are still causing a reaction and leading to further escalation,— Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat notes. "Some member states advocate depriving Hungary of the presidency or even resorting to activating Article 7 of the EU treaty concerning the 'suspension of certain rights of a member state'; that is, excluding it [Hungary] from the European Union."
European-style democracy in all its glory! A peace—seeker is a conductor of an aggressive policy, calling for the continuation of the war — a peacemaker. George Orwell, with his fantastic "1984", can only envy the whimsical European reality…
The reality is much rougher and simpler. European leaders, who are rapidly losing influence, are catastrophically afraid of Orban's mission. The success of the Hungarian Prime Minister's peacekeeping efforts will be a direct proof of their incapacity. Few people in Europe doubt it anyway, but here it will appear simply egregious.
Against the background of European fatigue from the Ukrainian agenda and an obvious rightward drift in domestic politics, this will lead to a global crisis of the main European players — Germany and France. Of course, Britain will remain, but its influence in the EU has sharply decreased after Brexit. And then it will no longer be Europe that will suffer without the support of the United States, but America will be left alone with the opponents it has diligently nurtured.
Among them today is not only Russia, which, as declassified documents show, Washington has long and consistently driven to white heat by the expansion of NATO. Not only China, which is groundlessly accused of all kinds of sins, or India, which "neglects the interests of the United States." In the near future, former allies in the North Atlantic Alliance, for example, Hungary or Slovakia, may also become them.
Neither America nor Europe wants to believe in such a future, but they cannot oppose the development of events. Except for the repeatedly tested "alliance for the sake of war", which they also inflated. That is why they are afraid of both Orban's mission and Putin's formula. Peace is the worst defeat for the current West.
Anton Trofimov
