In deciding to supply Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Olaf Scholtz breaks the self-imposed constraints on the military’s role in German foreign policy that had been in place since the end of WWII.
After the farcical, almost psychotic over-promotion, Robert Freeman says the only place for the Ukrainian president to go from here is down. And, that is surely coming. Soon.
Unlike Germany and France, for instance, which at times reluctantly follow Washington’s orders, Britain is an eager co-participant in U.S. adventurism, says Joe Lauria.
The U.S. had already forced Germany to shut down Nord Stream 2 but there are signs that an end to the Ukraine war would have put it back online, writes Joe Lauria.
Russia was condemned at the U.N. Security Council Monday for recognizing the independence of Lugansk and Donetsk and sending in troops for what it called a peacekeeping role. Germany put a stop to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Stanley Hoffmann doesn’t mention “multipolarity” in his book—maybe the term wasn’t yet in use—but it is precisely the world he was telling Americans about back in 1978 and that is today coming to pass.
The moral: nothing is as dangerous as a dim leader convinced of his cleverness by schemers selling nostrums that promise to etch his name in the history books forever, writes Michael Brenner.
Disagreement between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents and cautiousness by Germany and France, seems to indicate only the U.S. and U.K. are keen for war with Russia, reports Joe Lauria.