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A garden cannot survive in a jungle

2023-04-20 08:08:00, Blog Aleksis Papachelas

Illustrative photo

If the West is not united, it will not be able to compete with China. This is more than clear. And if in what is called "the West", we include Australia and Japan, there is no doubt that their strategic cooperation with the United States is deepening and becoming more and more necessary.

After all, these two countries are located in the East and are facing a large China that has ever greater geopolitical ambitions. However, the question is what will happen to Europe. Statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron after returning to Paris from Beijing highlighted this issue.

As well as the dilemma where Europe finds itself today. The French president once again spoke about the need for European strategic autonomy in relation to the United States and questioned whether the European Union should join the United States in a new Cold War primarily against China.

Because the French are free in the use of their language. But the fact is that even in terms of completely tangible topics, it is very difficult to understand exactly what strategic autonomy means, how much it costs, and moreover how such a thing is to be achieved.

Will "Europe", whether it is the contemporary form of the EU, or a smaller grouping of European nations, be able to create its own army within the next 5 to 10 years, or its own intelligence service? Will "Europe", without already having Great Britain in its bosom, be able to replace with its own means what is currently offered by NATO, and in practice by the USA?

When I was discussing this matter with a friend, he told me a story. He had once visited an aircraft carrier of the US Navy as part of an official visit. At one point the ship's commander hosted the delegation for dinner along with several senior American military personnel.

What impressed my friend, was that dinner consisted of salad and tuna sandwiches, or ham and cheese sandwiches, soft drinks and a few beers. Next to the dinner table, the crew had set up another table selling various cookies and cocktails.

Some time later, my friend was again invited by his counterparts to visit a French aircraft carrier. This time the dinner was 3 courses and some relatively good wine. In the eyes of my experienced friend, the difference was clear, as was his answer to the question "Who is in a better position to fight?".

Another friend of mine, who was in Afghanistan during the chaotic days of the withdrawal of US soldiers and civilian personnel from Kabul in August 2021, describes how the US really caused chaos through that kind of withdrawal. But later he set up a mechanism that for several days oriented the evacuation operation as well as a complex air "bridge".

The Europeans felt completely dependent on her, and at the end of an operation they tried to organize, they were confronted by an American soldier, who asked if they could enter the controlled area of ??the airport to leave the the country.

So Europe still has a long way to go in order to achieve the strategic autonomy it claims. It must achieve it, but that means it must become stronger, not be more spoiled, and most importantly, it must have a leadership that wants to play that role on the international stage.

Because for now, it looks like a quiet and orderly "garden" that wants to remain unaffected by the rapid and relentless changes around it, as the post-war certainties crumble, and so does the sense of security it offers. the US umbrella.

But this approach cannot continue any further. No flourishing garden can be preserved and maintained when a jungle grows violently and disorderly around it. For Europe, the time of key decisions has come./ Adapted from CNA.al