European Council of Foreign Relations openly talks about vassalisation of Europe by the US
European Council of Foreign Relations openly talks about vassalisation of Europe by the US
Europeans’ response to Russia’s war on Ukraine confirms their profound dependence on the US – an unwise position given the security challenge in Europe and coming geopolitical competition with China.
The report is absolutely scathing. Some choice quotes:
But when the next crisis came, both the US and the governments of Europe fell back on old models of alliance leadership. Europe, as EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell loudly lamented prior to Russia’s invasion, is not really at the table when it comes to dealing with the Russia-Ukraine crisis. It has instead embarked on a process of vassalisation.
But “alone” had a very specific meaning for Scholz. He was unwilling to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the US also sent its own main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. It was not enough that other partners would send tanks or that the US might send other weapons. Like a scared child in a room full of strangers, Germany felt alone if Uncle Sam was not holding its hand.
Europeans’ lack of agency in the Russia-Ukraine crisis stems from this growing power imbalance in the Western alliance. Under the Biden administration, the US has become ever more willing to exercise this growing influence.
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China has placed itself at the heart of many critical supply chains that the US and its allies depend on. It has defined itself in cultural and ideological opposition to the US and to the idea of democracy, using its new wealth to spread the techniques of authoritarian control to every continent on Earth.
Glad you're finally posting some truth about China's authoritarianism, instead of your deluded nonsense about comnunism
How deluded do you have to be to think communists don't read news from a lot of sources?
Just because the mouthpiece providing us with the news is propagandized doesn't mean we cannot properly engage with it. We are human beings with brains damn it, what kind of dumbass would uncritically side with everything an article (or worse, whole press houses) espouses.
And the best part, you prefer to "gotcha" someone, instead of actually engage with the meat of the article.
Ah yes, providing an alternative to US exploitation of the world is AuThoRitaRiaN! 🤡
Are you saying the Chinese government is not authoritarian?
Literally, every government is fundamentally authoritarian because it holds the monopoly on violence by virtue of controlling the police and military forces of the country. It's a nonsensical terms that illiterate people use because they think it sounds scary.
No, that's political power, and they are voted into power and out again
Authoritarianism comes in three flavours:
bossism (autocratic party dictatorships); i.e. China
juntas (oligarchic military dictatorships); i.e. Sudan
and. strongman (autocratic military dictatorships) i.e. Russia
None of these examples use democracy...
No, that’s political power, and they are voted into power and out again
The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them. The power stays with the class that's actually in charge which is the capital owning class. And there are numerous studies showing this to be the case. Here's what one long term study of US politics has to say:
Meanwhile, the fact that you keep claiming that China is a dictatorship just further exposes your ignorance on the subject you're attempting to debate. This is wilful ignorance because you have been provided with numerous western sources demonstrating that this claim is false. Yet, you continue to repeat it.
And of course, the system that Russia resembles the most is the US. Don't take my word for it though, it's what your own state media says:
You are shamefully ignorant of the subject you're attempting to debate. Spend some time educating yourself instead of trolling here.
A lot of western people still believe that they are free, because they dont recognize their prison from history books.
I didn't claim China was a dictatorship, it's a market autocracy. Do keep up.
And I'm not American so not sure why you keep quoting random text from who knows where about them
It's not an autocracy, it's a democracy as anybody who actually knows the first thing about China understands. It's also demonstrably the fact because the government of China consistently works in the interest of the people of China. This is reflected by things such as massive poverty alleviation, infrastructure building, and so on. This is why the government of China has far higher approval than any western country. However, it's not a western style parliamentary democracy. It's a common mistake that uneducated westerners make to equate democracy with their own failed implementation of the concept.
And I’m not American so not sure why you keep quoting random text from who knows where about them
Well then answer, do you think that America is a and. strongman (autocratic military dictatorships)?
Also, is your own country a strongman autocratic dictatorship given that it has made protesting illegal, and it's torturing journalists?
China is not a liberal democracy. The Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state that China is democratic nonetheless. Many foreign and some domestic observers categorize China as an authoritarian one-party state, with some saying it adheres to neoauthoritarianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_China
The government can pass laws in the UK, unpopular ones mean they get voted out
What's the process for the Chinese people?
The government can pass laws in the UK, unpopular ones mean they get voted out
You once again show a simplistic understanding of how your own political system works. The two parties you have that have a chance of wining are Conservatives and Labour. Both parties consistently pass policy that's hostile towards the working majority and benefits the oligarchs, yet it's pretty much impossible for an alternative party to get into power. The fact that you get to choose between two turds doesn't make your system democratic. It's an illusion of choice and it's clearly enough to convince a lot of you that you have some sort of power.
The way people get elected into your government is by having election campaigns, and these need a lot of funding. So the people the government actually answers to are the ones who pay for these campaign. That's who gets represented in practice, and that's why there is a continuous wealth transfer to the top that's happening.
What’s the process for the Chinese people?
Voting, when a candidate doesn't do what they got voted in to do then they get voted out. Having a single party or multiple parties is completely tangential to that. However, since Chinese system isn't based around having huge campaign funds, it makes it possible for regular working class people to actually participate in politics.
Elections in the People's Republic of China occur under a one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[1][2] Direct elections, except in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, occur only at the local level people's congresses and village committees, with all candidate nominations preapproved by the CCP
Doesn't sound very democratic
I'd rather have no exploitation. Alternative exploitation isn't really better.
Except it's not actually alternative exploitation. I can see why westerners can't imagine relations between countries that aren't exploitative given the history of the west though.
China is absolutely exploiting quite a few African nations and it's neighbors in the south China Sea. Also I'm not sure what the west is but I'm pretty sure my country doesn't qualify.
Weird, the actual data doesn't support your assertions. Chinese Investment In Africa Has Had ‘Significant And Persistently Positive’ Long-Term Effects Despite Controversy.