FRANCE BREAKS RANKS WITH US, EU, PROCEEDS WITH RUSSIA MILITARY DEAL

France Breaks Ranks with US, EU, Proceeds with Russia Military Deal

PARIS, May 12, 2014 – Revealing cracks in the West’s united front, diplomatic sources said France will press ahead with a 1.2 billion-euro ($1.66 billion) contract to sell helicopter carrier ships to Russia because cancelling the deal would do more damage to Paris than to Moscow (see HP story, May 12).

No surprise there. It was just a matter of time before someone told the Emperor (Obama) he had no clothes (i.e., his foreign policy had no teeth – see Obama Ukraine Policy: All Bluster, No Muster, Apr 25).

A week ago, we wondered “how long will business leaders tolerate a schizophrenic presidency?”  And two weeks before that, we said that Europe would experience “all pain, no gain” from the Russia sanctions.

Both articles pointed out that imposing sanctions on Russia, the Obama administration was in fact acting against the interests of EU and NATO countries whom Perfidious Washington is calling its “allies.” (see “Obama’s $600B Blunder”). This is what this writer said on Apr 26:

New sanctions on Russia, announced today (Apr 26) by the G-7 countries, a part of the Obama “All Bluster, No Muster”-Ukraine policy, are inherently anti-European. They cannot hurt Russia without hurting Europe first and foremost.

Back to today’s (May 12) news reports, the EU remains far behind the U.S. in the severity of the sanctions it has imposed on Russia. Some European governments fear tough trade sanctions on Russia could undermine their own economies, just recovering from the financial crisis, and provoke Russian retaliation.

France has come under pressure from Washington and some EU partners to reconsider its supply of military hardware to Moscow. However, French diplomatic sources said a 2011 contract with Russia for two Mistral helicopter carriers, with an option for two more, would not be part of a third round of sanctions.

“The Mistrals … will be delivered. The contract has been paid and there would be financial penalties for not delivering it,” one source told Huffington Post (see HP story, May 12).

A REMINDER…

WASHINGTON’S ANTI-EUROPEAN POLICY IS NOTHING NEW. Here’s a 1998 article about it…

US/NATO: A Bear in Sheep’s Clothing (a 1998 TiM article)

The oft-used term “America’s European allies” is one of the greatest oxymorons of our time. “America’s European vassals” would be more appropriate. For, American government’s policy is virtually destroying our so-called “allies,” while aiding the multinational corporations. 

This is not unlike the Soviet bear’s treatment of its Eastern European “allies,” read minions. Only more perfidious. For, the West Side bear has stuck its six big claws into the back of Madame Europe, and is dragging her into its lair, while pretending to save her and her heir. (“Save her from what?” – has been a mystery ever since the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet bear).

Perhaps the best possible outcome of the Ukrainian crisis would be if NATO were to fall apart. Its death was expected a quarter century ago, when the Berlin wall fell. For, the only beneficiaries of its existence are the American and other western arms manufacturers and dealers.