Choose your partner for the next dance

There is an article in the print edition of The Telegraph today by some international strategic swot suggesting that Europe and America are drifting, or perhaps driving, apart from each other as their perceived interests change.  Alas I cannot find it on the internet site yet but when I do I will add a link.  If it is so, and I suspect that it is, then it leaves us Brits in a delicate situation, such that we might end up as a 'Billy No Mates'!  I try to avoid too much in the way of forecasting, well, given my dismal record it's all too, too embarrassing.  In this case the sheer number of 'unknown unknowns' is enough to put anyone off from trying to work out how matters will develop.

Still, there are some 'known knowns' such as the fact after a mere few weeks of negotiations with the Europeans over Brexit, relations between us and them have become a pungent stew of mutual loathing and contempt.  In 1939 we did not hesitate to go to war to help France (and ourselves, of course!) but should Putin 'kick off on one' against the perimeter of the EU, how keen would we be to rush to their support?  Equally, as we contemplate the, er, shall we say, eccentric President of the United States as, with narrowed eyes, he strides down 'main street' towards North Korea and China with his hands hovering over his 'yuuuuge' six-guns, exactly how keen will we be to scurry along behind him?

As long as 'Mutti' Merkel rules 'over here' and 'The Donald' 'over there', relations between the EU and the USA will rarely rise above the merely polite.  The future of NATO, something of a hollow shell these days, teeters on the edge of mutual indifference by all parties - and that includes 'Vlad the Impaler', I suspect!  "The times they are a-changin'", as arguably the worst American singer - ever! - once told us.  Still, we Brits can rest assured that we have today a rare talent, er, very rare actually, in charge of our foreign policy so I am sure that all the options are being closely examined and evaluated!  Sorry, did you say something . . . ?

 

Comments

[Whyaxye]

"should Putin 'kick off on one' against the perimeter of the EU, how keen would we be to rush to their support? Equally, as we contemplate the, er, shall we say, eccentric President of the United States as, with narrowed eyes, he strides down 'main street' towards North Korea and China with his hands hovering over his 'yuuuuge' six-guns, exactly how keen will we be to scurry along behind him?"

Whether we are "keen" or not might be rather academic. It's our capacity which will determine what we do. It would be disastrous - not to mention ironic - to throw our bellicose rhetoric and our last remaining Vulcan bomber against the winning side.

[TheBigHenry]

David,

All I can say is: https://youtu.be/n-XQ26KePUQ

Disclaimer: I am not gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)!

[Bob]

It's not a sure thing The Donald rules foreign policy over here. At the highest level it's probably really a group of generals and diplomats who are forced into much scurrying. That could be good or bad, but it would be worse to have President Willie Loman off the leash.

[Frank]

"...arguably the worst American singer - ever!"

But arguable the best American song writer - ever. :-)

[JK]

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R44249.pdf

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-aircraft/airbus-seals-deal-with-iran-for-sale-of-100-aircraft-idUSKBN14B1H9

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http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/71260

[JK]

https://audioboom.com/posts/6276255-the-next-middle-east-war-jedbabbin

[TheBigHenry]

Wait, wasn't Willy Loman's son Biff a quarterback for the NY Giants?

[David Duff]

Frank, your mischievous suggestion made me smile but so long as the memory of Johnny Mercer survives Dylan is dead!

[backofanenvelope]

As I have said before - British foreign policy should be quite straight forward. No more American wars; no more French wars. Inexpensive and easy to understand.

[Loz]

In between the tectonic plates of the US and EU is where you get ground to pieces, courted and despised by both in alternating phases.

What Ukraine is to Russia and the EU, Blighty is to the US and EU. A weaker link in a chain that pulls and tugs from Washington to Moscow and everywhere in between, breaking the weakest links from time to time.

Better off throwing our lot in fully with one or the other now.

We were much better off when the US ran the whole US, EU, UK defence show via NATO. But that epoch is over. Trump and Brexit did for it.

SoD