Security order in Europe needs to be completely rethought
Photo source: www.fondsk.ru
The 59th Munich Security Conference (17-19 February) looked more like a party convention, where the main thing is to show “unity of ranks”. The Munich conferences have always been a tool of Atlanticism, and the last one was completely turned into an echo chamber reflecting the loudest of the Western voices – the American one.
Nearly half a hundred American politicians arrived in Munich. Russia was not invited. Against such a background, the attempts of representatives of France and Germany to remind that it is pointless to discuss security in Europe without Russia looked ridiculous. And the forum, held under the slogan of security, became a gathering of those who needed war. Ukraine was the focus of all discussions from start to finish.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris accused Russia of “crimes against humanity” and promised Kiev America’s unwavering support. Kamala’s European counterparts are also looking at the security issue strangely. Rishi Sunak promised to “double down” on Britain’s military support for Kiev. Emmanuel Macron called on allies to step up arms deliveries and said France was “ready for a protracted conflict”. Olaf Scholz called for joining Germany in sending tanks to Ukraine. All said that the West’s interest in supporting Ukraine was for the long haul, the West would support Kiev for as long as necessary. And Zelensky is hurrying, urging to act faster…
Naturally, no magic solutions have emerged. In Munich it was admitted that the Ukrainian military is spending more ammunition than the European industry is capable of producing. Ursula von der Leyen called for a joint effort to increase ammunition production. The European Union seems to have no other problems? Again, the Europeans will have to close the “American gap” because the USA has limited stocks and production lines. The usual “stowaway” of the Europeans in NATO is now out of the question: EU member states will now have to allocate at least two percent of GDP for military expenditures.
There was surprisingly little mention of Iran at the conference: not a single word about the “Iranian nuclear threat”! Tehran Times called the Munich conference “a confederation of morons” (Iran, like Russia and China, was not invited to Munich either; invited were figures from the Iranian opposition, with whom the French President Macron met). And in Iran they are trying to present the contours of a future post-Western era in the hope that it will bring a new just world order.
It is also strange that the organisers of the conference paid little attention to China, a declared top security priority for the United States. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi closed the topic of Taiwan with two sentences: “Let me assure the audience that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory. It has never been a country and never will be a country in the future.” Wang Yi defiantly urged the European audience to avoid Americans who “don’t care about the life and death of Ukrainians and the harm to Europe”. China is against the continuation of the war.
Beijing has rejected US claims that it is considering arming Russia in a war with Ukraine. “We will never allow the US to point fingers at Sino-Russian relations or coerce us,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
The security order in Europe needs to be completely rethought. This will require writing new rules – and not at the dictation of the Americans. It will not be possible to do this without Russia.
Nikolai Bobkin, FSC
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