In the News June 22

NATO Madrid Summit and War Exercises in Asia Pacific

Self-Serving British Proposal for Another Military Bloc in Europe

– Hilary LeBlanc –

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to alleviate the post Brexit problems in which Britain is mired, is going all out to use the crisis in Ukraine to shore up British fortunes. Johnson proposed forming yet another military bloc which will reportedly include Ukraine, the UK, Poland, the Baltic States and possibly Turkey. The proposal, referred to as a “European Commonwealth,” was made during Johnson’s visit to Kiev in April, as “a new system of political, economic and military alliances — alternative to the European Union,” according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

According to Johnson, the UK-led bloc would come together on the basis of their “diffidence towards Brussels,” dissatisfaction with Germany’s allegedly slow response to the crisis in Ukraine, and concerns that Russia poses a threat to Europe. It reveals the extent of disunity in Europe and NATO and the extent to which the peoples of the European countries are being made to pay for related crisis-ridden bureaucracies and the policies which are pushed by rival cartels and coalitions comprised of narrow private interests.

President Zelensky has not given a response to the proposal, and is said to be waiting for the outcome of the June 23 EU summit, where it will be decided whether Ukraine will receive status as an EU candidate nation. This requires the unanimous approval of EU member countries. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, on June 17 recommended candidate status for Ukraine.

While Johnson apparently did not refer to NATO nor how the proposed “European Commonwealth” would relate to that military bloc, any proposal based on the conception of a “commonwealth of nations” is fishing in troubled waters. It all points to secret deals which will certainly not deliver peace or prosperity for the peoples of Europe.

In a June 14 briefing, Ambassador Julianne Smith, the U.S. State Department’s Permanent Representative to NATO, did not come across as very pleased when she addressed the matter. “Well, obviously the NATO Alliance is very focused on NATO-related initiatives. And as I just noted, we’re thinking through right now what more the NATO Alliance can do on its eastern flank to further reinforce that corner of the Alliance.

“But I will say that certainly from a U.S. perspective, we’ve seen over the years multiple bilateral relationships flourish. There have been countries that have come together to launch new defence initiatives. We’ve seen I guess what I would describe as mini-lateral formations come together over the years.

“Obviously, we support initiatives that help build capacity. And to the extent that NATO members break off into partnerships or into some groups to help build capacity and collectively strength the Alliance — strengthen the Alliance, then that’s something that we would want to support.”

Besides NATO, there is also the European Union’s political, economic and military bloc and its Common Security and Defence Policy the British have to contend with. The EU policy includes the Permanent Structured Cooperation, in which 25 of 27 national armed forces are pursuing structural integration.

TML Daily, posted June 22, 2022.