Putin's Pitch to Euroland

[don]

Commentary No. 295, Dec. 15, 2010

"Mr. Putin Makes an Audacious Offer"

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia visited Germany in the end of November. Before arriving there, he published an op-ed in the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, which commented on this interview under the headline, "Putin hugs Europe."

The contents of the op-ed were quite remarkable. Putin said that the lesson to be drawn from the severest economic crisis of the world economy in eight decades was the need for Russia to work more closely with the European Union.

"We propose the creation of a harmonious economic community stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok." He said that "in the future, we could even consider a free trade zone or even more advanced forms of integration." He suggested that such a continental market would be worth trillions of Euros.

Putin suggested that the EU and Russia needed to work closer together in the fields of industry and energy. He said that they should consider "what we can do to enable a new wave of industrialization on the European continent." He mentioned such fields as shipbuilding, the airplane and automobile industries, environmental technologies, pharmaceuticals, nuclear energy, and logistics. He called for common undertakings by European and Russian entrepreneurs.

In the field of energy supplies, Putin called for "active exchanges." It was necessary, he said, to work together at "all phases of the technological value creation chain - from the uncovering of demand for energy resources up to the delivery to the consumer." Thereupon, Russia and the EU can move forward to the elimination of visas which would manifest "not the end but the beginning of a true integration of Russia and the EU."

When Putin arrived in Germany he got a warm reception from some leading German bankers and industrialists. He spoke to them as his "friends," and in return the CEO of Siemens said, "We are at home in Russia." He said that "Russia was a clear example of how the emerging nations are giving an impulse to growth in the world economy."

Putin continued his "charm offensive" with the German economic elite. He suggested they stood together on currency questions. "We need a new multipolarity in the currency system. We must break the excessive dollar monopoly." He spoke of the example of the Roman Empire, whose policies led to a 500-year-long economic stagnation. He then gave a strong endorsement to the euro, which he called an important balance to the dollar in the world economy. He suggested the possibility of trade being denominated in rubles and Euros, and not in dollars.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's response to these proposals was cautious but not negative. Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Weterwelle, said that Putin's proposals show "how close we are in terms of our strategic goals." The strongest endorsement came from some of Germany's leading economic managers. Press response in Germany was mixed.

In France, Le Monde noted: "This appeal to economic opening by someone more noted for his nationalist character than his commitment to ideas of free trade is truly innovative. This is all the more the case since the development of industrial cooperation between the two sides has been repeatedly held back for political reasons."

It should be observed that Putin was not offering a deal to the "West" but rather to "Europe." It seems a quite specific attempt to encourage a strengthening of ties with Europe at the expense of the United States. While this is not entirely new in terms of Russia's geopolitical stance, it has up to now not been stated so publicly and so boldly. It should be noted too that Putin has given a strong endorsement to the euro at a time when the euro is in need of some political reinforcement. Note too that Putin is not talking of remaining merely or even principally an energy-exporter to Europe. Putin is talking of a new wave of industrialization in which Russia will participate fully.

This open diplomacy by Putin should worry U.S. leaders more than the modest revelations of Wikileaks.

by Immanuel Wallerstein

[Copyright by Immanuel Wallerstein, distributed by Agence Global. For rights and permissions, including translations and posting to non-commercial sites, and contact: rights@agenceglobal.com, 1.336.686.9002 or 1.336.286.6606. Permission is granted to download, forward electronically, or e-mail to others, provided the essay remains intact and the copyright note is displayed. To contact author, write: immanuel.wallerstein@yale.edu.

These commentaries, published twice monthly, are intended to be reflections on the contemporary world scene, as seen from the perspective not of the immediate headlines but of the long term.]

[Serge_Tomiko]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

While it is not always apparent, Putin is really more of a believer in the European people, ideal, shared philosophy, and culture. He is not really a nationalist in the way we would think of the term in Western Europe, i.e. the Flemish or something.

This of course alarms someone like Mr. Wallerstein, whose background clearly orients him towards both a fear of Europeans - particularly Eastern Europeans with a penchant for pogroms - and a belief in all that liberal democracy has to offer, in particular the prosperity offered by international finance.

But he does not grasp the change of times. Liberalism is dead in Europe. It is never coming back, at least in our lifetimes. The best the Wallersteins can do is hope to prevent a Fortress Europe, which the integration of Russia would allow. Such an arrangement would essentially leave the rest of the world to decay, particularly America, which has crossed the Rubicon into civilization collapse. Where will Wallerstein go as things get worse?

[Mega]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

Outstand post Don, thanks for posting it.

The THE end of the Anglo-saxon empire, he has invited "europe" NOT "The West" to the party.......US/Uk/Israel now getting sidelined. The plan is to isolate & allow to writher on the vine..............

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

I'm a simple guy...I tend to think of Putin as that midget character in Mad Max III.....Master Blaster.

"Who runs Barter Town?"

"Master Blaster runs Barter Town"

A bit oversimplistic, but not TOO far off the mark

Russia's growing influence and control over European energy supply has been a thorn in the side of the US for decades....right back to the US embargoing technology/equipment for the construction of the Urengoy-Uzhgorod and active efforts to sabotage it.

[razor edge]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

While it is not always apparent, Putin is really more of a believer in the European people, ideal, shared philosophy, and culture. He is not really a nationalist in the way we would think of the term in Western Europe, i.e. the Flemish or something.

This of course alarms someone like Mr. Wallerstein, whose background clearly orients him towards both a fear of Europeans - particularly Eastern Europeans with a penchant for pogroms - and a belief in all that liberal democracy has to offer, in particular the prosperity offered by international finance.

But he does not grasp the change of times. Liberalism is dead in Europe. It is never coming back, at least in our lifetimes. The best the Wallersteins can do is hope to prevent a Fortress Europe, which the integration of Russia would allow. Such an arrangement would essentially leave the rest of the world to decay, particularly America, which has crossed the Rubicon into civilization collapse. Where will Wallerstein go as things get worse?

This ties in very neatly with Brezezinski's thesis of who controls Eurasia, controls the world. ( Zbigniew Brezezinski - "The Grand Chessboard; American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives") wherein he quotes Harold Mackinders famous dictum; "Who controls Eastern Europe controls the heartland, who controls the heartland rules the world Island, who contols the world island, rules the world", although Brezezinski shortens it to just "Who controls Eurasia controls the World" (p10). US machinations in the mid east, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the other stans are all about contol of Eurasia. They already have hegemony over Western Europe and most of Eastern Europe, and their labours in Asia are about smashing Russia into as many pieces as possible and stymieing China so as to complete their hegemony of Eurasia. It's not about oil people, its about power and control.

Putin is a chess player, and a very astute one. So far since he has come on the scene, he has hardly put a foot wrong. Now he is playing to forestall US efforts to control Eurasia, appealing the Western European self interest. It will be interesting to see if the Euro elites who have so long been in the pocket of the US as its plaything, will have the imagination and the independence to shake off the Empire and act in the interests of their peoples. This would also be in the interests of many other peoples, as we just might manage to shake off, for a time at least, the control by the money men and the men behind the curtain. I suspect however, that the European elites are too corrupted and too compromised to take up this challenge. I suspect they need to be purged. Now the only thing to establish is how is this to be achieved? If we don't achieve this end, global war in the not too distant future is I think a very likely possibility.

[BlackVoid]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

A European-Russian (or even a German-Russian) coalition would rule the world, sidelining the US. It is a nightmare of US strategists. Remember the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact? In my view, that was the real reason WW2 escalated into global conflict.

And I believe this alliance of Russia and Europe is coming. The crisis (which has just started) will change the political landscape of Europe and will (is) damaging the image of the US. It is just a matter of "when". The alternative for Europe is to freeze in the dark. Literally.

[BlackVoid]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

I think there will be a major war soon. Why? The alternative for the US is disintegration.

War is the Health of the State
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/his...state1918.html

[flintlock]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

I think there will be a major war soon. Why? The alternative for the US is disintegration.

War is the Health of the State
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/his...state1918.html

Yeah, but I'm not worried. We have all those "Call of Duty" warriors.

[don]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

This ties in very neatly with Brezezinski's thesis of who controls Eurasia, controls the world. ( Zbigniew Brezezinski - "The Grand Chessboard; American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives") wherein he quotes Harold Mackinders famous dictum; "Who controls Eastern Europe controls the heartland, who controls the heartland rules the world Island, who contols the world island, rules the world", although Brezezinski shortens it to just "Who controls Eurasia controls the World" (p10). US machinations in the mid east, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the other stans are all about contol of Eurasia. They already have hegemony over Western Europe and most of Eastern Europe, and their labours in Asia are about smashing Russia into as many pieces as possible and stymieing China so as to complete their hegemony of Eurasia. It's not about oil people, its about power and control.

Putin is a chess player, and a very astute one. So far since he has come on the scene, he has hardly put a foot wrong. Now he is playing to forestall US efforts to control Eurasia, appealing the Western European self interest. It will be interesting to see if the Euro elites who have so long been in the pocket of the US as its plaything, will have the imagination and the independence to shake off the Empire and act in the interests of their peoples. This would also be in the interests of many other peoples, as we just might manage to shake off, for a time at least, the control by the money men and the men behind the curtain. I suspect however, that the European elites are too corrupted and too compromised to take up this challenge. I suspect they need to be purged. Now the only thing to establish is how is this to be achieved? If we don't achieve this end, global war in the not too distant future is I think a very likely possibility.

An outward indication of this is the evolving role of NATO in far-from-Europe endeavors. It's a negotiating entity between the Euros and the Empire. (the opposite would be a forced withdrawal of US bases in Europe, much less likely as long as the Euros think US concessions are beneficial.) These are hot button indicators as to where things are going.

[razor edge]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

An outward indication of this is the evolving role of NATO in far-from-Europe endeavors. It's a negotiating entity between the Euros and the Empire. (the opposite would be a forced withdrawal of US bases in Europe, much less likely as long as the Euros think US concessions are beneficial.) These are hot button indicators as to where things are going.

I absolutely agree Don. Nato encroachment to the east up to the borders of Russia is a clear provocation, as evidenced by the Georgian attack two years ago on South Ossetia and its US led attempts to bring Georgia and Ukraine into Nato. This in clear contravention of assurances given to Russia when it pulled back from eastern Europe by the US.

The so called Missile shield proposed by W against the non existent Iranian threat to Europe was clearly seen by Moscow as a threat to its capacity for response to a first strike. Washington is seeking to eliminate Russian ability to respond to a first nuclear strike so as to be in a position to compel Russia to follow the dictates of the US or even just to ignore Russia entirely when the US goes about extending its hegemony. This is what Putin was referring to in the Munich security conference at Heilingdam in 2007: - http://www.informationclearinghouse....ticle17856.htm
I used to think that these neo cons were simply insane. They are undoubtedly very intelligent people, but intelligence is greatly overrated. I have more recently come to the conclusion that they are in fact not insane at all, but objectively evil. No doubt there are sceptics out there who will say that there is no such thing. Most people however, I believe, will agree that the Nazi regime was fundamentally evil. And I think that we are looking at a similar phenomenon here. Mike Ruppert in his film "The Truth and Lies of 9/11" says that the Fourth Reich didn't end in 1945, it just changed venue. I have a lot of sympathy for that view, as evidenced by the Corporatism in the US, which it is exporting to the rest of the so called free world, through its neo liberal gangster capitalist model of privatising profits and socialising losses, of the Oligarchs taking over the government for their own narrow benefit, as they do, and the neo con Zionists, in alliance with the ersatz Christians of the Christian Zionist movement, hijacking US foreign policy to the benefit of the shitty little state. Jesus wept. Literally.

The shallowest exploration of the Neo Con movement will uncover that it was founded by Leo Strauss (wonder what his provenance was) the disseminator of the theory of the noble lie. The noble lie being the lie necessary to fool the hoi polloi into unquestioningly supporting their betters adventures. This is of course my own definition of the noble lie, which I admit freely is subjective. There is presently a subtle war going on today in our world between the forces of evil and those of people of good disposition, and so far, the evil ones have been largely getting their way. too many of the citizens of the free world are asleep at the wheel, despite the exhortation to free peoples that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. It's time to mount the barricades again mes amis. Off with their heads I say. Liberte, ou la mort. Or as Napoleon said, l'Audace, l'audace, toujours l'audance.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

Mike Ruppert in his film "The Truth and Lies of 9/11"

This can be viewed at THE TRUTH & LIES OF 9/11. It is a 2 hr 17 min video of a talk that Mike Ruppert gave at Portland State University on November 28, 2001.

they are in fact not insane at all, but objectively evil.

Yes.

There is presently a subtle war going on today in our world between the forces of evil and those of people of good disposition, and so far, the evil ones have been largely getting their way. too many of the citizens of the free world are asleep at the wheel,

Yes.

Well said, sir. Well said. (By the way ... note my signature, below. It concurs.)

[shiny!]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

This looks like a carrot-and-a-stick offer from Putin. It's a carrot to Europe as long as they go along with him. But because Russia is a critically important supplier of energy to Europe, it can easily be turned into a stick if those countries don't want to play along. Remember what happened to Europe a few years ago when he ordered Gazprom to shut off natural gas to the Ukraine?

Admittedly I have not spent a great deal of time studying Putin, but he strikes me as a man who actually cares about the welfare of his country first and foremost. He can be ruthless, but he'll do whatever he thinks is necessary to protect his country. Unlike our leaders who are selling out our grandmothers and grandchildren for a pat on the head and a briefcase full of cash from the banksters and multi-national corporations.

[don]

Re: Putin's Pitch to Euroland

Super-imposing a moral sheen over the affairs of state is seldom rewarded. Empires act like ... empires (including wannabe empires).

For the first half of the 20th century it was in vogue in "the West" to demonize Germany. The countries doing the demonizing were for the most part Germany's rivals. Were the horrors of WW1 and 2 crimes against humanity? Undoubtedly, but to prosecute on those grounds would result in a crowded docket indeed. Bombs away LeMay? The more than likely sucker punch of Pearl Harbor? Like I said, crowded.

Empires act like empires.

Germany and the US came of age at about the same time. Germany, through her wars of unification, and the US, by completing its Manifest Destiny. The US then stepped off into the global arena with her contrived war with Spain, the easiest target available. Germany, somewhat landlocked, was surrounded by major power rivals. (The US had subdued Mexico and reached a draw more or less with Canada, due to her Commonwealth status.) Germany, primed and ready for her Manifest Destiny, wouldn't be as successful.

Compare the goals of a constitutional monarchy (the Kaiser) with the goals of a fascist dictatorship (Herr Hitler). They seem about the same. (I'm in no way diamissing the Nazi's use of state terror- a state-run mandatory union, state monopoly of culture, all backed by the camps and the example of the Jews, Gypsies, etc.) Geo-politics remained geo-politics- expansion at the expense of Germany's neighbors, mainly to the East, which was Germany's Wild West (in which case the Slavs were the Indians).

Morality is universally used to rally the home front, to stirred up the volunteers and sweeten the draft. It falls far short, at best, as a tool of analyzing state behavior.