NATO moment

When two boxers are very close, almost stuck, it is easy for them to immobilize each other.

Moving away makes it easier for punches to fly.

The metaphor is from Nicholas Mulder, who explains in

why economic interdependence is a containment of war.

Of course, the world we are heading towards is not one of interdependence but one of decoupling, which implies a return to the old antagonisms and ideological imaginaries of the Cold War: the West remilitarizes itself under the umbrella of the Atlantic Alliance, returning to the United States USA a renewed hegemony against a common enemy, the bloc of Russian and Chinese autocracies.

“Where would the liberal dream of turning the EU into a strategically sovereign global force that credibly rivals both an emerging China and a declining US remain here?”

The question is formulated by the sociologist Wolfgang Streeck, in a nod to De Gaulle's idea of ​​a Europe as a “balancing power”.

this

Cold War overheating is the inevitable situation that Putin's thuggishness leads us to, but Streeck's doubts about the future of Europe should enter into the equation of the decisions we are making in this war.

For example: will the militarization of the continent under Atlanticist command leave room for that strategic autonomy that was talked about so much when Trump occupied the White House?

The debate could return in November if Republicans win Congress, or even the presidency, with Trump as a possible candidate in two years.

But what if the NATO moment does not imply its revitalization?

Says Adam Tooze, who explains that Ukraine has confirmed the failure of an organization that was created precisely to contain Russian expansion and maintain peace in Europe.

Because,

Beyond supporting Ukraine, what is the US vision of a viable security order in Europe?

Washington does not share a neighborhood with Russia.

We do.

And if the war becomes chronic, it would be like having an Afghanistan on our doorstep, with the humanitarian, economic and political cost that it would entail.

Even at a democratic cost.

More information

War in Ukraine: Last minute of the invasion live

They are two interesting visions.

For Streeck, plans to cut financial aid to Poland or Hungary for violating the rule of law would be overshadowed by NATO's strategic goals;

for Tooze, a US anti-Russian campaign in Eastern countries would fuel his national radicalization.

Because the truth is that Putin is leaving us little room for manoeuvre.

And although the "neither Putin nor NATO" is nothing more than a useless argumentative fallacy, it is urgent to reflect on how we will relocate the European project under the new embrace of the Atlanticist leadership, under the protection of the United States. If we do not do it, we will see each other dragged by events, and there, without a doubt, we will all lose.

Exclusive content for subscribers

read without limits

subscribe

I'm already a subscriber