I love it when smart, educated people agree with my worldview. Here are two of them.
Meet the warmongers: This is where EU’s military frenzy is coming from
We have reached a point where, with regard to Russia, the US is more reasonable and less bellicose than its currently semi-rebellious European vassals.
Washington is trying to end the senseless proxy war against Russia via Ukraine and also to facilitate a broader détente with Moscow. The NATO-EU European elites are desperate to keep the war going and to build their own countries’ whole futures on confronting Russia – forever.
The deranged European “elites” will fail, one way or the other. Their perception of reality is distorted by delusions, their resources – military and also intellectual – are far too small, and their aims make no sense. But the problem for the rest of us is that they may yet cause enormous damage on their way down the rubbish chute of history. And while they are all fairly insane – minus exceptional cases, such as Slovakia and Hungary – there still are important differences: they tend to get even more bonkers the farther east you move on the map. Call it the West-East NATO-EU Insanity Gradient, if you wish.
That’s what a recent Western mainstream media specimen brought out with beautiful clarity if unwittingly. Its lede was buried so far down that most readers probably never got to it: “I put it to a major eastern European politician that western European states care little about wars in eastern Europe. He replied, ‘We know. That’s why some of our countries are asking, ‘Why don’t we attack Russia now, instead of sitting waiting for it to attack us?’” So writes Simon Kuper in the Financial Times, under the heading “Return of the Two Europes.”
A “major eastern European politician” … Come on, who was it this time: The Estonian wonder brain Kaja “Let’s Break Up Russia” Kallas, again? Or Poland’s current viceroy from Brussels Donald “I want some nukes, too” Tusk? Clearly in any case, this one was not from Ukraine but from somewhere (officially) inside NATO and the EU. And he or she has told us that they – “some” others are involved as well – are thinking about launching a preventive war against Russia.
Based not on anything that you could conceivably call self-defense – not among the moderately sane, in any case – but only their own hysterical delusions. That, in and of itself, is sensational, though not really surprising. Even more exciting: It’s also sensationally awful since it’s really about some all too well-connected idiots – that NATO-EU expansion thing, again – in possession of very moderate militaries seriously thinking about starting World War III for the rest of us with a great power that has a large, very efficient, battle-hardened, and motivated conventional military and almost 5,000 nuclear weapons. Surely, that’s a page-one first-order scoop! Right?
The rest of this op-ed can be read at:
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The EU’s plan for ‘peace’ is to buy more weapons with taxpayer money
European defense is basically a teenaged-grade fantasy war gaming league at this point – minus the generous sponsorships.
On Wednesday, defense ministers from five European heavyweights – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Britain (yes, Britain, because apparently Brexit only applied to sensible EU decisions) – gathered in Paris to figure out how to elbow their way back into the Ukraine game.
With US President Donald Trump running the show himself, Europe’s big players are scrambling for relevance. And they’re doing such a stellar job of it that the German defense minister is now relegated to sounding like every annoying dude sitting courtside at a French Open tennis match who thinks he’s offering stellar insight into the state of play. “We welcome the one-month ceasefire,” Boris Pistorius said, referring to the deal that the Trump administration made with Ukraine. “But now the ball is in Vladimir Putin’s court. It is now Vladimir Putin’s turn to demonstrate his repeated stated readiness for a ceasefire or peace,” he added. Because nothing screams “gimme peace” like the EU meeting about throwing money into the purchase of new weapons.
But all this war prepping talk is great for Europe’s latest PR push: convincing taxpayers that draining their wrung-out wallets to the point of even potentially leveraging their private savings for an arms race, as suggested by the French defense mall minister, is actually a genius economic plan. Keynesianism, but with a military vibe.
The British defense secretary claims that the need for a weapons shopping spree actually comes from a place of deep, inner hippie-ness. “The Ukrainians want peace. We all want peace. And as defense ministers, we have been discussing and we are working to strengthen the push for peace,” John Healey said, probably itching to get back home to squeeze into some bell bottoms and smash the bongo drums.
Poland’s defense minister also appears to have just stumbled out of a flower-painted VW bus straight from Woodstock. “500 million Europeans deserve a force that will defend peace. 500 million Europeans deserve the opportunity to bring peace,” said Wladyslaw Kosinski-Kamysz in explaining why more weapons spending is needed, and sounding like the type who would also suggest that sobriety comes through an overextended happy hour sip n’ giggle.
Earlier this week, the French and British defense ministers huddled with their army chiefs of staff, still riding high on their leaders’ idea of a “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine. That was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s braindropping, repurposed from the Iraq War – perhaps because he couldn’t think of an appropriate catchphrase to reference loss of 60,000 British troops in World War II’s Battle of the Somme. All because Trump had the audacity to suggest a grand bargain with Russia, with the risk of peace breaking out in Ukraine.
None of these European countries actually want any troops on the front line at this point, by the way. Not that they aren’t one screwup away from them ending up there anyway. Maybe the French president and armchair general, Emmanuel Macroleon, can train all these contingents like they did that €900-million Ukrainian ‘Anne of Kyiv’ Brigade, with 1,700 of them going AWOL before the first shot was even fired.
Interesting that the Trump administration reportedly just wants private contractors on the ground around the resource exploitation deals that they’ve envisioned in Ukraine and elsewhere, and in which Putin has also expressed interest in partnering. But insiders have told France’s Le Figaro that the Europeans don’t believe that will work, and that NATO troops are needed. Apparently, they believe that Russia would attack its own joint ventures with the Americans in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, 34 European and NATO army chiefs also met in Paris. Notable absence: anyone from Trump’s Washington – even though Starmer straight up said that British troop deployment would be contingent on US air cover. So you’d think a Trump official would need to at least be present to make all this more than just an exercise in self-flagellation.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu says that the discussions were not just about putting European boots on the ground in Ukraine – since apparently there are plenty of other creative ways to deploy troops, he suggests. Like, say, casually stationing them in the Black Sea or around nuclear plants. Because what could possibly go wrong? Just some chill guys, loitering like they’re outside a 7-Eleven, but instead of sipping Slurpees, they’re securing nuclear facilities. Totally not a pretext for future shenanigans – like, I don’t know, using another ceasefire to reload for war, just like former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande admitted being the case under the Minsk agreements a decade ago.
Oh, and in between all this strategizing, they also put together a little weapons wish list. Lecornu rattled off items like air defense systems, space tech, munitions, early warning systems, and, of course, joint defense acquisitions – because nothing says “we’re serious about peace” like a military shopping spree. One minor detail in all this, by the way: How are you jokers going to pay for all this?
Lecornu has already said that “Ukraine” (synonymous in this context with the EU military industrial complex) can benefit from €195 million stolen from Russian assets held in the West. Meanwhile, France’s Europe affairs minister, Benjamin Haddad, a former Washington-based think-tank fixture, suggested that the French could just “work more,” according to Politico, which also cites center-right establishment figure Cedric Perrin, president of the French Senate defense and foreign affairs committee, who figures that the cash can be found by cutting down on wasteful public spending.
Gosh, if only you geniuses had thought of that before now, then maybe you wouldn’t be resorting to theft and rummaging through everyone’s couch cushions to fuel your “GI Jean” fantasies – and musing about having citizens invest whatever’s left of their private savings after already robbing them through skyrocketing energy prices and cost of living “for Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, the unelected European Commission president, couldn’t sufficiently convince enough representatives of already broke EU member states who actually rely on the public for reelection, that they should start prioritizing, in their spending budgets, bullets over baguettes and be stocking up on tanks like they’re toilet paper. Even the loudest doomsayers about the so-called Russian threat – like Lithuania – have already told NATO that when it comes to sacrificing social spending for artillery, “Nah, we’re good.”
So what’s left to do? Easy. Fire up the fear machine, crank it to 11, and act like Russian tanks are already lining up on the EU’s borders and about to door crash it like a Black Friday sale, and that the only way to stop them is for the EU to impulse-buy weapons – some of which won’t even exist for years even if the manufacturing investment was made today.
We’re talking about €800 billion that Queen Ursula wants EU countries to blow. And nestled inside that €800 billion tab? A new €150 billion loan scheme – because nothing fixes crippling debt like grabbing a bigger shovel. Weird move, considering von der Leyen has spent years scolding countries like France for their runaway debt, forcing them to cut spending and raise taxes.
So how does she justify this glorious U-turn? Simple. It’s an emergency! And emergencies are sometimes best handled without the inconvenience of democracy. So she’s resorted to Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – a handy little bureaucratic cheat code that lets the Council of Europe, at the request of Queen Ursula’s European Commission, bypass the elected European Parliament entirely if there’s an economic crisis tied to energy supply or a natural disaster.
But when you’re Ursula von der Leyen, apparently fine print is just a minor detail. She’s used it to skim profits from energy companies, bankroll the bloc-wide “get paid to stay home” scheme during the Covid pandemic, force an energy consumption crackdown that left Europeans layering up in turtlenecks and taking speed showers to “own Putin,” and slap on a gas price cap that was conveniently NOT the higher one that member states wanted, Le Monde has reported.
And all of these measures under Article 122 are supposed to only be temporary. But Ursula’s grand military splurge? That’s shaping up to be the kind of one-night stand that comes with a lifetime of regret.
As for the democratic process that this loophole use is undermining? Well, when it comes to fast-tracking a weapons wishlist, democracy is apparently like a seatbelt in a Hollywood car chase that can just be ignored when things get spicy.
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Western European leaders have had their imaginations titillated by the idea of creating monstrously huge weapons industries. They are practically drooling at the concept. It is sheer madness, but who could accuse European leaders of sanity anyway?
EU aiming to revive military industry – Politico
The European Union has laid out plans to revitalize its military industry, citing an alleged “existential threat” from Russia and concerns over the future of NATO, according to a White Paper obtained by Politico. Moscow has repeatedly denied having any intention of attacking Western states, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” meant to justify increased military spending.
The initiative comes in light of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to mobilize up to €800 billion for defense. The so-called ReArm Europe plan includes financial incentives for EU member states to expand their military budgets, as well as a proposed €150 billion in loans for joint defense projects.
The White Paper, one of the authors of which is the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, outlines measures to “rebuild European defense” by increasing military spending, prioritizing the procurement of defense items within the EU, and streamlining financing for arms production. Kallas, a vocal critic of Moscow, has long advocated for a more aggressive military posture toward Russia.
The document justifies its proposals by citing what it describes as the “existential threat” posed by Russia and Moscow’s “expansionist policies.” It states that the EU must prepare for a long-term confrontation and that investing more in defense is necessary to ensure security.
The White Paper additionally highlights growing concerns over the US’ role in European security. It warns that Washington’s shifting policies under President Donald Trump could weaken NATO’s capabilities, meaning that the EU would have to take greater responsibility for its own defense. The document refers to NATO as “the cornerstone of collective security” and argues that Europe must do more to ensure the military bloc remains intact.
Another key aspect of the proposal is increasing assistance to Ukraine. The White Paper calls for additional military aid, including the supply of 1.5 million artillery shells, expanded training programs for Ukrainian forces, and continued integration of Ukraine into EU military initiatives.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any intention of attacking NATO or EU member states. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such claims as “nonsense” meant to scare the European population and increase military budgets.
Which is exactly what is happening!
Russian officials have also vehemently condemned the EU’s recent militarization efforts and vilification of Moscow, arguing that it is a path that only leads to more confrontation and undermines peace efforts in the Ukraine conflict.
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Russia releases archives exposing Latvian Waffen-SS atrocities in WWII
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has released declassified documents detailing mass atrocities committed by Latvian members of Waffen-SS units during World War II.
The Latvian Legion, a combat branch of the Nazi German Waffen-SS, was formed in 1943 primarily of ethnic Latvians on the orders of Adolf Hitler.
The documents were published on Friday ahead of the EU country’s ‘Remembrance Day of the Latvian Legionnaires’, and as Russia prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in May.
According to the FSB, the records are based on intelligence gathered by the Soviet counterintelligence service (SMERSH) on SS units formed from Latvian volunteers. The material includes reports by Soviet partisans, intelligence officers, and prisoners of war, later compiled and shared with the Red Army command.
The report highlighted the Latvian Auxiliary Security Police, also known as the Arajs Kommando, named after its leader, Viktors Arajs. The SS unit, notorious for its brutality, consisted entirely of volunteers, including former Latvian army officers. It was responsible for the murder of at least 30,000 people.
The declassified files include interrogation records of Arajs Kommando members arrested by SMERSH in 1945, revealing detailed accounts of war crimes.
One of the legionnaires is documented as having “systematically executed” Jews – including women, children, and the elderly – in Bikernieki Forest near Riga. He reportedly took part in the killing of over 10,000 people, while investigators estimated the total number of victims there at 46,500.
Members of Arajs Kommando “destroyed everything on their way,” burning entire villages, looting, and killing women and children without exception. According to the documents, they also carried out raids in Belarus and Poland. One member boasted about personally “hanging two women,” as revealed in the declassified records.
The FSB noted that as the Arajs Kommando proved its loyalty to the Nazis through “unprecedented brutality,” they were soon equipped in the style of SS units.
On March 16, hundreds are expected to march in the Latvian capital, Riga to honor their compatriots who fought alongside the Nazis during World War II. Despite the outcry from many countries, the Baltic nation continues to permit the annual parade dedicated to Latvian Waffen-SS legionnaires. Moscow has repeatedly accused Latvia – a member of NATO and the EU – of trying to whitewash war criminals by allowing the controversial event.
Reflecting on the upcoming march, the FSB noted that the event celebrates SS legionnaires who openly display awards from Nazi Germany. Latvian neo-Nazis even chose the date to coincide with the Nazi ‘Day of Commemoration of Heroes’, reinforcing a shared “pantheon of heroes” with the 20th-century Nazis, many of whom were convicted of crimes against humanity, the FSB said.
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