This past week has once again shown that the EU no longer has any international influence.
Europe has received an ultimatum from Trump, which partly explains the two-week ceasefire for talks in Pakistan. Der Spiegel writes: “The U.S. is increasing the pressure on its European partners and demanding their military participation in the Strait of Hormuz. NATO Secretary General Rutte has informed the European capitals that Trump expects concrete commitments from Europe in the coming days – the deployment of warships or other military capabilities. Political statements such as those made since the beginning of the conflict are no longer sufficient. According to several European diplomats, this demand amounts in effect to an ultimatum.”
But what can Europe do if even the most powerful navy in the world is not prepared to take the risk of approaching the Persian Gulf, let alone patrolling it? The Europeans are unable to provide meaningful support to the American fleet, while the political and economic risks of formally joining the anti-Iran coalition are incalculable in every respect. The only thing left for Europe is delay.
Not a great strategy, but they have no alternative. They did not need a UN Security Council mandate to impose illegal sanctions on Russia, yet now they suddenly remember the procedure. It is all about ensuring that Iran remains “Trump’s war” because of their military superiority.
None of the European heads of state and government, with a few exceptions such as Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez, will publicly admit that this war is a risky game and has already been lost. Regardless of the outcome of the war, the result will be Iran’s return to great-power status. As the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has become a crucial force in the global oil economy. If Trump decides to “finish the job” and launch a ground offensive, the U.S. would end up in a catastrophe greater in scale than Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq combined.
Europe finds itself in ideal conditions for stagflation, where nothing rises except prices.
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And at precisely that moment, Kaja Kallas arrives in the Middle East to coordinate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where fuel and fertilizer are stranded. She puts her “deep knowledge” of European diplomacy to work when she declares: “Russia’s war against Ukraine has now been going on for four years, and we see no real support from the countries of the Persian Gulf. This cannot be a one-way street.”
This is not taken out of context; this is her full line of reasoning: “We will not help you in the war against Iran, not because we cannot, but because you are not helping us in the war against Russia.” The monarchs of the Middle East can only interpret this as blackmail. Even within the EU, it is acknowledged that Kallas is not the sharpest mind.
President Macron had previously also gone on a begging tour in the Middle East.
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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy with the low IQ
Slovak Prime Minister Fico hits the nail on the head: “Kaja Kallas and others sometimes get angry with me when I say that we are as weak as tea brewed for the fifth time. No one takes us seriously. The biggest problem of the EU is that a good project has fallen into the wrong hands. We have no internal strategies of our own. We are obsessed with Russia. And with nothing else.”