This Munich conference differed from the previous one. The Frenchman defended NATO, speaking against the American President. It was attended by Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia, but there was not even the shadow Secretary of state. Former Prime Minister of Sweden had to answer for “what happened yesterday in Sweden” mysterious events, pomeridiana Donald Trump in a calm Scandinavian state due to its obsessive thoughts about refugees.
And the absurdity has not even begun, if I had to describe the course of this annual summit, Davos in the field of foreign policy. This is what happens when the US is a mess. The allies begin to worry, I don’t know what to believe. “The audacity of trump stirred up the whole world”, — said Republican John Kasich (John Kasich), the Governor of Ohio. It’s a euphemism. The principle of action trump the chaos.
Came Vice-President Mike Pence (Mike Pence). He stood and left, not answering questions. He said that the United States would “strictly” meet its obligations to NATO and said positive words to the Alliance (he never mentioned the European Union, the collapse of which trump support).
If you could ask questions, one could ask: “Mr. Pence, You are talking about the benefits of NATO, and your boss thinks its outdated organization. What is the truth?”
In response, it was quite possible to hear: “This administration says anything and then contradicts itself. I suggest you get used to it and fork”.
But it is not easy to get used to the American President who reacts on Twitter to the statements of any person, for all that he recently saw on TV, has no idea about European history and not even interested in it, the man who turned the word American in idle chatter. The Europeans have lost their way.
Jean-Marc Ayrault (Jean-Marc Ayrault), the Minister of foreign Affairs of France, stated: “We certainly can’t call NATO an outdated organization” (for a long time the French wanted it to be so). Wolfgang Ischinger (Wolfgang Ischinger), the Chairman of the Munich conference, told Deutsche Welle that, if trump will continue to speak out against the European Union, it will be equated with “non-military Declaration of war.” It is highly unusual for a well-deserved former Ambassador of Germany of the word.
Troubled me was my own uncertainty about who’s more credible — the Pens or the Minister of foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov. Began the rapid Russification of America. In Washington entrenched authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin in the style of “macho” contempt for the media and mockery of the truth.
Putin is just the latest example of a phenomenon that John Le carré (John Le Carre) called “classic timeless and quintessentially Russian blatant, blatant lies.” Before him, Joseph Conrad (Joseph Conrad) called this phenomenon “almost sublime contempt for truth” from the Russian officials.
Under Putin, Russia has a false democracy based on the principle of Potemkin villages: this refers to the political parties, the media, the judicial system. All of this is Fig leaves covering the suppression or destruction of opponents. Russia is driven false. It is based on the denial of the facts (you know that in Ukraine there are no Russian troops). But what happens when the United States will become infected with the Russian disease?
It Pence, might not be outright outrageous lies, but she certainly demonstrated wanton disregard for the mental abilities of the audience (you see, when trump has not been any change, Oh well). For comparison, we can say that Lavrov spoke directly. He announced the sunset “postzapadnoy world order”. It has become a leitmotif. The Minister of foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke of “postzapadnoy global order”.
Wonder what that means. Maybe we are talking about a world of lies, repression, irrationality and cruelty. He is coming, and America in response offers only inconsistency. You need to resist these changes? In the first place — well-functioning U.S. Department of state.
Right now the Secretary is Rex Tillerson (Rex Tillerson), seems a lonely political figure. Trump rejected his sensible choice of candidate for the post of Deputy, its powers (if any) remain unclear. Today America has no foreign policy. She is torn between empty commitment to old alliances (Pens) and unrestrained anti-Muslim, giving the “Sweden syndrome” (which, according to the untrue statements of trump, workers staged riots — approx. ed.), militant against free trade, Mercantile statements of trump.
In the second month of his presidency, the administration must learn to speak in unison. It was interesting to hear John Kelly (John Kelly), the Minister of internal Affairs of the United States, tells about the revision of the ban on entry for citizens from seven of the largest Muslim countries and notes that “this time” he will be able to develop a new plan. This means approximately the following: the last time he was not allowed to participate in the process, and it was a complete nightmare. Like almost everything else.
I am skeptical of the idea that trump would ever lead a normal operating administration. His attitude toward Europe quite clearly and will not change. The European Union will have to fill a moral vacuum, unwavering championing of key Western values: truth, facts, rationality, science, tolerance, freedom, democracy, the rule of law. After all, while it was an enemy or friend acts in this battle the administration trump.
Carl Bildt (Carl Bildt), former Prime Minister of Sweden, made a joke in a conversation with me that the worst aspect of trump’s statement about “events” in Sweden was “the fact that the largest Swedish Newspapers and even Swedish citizens it carefully hushed up”. We had a laugh. Laughter would be inappropriate, when trump gets violent because of his own speculation, and “postzapadnoy” the order will move from confusion to conflict.
