February 19— “Deep rift between US and EU opens up,” reported DW (the German national broadcasting service) four days ago. Since then the rift has widened.
First US Vice-President Vance scolded European Union (EU) officials at the Munich Security Conference for refusing to form coalitions with extreme right-wing parties. Then he met with a leader of the xenophobic, Islamophobic, antisemitic, and pro-Nazi AfD (Alternative fur Deutschland).
Next, US “Defense” Secretary Hegseth agreed to two of Russia’s key demands on Ukraine BEFORE negotiations had even begun. European governments (and even some US imperialists) were horrified.
Then US leaders flew to Saudi Arabia to confer with Russian officials on ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials were not invited. Neither were the European NATO partners of the US. Or former partners, it seems. The conference turned into a broader discussion of potential profitable US-Russia partnerships.
France’s Macron quickly convened first one meeting of European officials and, two days later, another. They have long relied on the US military to hold the line against Russian expansion and domination. Trump now blames Ukraine alone for the NATO-Russia war there. European imperialism – now a second-class power – is preparing to go it alone. It is increasing deficit limits to increase war spending. There is serious talk about putting “boots on the ground” in Ukraine.
“It’s a reversal of the state of the world since 1945,” said a former French foreign minister.
The imperialist rulers of the United States and western Europe have been joined, since 1949, in the political-military North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Since then, many agreements have strengthened economic and other ties between the US and the European Union (EU). The US is still the largest market for EU exports.
But there have always been conflicts and disagreements, too. Sometimes within the EU, sometimes between the EU and the US. Capitalism is by its very nature a competitive, dog-eat-dog system. Its inner logic leads to war. Twice in the last century and again now, to world war.
So the US-Europe relationship is what we call a contradiction: a unity of opposites locked in struggle. In general, unity is relative and temporary while the struggle is constant (if uneven). Struggle drives development (change).
US-Europe shows clearly how small changes can add up until they explode into a qualitative change. That seems to be happening right now.
It will profoundly affect the international working class. In Europe, for example, workers will be squeezed to pay for more war spending. This, and especially more war, will intensify the need and the opportunity for world communist revolution.
Will the US get half a $$trillion in Ukrainian mineral wealth? Will Europe hold together? What will China do? Most important, what will the working class do? How can the International Communist Workers’ Party grow? More on this rapidly developing story in the next Red Flag.