Europe must adapt its foreign policy, if it doesn’t want to end up on the margins of the modern world

An independent foreign policy, combined with a stronger union of weak European states, who as individual players on the global stage don’t mean much anymore, is necessary. For that to happen, Europeans must rethink their attachment on the United States. It is that dependence, that is pushing us into irrelevance.

At this moment, European states are still richer as most of the world, but it is also clear, that the global center of power is slowly moving towards East Asia. We are witnessing stronger military, economic and political cooperation between Asian states. At the core there is Sino Russian alliance, but unreasonable American actions have managed to push old enemies, like Iran, as well as new ones, as Turkey and Pakistan, on that axis. Because Europeans mostly follow American lead, those countries are becoming not only American, but also our opponents.

Europeans must find ways, to cooperate with Turks and Russians, not create enemies out of them. Iran can be a huge opportunity for European business. Open trade routes leading to China would be beneficial. To close doors, because United States wants to perpetuate its dominance in the world and therefore wants their allies to impose sanction, like against Russia and Iran, is unwise and likely to cause more problems, than benefits.

European foreign policy must be based on best possible relations with as many countries in the world, but to achieve that, it has to be independent. To be independent, it must stop with blind attachment to the United States, while at the same time speak more with one voice. That voice must be backed with sufficient millitary might.

For now, Europeans are under no real military threat. Russians are not about to launch an invasion, Turks even less. Yet, the need for greater military strenght as a deterent against any wishes from other great powers, to dictate to Europeans, how to behave, will only grow. With strenghtening of the giant Eurasian space, threats will increase. Not only China, but also India and countries like Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, will have greater capacity for power projection far from their borders, above all with advancement of rocket technology. Acting on the global stage simply as Portuguese or Finns, individual European states will be hardly capable of withstanding foreign pressure, coming in different forms. We are talking not only military, but also economic and information wars, not to mention the possibility, that future wars will be fought without a bullet fired, with attacks on computer systems, with which attackers will be able to shut down factories, power grids or critical infrastructure. But, if they act as Europeans, within a strong, independent millitary alliance, such pressures will lose much of their strenght, or will become unthinkable to other great powers, as they will have to count with a strong response.

If the current state persits, European states will continue to act as extensions of US foreign policy and in turn will take on themselves the role of a future battlefield between American empire and their enemies. Foremost, this means deteriorating relations with Russia and quite possible, Turkey as well. With it will come closing of economic opportunities and that will only increase dependence on the United Stares. Europeans can not allow that to happen. We can’t become a battlefield for outside power centers, but must instead become an independent and strong force, capable of ensuring safety and decent life to all our citizens.