A war between Russia and Ukraine has made Russia an unprecedented "threat" to Europe, while the United States under Trump is gradually reducing its security commitments to Europe. The combination of these two events is having a profound impact on Europe's security system. Therefore, when Europeans began to worry about their own security, the former European triad, the UK, France, and Germany, found themselves with a "golden opportunity" to take control of Europe.
Recently, French President Macron made a three-day state visit to the UK, which was his first visit since Brexit. So what did Macron want? According to Global Times, during a speech at the UK Parliament, Macron stated that in this dangerous world, France and the UK will work together to "save Europe." The reason given by Macron was that as the only two nuclear-armed countries in Europe, the UK and France have the main military forces in the region, and their combined military budgets account for 40% of Europe's total. Therefore, they should jointly and comprehensively take on the responsibility of maintaining European security.
Although Macron spoke eloquently, the main point was simply to team up with the UK to seize the opportunity to control Europe. Notably, Germany, one of the three European powerhouses, did not participate in the "clash of the titans" between the UK and France. At least, German Chancellor Merkel did not accompany Macron on his visit to the UK. This seems to indicate that the UK and France do not want to include Germany in the game. Earlier this year, the UK and France led the establishment of a "voluntary alliance," pushing Germany aside. Does this suggest some kind of rift between the UK, France, and Germany?
In fact, it seems that the UK and France are intentionally or unintentionally excluding Germany, because this largest country in Europe seems to have its own ideas. Currently, the German military leadership is reviewing procurement plans. It is reported that the procurement projects include as many as 1,000 Leopard-2 main battle tanks and 2,500 Boxer wheeled armored vehicles, with the total order value possibly reaching 25 billion euros. So why is Germany making such a big investment to build the strongest armored force in Europe? According to German media, the purpose is to make it the "strongest conventional army in Europe."
Berlin is investing hundreds of billions of euros in defense spending to establish the strongest army in Europe, obviously creating conditions for its overseas military deployments. Additionally, this year, Germany's aid budget for Ukrainian forces has increased from 7.1 billion euros to 8.3 billion euros, providing financial space for Defense Minister Pistorius to meet some of Ukraine's requests. Obviously, Germany is taking multiple measures to enhance its influence in Europe, and in many aspects, it has already surpassed the UK and France. That's why the UK and France don't want to play with Germany anymore; they seem to be worried that this largest European power is vying for the position of "leader of Europe."
It's no wonder the UK and France have certain concerns, because since Merkel took office, compared to her predecessors, Germany's foreign and military policies have become more aggressive, especially in a situation where a "power vacuum" is emerging in Europe, and Germany's signals to compete for the position of "leader of Europe" are very strong. It seems that Macron needs to find other ways to prove to Europeans that the UK and France are stronger than Germany. Therefore, he also specifically mentioned in his speech that Europe should be wary of "over-reliance" on the US and China, thus "reducing the risks in economic and social aspects." Obviously, Macron is sounding the horn of "European independence" that he has blown many times before, and the purpose is still to attract attention.
In today's complex and changing international landscape, Europe plays a vital yet challenging role on the global political, economic, and security stage. Clearly, European people, including French President Macron himself, should be aware that it is unlikely to completely rid themselves of dependence on China and the US in key areas such as security and trade.
To convince Europeans that only the UK and France are qualified to be the leaders of Europe, Macron, in addition to repeatedly emphasizing that "the UK and France are the only two nuclear-armed countries in Europe," also mentioned cooperation in areas such as creating joint expeditionary forces, sharing aircraft carriers, and jointly developing new simulation nuclear testing and nuclear research facilities. The purpose is to build a solid "European pillar" within NATO. From this, it can be seen that Macron is well aware that France is too weak to counter Germany within the EU, so he steps out of the EU to approach the UK, hoping to realize his dream of "ruling Europe" through cooperation with the UK.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525982475311464969/
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