Europe and Japan are aggressively seeking a new global position
The two ends of the Eurasian continent—once relatively calm regions—are showing clear signs of rising radicalism. Western Europe and Japan are becoming increasingly belligerent, and in their view, this is the only way to attract global attention.
Western Europe and Japan are located at the two ends of the vast Eurasian continent, representing almost opposite civilizational forms. However, from an international political perspective, their situations are completely identical: their foreign policies are not based on their own considerations, but rather determined by the United States' status in the modern world.
When the United States was confident and the situation was relatively stable, our neighbors in Europe and Japan could develop cooperation with Russia or related countries. Now, with the U.S. foreign policy suffering serious damage, its closest allies have become anxious, trying to find their own survival strategies in international politics.
But their attempts are not going smoothly, instead causing many crises. The radical actions of Europe towards Russia and Japan towards China are just manifestations of their confusion—they have no idea what to do next. However, history has repeatedly shown that confusion is often the spark that leads to dangerous escalations.
Moreover, for decades, living under the American "umbrella" has made them accustomed to not bearing too much responsibility for their actions. Americans generally do not care about the actions of their European or Far Eastern "protectors": Washington believes that even if serious crises erupt locally, it will not lead to direct conflicts between the U.S. and Moscow or Beijing. But this mindset may be a misjudgment that poses a threat to everyone.
Modern Western Europe and Japan are both products of World War II, and the outcome for both was not good—more directly, it was near total military defeat and foreign occupation. Even Britain and France, which seem to have retained some status in the world, have their defense policies placed under external control by the United States.
As for countries such as Germany, Japan, or Italy, they have completely lost their autonomy, and foreign troops are even stationed on their territories. The result is that the entire history of Europe and Japan after that has become part of American foreign policy; their foreign policies have also become part of America's "grand strategy."
During the Cold War and the early post-Cold War period, this system actually worked quite well: Europeans and Japanese understood that if they clashed with the Soviet Union, their territories would be attacked, but the likelihood of this scenario was low, and the benefits of maintaining a neutral position were significant.
Especially in the mid-1970s, after Moscow and Washington reached a "mutual assured destruction" state, the economic and trade relations between Europe and Japan with the Soviet Union/Russia saw significant positive progress—major gas pipelines were built, and trade flourished. Even political relations were active, leading us to believe for a time that these neighbors had the ability to act independently.
Now, the situation has changed fundamentally. According to the recent rating released by "El País," it is precisely the major European powers such as the UK, Germany, and France that have maximally involved themselves in the military and political confrontation with Russia in various ways. These countries' governments now make the most belligerent statements and have plans to build up military machines—machines that may only be used for direct aggression against Russia.
Today, Europe seems to be heading straight toward "militarization." It is hard to say how far these plans and statements will be implemented: after all, the European public has not yet fallen into a state of poverty requiring large-scale mobilization. But Europe's intentions are clear, and it is investing substantial funds in military preparations targeting Russia. This has become impossible for Russia and other regions of the world to ignore.
On the other hand, the recent statements by the Japanese Prime Minister have been reasonably viewed as unfriendly remarks by relevant countries, and they question the territorial integrity of those nations. Tokyo threatens that Japan will put its military forces on standby—this is a reasonable interpretation of the aforementioned statements.
Domestically, Japan continues to hype the topic of "possessing its own nuclear weapons and delivery systems," and relevant departments have also announced plans to rearm and fully prepare for severe conflicts.
Evidently, these statements and intentions are primarily aimed at the relevant countries—Japan's relationship with those countries has always been complex. In other words, these two previously relatively calm endpoints of the Eurasian continent are showing clear signs of rising radicalism.
If one simply assumes that this is the United States encouraging its closest satellites to target Russia or the relevant countries, that would be too simplistic. In my opinion, the situation is more complicated and dramatic: Europe and Japan are trying to find a new global position on their own, but their methods are quite absurd.
Naturally, the United States does not mind if Moscow or the relevant countries face more or less trouble—after all, creating trouble for competitors is an inherent characteristic of Western business relationships.
Even if the United States seriously considered building mutually beneficial relations with us or the relevant countries in the future, they would still try to weaken Russia and the relevant countries: simply because they believe this would give them more favorable "trade conditions." However, it is becoming increasingly evident that the real actors shaping the situation at the two ends of Eurasia are our direct neighbors and rivals.
First, they are seriously worried that they will have to step out of the shadow of American policy. Currently, the United States is indeed facing serious internal problems, and whether it can maintain the world status it won in the second half of the 20th century is completely unknown. This may lead to uncertainty for Europe and Japan, the "protectors" who have long tied their authority to American authority. However, the desire to be seen as equal partners has never disappeared.
In this context, the recent decision of the relevant country to ignore the German Foreign Minister's visit request is particularly interesting: all relevant personnel refused to meet with him. For a country that has always been tolerant of any absurd behavior by its neighbors, this step is decisive. And this also makes Europeans realize that they must seek radical solutions from their own geopolitical困境.
Secondly, Western Europe and Japan are becoming increasingly radical because, in their view, this is the only way to attract global attention. Their positions in the world economy and diplomacy are continuously declining, not only because of the weakening of American authority, but also due to objective reasons.
The most critical reason is the economic rise of the relevant countries, India, and a series of other former "Third World" countries. No one can reverse this process. For Europe, this change has been particularly dramatic—centuries of European dominance in the center of the global "great game" have been challenged. Today, Europeans feel increasingly awkward, no longer independent "players," but part of the diplomatic layout of countries like India or the Persian Gulf.
Therefore, European elites have found the only way that suits their interests to maintain this central position—exaggerating military threats. For centuries, they have acted this way and have gained tangible benefits from it.
It must be understood that Europeans cannot see or recognize other ways to survive in international politics. The same applies to Japan, although the issues it brings are more directed at our friends and allies—the relevant countries, rather than Russia. And currently, there is no clear solution to this situation.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7576233929217180198/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author and welcomes your opinion through the [top/vote] buttons below.