The
United States and Russia are still at it. The cold war may have
ended with the end of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Russia.
However, certain factors are still important and both countries have
the will and the power to safeguard their interests.
The Greek Saga re Bailout
(inewsmalta) presented an
opportunity not only for Germany
(Facebook )
but
also for Russia to get a better balance of the situation in the
Balkans. One of the main concerns of Russia is its defence. Russia
has got the longest border with other countries and its defensive
strategy which was evolved in 1945 collapsed with the foundering of
the Soviet Union. The policy was to have buffer states throughout
this border and thus ensure a certain amount of security at the
expense of others.
However,
with the internal turmoil which it experienced with the collapse of
the Soviet Union, Russia could not ensure its strategic defence
policy. It was only with the emergence of Putin that Russia attained
a certain internal stability and thus could give the importance that
was due to defence. Russia, up to a certain extent, could tolerate
that the Baltic States would change their role from Russia’s buffer
states to the Western European Powers’ buffer states against
Russia. But it could not tolerate that it would lose its only secure
port for its Mediterranean Navy. Russia made that point clear with
the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia gave a warning signal
that it was not going to tolerate any other strategic changes some
years ago when Georgia created troubles on Russia’s border.
Greece
offered an opportunity to Russia. Greece was the only country in the
Balkan states where Russian influence was at a minimum. The visit of
Tsipras to Russia when Greece was still hoping of a better deal with
its creditors provided that opportunity. Both Tsipras and Putin
were very careful to indicate that a Russian bailout to Greece was
not on the table indicating that it was.
The
United States countered this move by officially insisting that there
will be no Grexit. Officially the USA took the position that this
was a European internal affair. But pressure was exerted especially
on Merkel to find a solution. So much so that the German Finance
Minister is quoted to have said that Europe was ready to exchange
with the USA the Greek problem with the Costa Rica problem. In fact
the way the USA handled the Costa Rica bailout problem contrasted
very much with how the EU tackled Greece. Very few know that the USA
had a similar problem with Costa Rica whereas very few if any, have
not heard of the Greek bailout and Grexit.
The
USA has a vital interest in the EU as the EU is acting as a proxy for
the USA’s interests. With the EU there is no need of USA military
presence in Europe – note the great reduction of US military basis
in Europe. As already noted above, the USA through the EU already
succeeded in turning the Baltic States and Poland as a buffer zone
for the Western powers. One has to note how the EU membership card
was played in Ukraine in an attempt to turn Ukraine into a buffer
zone for the West while denying Russia of a strategic naval port.
The geopolitical interests in this area are great and I am convinced
that the cards are already on the table to have the EU accept, in
spite of all problems, Turkey – an essential chip in the
geopolitical USA-Russia chess game.
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