The US Congress has determined an intensification of its sanctions against Russia. Once again, the world public was offered the old argument of Russia having occupied Crimea as justification. However, for the first time, Gabriel and Merkel objected to the US measures because those were alleged to exclusively have served the purpose of preventing the construction of the North-Stream gas pipeline. This pipeline is supposed to transport Russian natural gas to Europe through the North Sea. Gabriel openly talked about how the Americans themselves strive to bring their own liquified natural gas to Europe and the European market and hope to effectively hamstring the Russian deliveries.
There’s probably no way to avoid the sanctions, as all the companies that are financing, supplying or otherwise contributing to North-Stream, would be threatened with boycott or claims for damages in the US. Not only is the European natural gas market meant to be captured by US companies, but our companies would be subject to their extortion as well.
The reason why European demands to have sanctions against Russia lifted haven’t been successful so far, becomes apparent. It is not about any allegation against Russia at all, but about the attempt to forcefully drive Russia out of the market and to further secure it for American companies. Europe and European companies sustaining massive damages in the process only comes in handy for the Americans. They brutally exploit the fact that these companies have become susceptible to blackmail when dealing on the American market or even just do their billing in US dollars (even in that case, they are already subject to US American law, as the US courts have decided).
In case of the extended sanctions, it is indeed about the natural gas market the Americans seek to secure for themselves. In the case of more than 70 billion dollars in penalties that the Americans have imposed on European companies with varying explanations (breach of sanctions, violation of American exhaust emission standards or others), it is also not about right or wrong but about sheer economic imperialism: inflicting damage upon European companies in order for American companies to get rid of their competitors.
It will be interesting to see if, after Gabriel and Merkel both recognised, named and criticised the US economic imperialistic motivation behind of the new intensification of sanctions against Russia, they will still follow this course of action. Will Merkel abandon her role as an agitator against Russia and as a proponent of the sanctions? And does the EU dare to end the sanctions that are damaging to them and favouring the US economy?
This could be the political liberation from US guardianship.
But do Merkel and the other Eurocrats really have the guts to do it? Do they value the protection of the European economy as high as Trump values the protection of the American one?
Or will they – as was the case during the US espionage scandal – skip over the agenda again and not object in fear of the occupying power? •
(Translation Current Concerns)
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