RNA – In an interview with France’s Europe 1 radio on November 6th, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Considering [The President of the United States, Donald] Trump’s plan to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), we call for the formation of a ‘true European army.’”
Macron added, “We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army. Europe must defend itself with a true solution without depending on the United States.”
These statements by the French president were welcomed by some of the leaders of the European Union and on the other hand, they were attacked by President Trump and members of his administration.
Hujjat al-Islam Aref Ebrahimi, a researcher and scholar in the Islamic Seminary of Qom, referred to some of the goals of the formation of a European army and the causes of the stubborn opposition by the United States.
The reasons for the agreement of the European heads of state in regard to the formation of a united army of the countries of Europe include:
1. The insane, unlawful and uncustomary practices of Donald Trump since he became the president of the United States, including his withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Paris Agreement on climate change, his threats to launch a massive trade war against Europe and his criticism of the weak financial contributions of the European Union in support of NATO.
2. France’s efforts to strengthen the multipolar system in the world.
3. The dictatorial actions, along with the insults by many American officials, especially Trump, towards European countries, are such that Trump treats some European countries like one of their states.
4. The uncoordinated actions of the United States in regard to international events and the payment of the costs of these actions from the pockets of European countries.
5. Trump’s benefit-seeking and the European Union’s lack of payment in their contributions to joint projects.
6. NATO’s policy and legislation mechanism is in a way that it allows the United States to prioritize its interests, which has led to dissatisfaction among European countries.
7. The difference between the economic and security interests of the European Union and the United States.
8. Unwillingness to compromise and the belligerence of the United States.
9. The unwillingness of France and other European countries to comply with the demands and policies of the United States.
The reason for opposition by American leaders to the formation of a united European military:
1. The United States considers itself to be the saviour of Europe during the First and Second World Wars and therefore, the European Union must fully support American policies.
2. The United States is afraid of its declining power globally, therefore it uses every means and pretexts possible in pursuit of protecting its international standing, and if a country, even one if its allies and friends, wants to take steps in contradiction to this issue, they will face the strong anger of the United States.
3. The decline of NATO’s power is another cause of American opposition to the formation of a European Army.
4. The United States has carried out many projects through NATO and now if it wants to leave this military organization, it will not be able to stand and compete with powerful countries such as China and Russia.
5. The United States knows well that with the formation of a European Army, it loses its dominance and hegemony and is on a verge of isolation.
6. The separation of the European Union from the United States in the military sphere will lead to a conflict of interests but also the beginning of a Third World War.
7. With the formation of a European Army, it is anticipated that the United States will lose many of its allies and that third world countries, especially those in the Middle East, will incline toward Europe.
8. The economy of the United States is being hit hard by this issue and its arms contracts with various countries will face serious challenges.
Conclusion
The United States’ policies over the past few years, especially during the Trump presidency, have been such that European countries have felt that their interests are no longer being provided. On this basis, before the United States treats Europe as one of its states. European countries are trying to resolve this issue by forming a united army. This decision has serious challenges for the hegemony of the United States.
At the end of this article, it is necessary to note that the formation of an allied army from the European Union, although it puts the hegemony of the United States under question and is like a tool against the excesses of the United States, but, in turn, it can serve as a tool for war and domination by Europe, a policy that the United States is currently implementing. It can be said that the actions of the Europeans are somewhat contradictory because a new form of domination will be created to combat domination, while only non-Western countries will suffer.
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