Albright's War to Break Yugoslavia

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/03/08/how-madeleine-albright-got-the-war-the-u-s-wanted/

Elich speaks of the US wanting war in 1999 and setting up negotiations with the Serbs to fail. This is true but is no less so when it comes to the first phase of the Yugoslav break-up in 1991. The US played a role in facilitating the split that would lead to independent nations like Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia - and a bombing campaign in 1995.

Atlanticism's Attempt to Curtail the Rise of Europe and a Multi-Polar World

Atlanticism represents a historical anomaly – Europe under subjugation from an outside power. For many decades this was limited to Western Europe but with the collapse of the USSR, the United States extended its reach through NATO and other mechanisms to include all the former Warsaw Pact nations and portions of the former Soviet Union itself.

Asian Tensions and the Clash of Empires: Trump, Xi and the 19th Congress of the CCP

Has Xi extended his power or has he been rebuked and curtailed by elements within the Beijing bureaucracy? It depends on how you read the 19^th Congress and interpret its events.

Clearly on a war trajectory with the United States with the flashpoints being Taiwan and Hong Kong, one could argue that Xi's plans have been limited or restrained. The generals are resistant to his plans which would result in inevitable confrontation. No one doubts that Beijing could wound the American military – perhaps even inflict some stunning losses but ultimately the Chinese military thinks the cost would be too great. And for Xi, that would mean the end of his rule. And thus one interpretation was that this Congress represents a rebuke of Xi's aspirations.

And yet on the other hand Xi's maneuvering suggests a consolidation of power within the bureaucracy. In other words he's bit by bit setting himself up for more autonomy, for more comprehensive control which will become manifest in the near future. As master of the Beijing bureaucracy he won't easily be stopped.

Europe's Ghosts, Essential Questions and the Ever-Problematic Balkans

https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/europe-risks-losing-strategic-clout-in-western-balkans/

In some respects I was surprised by the candid language in this editorial. I was not surprised by the message but by its directness.

While democracy is evoked and prosperity mentioned, the key term is security. The EU project needs to consolidate all of Europe in order to meet its goals. To create a bloc, a fortress Europe it cannot have dissenting or even rebel provinces rooted in its underbelly.

At a time when everyone is reflecting on the thirty year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the event which effectively shifted gears and set the European project in full motion... the anniversary is marked by angst and frustration. The project of consolidation under the auspices of the EU and NATO has experienced great success but its failures are glaring and represent existential dangers.

American Evangelicals and European Right-Wing Populism

https://issuesetc.org/2019/08/06/2183-lessons-from-the-demise-of-western-europe-dr-allan-carlson-8-6-19/

Italy is poised to turn even farther to the Right. After the Atlantic Establishment (via its media outlets) tried to stoke a Russia-gate type scandal, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini decided to make his move and by calling a snap election he is attempting to turn the tables on his enemies in both Rome and Brussels.

OBOR, Atlanticism and Trumpism: Setting the Stage for Proxy Conflicts and Battlegrounds in the New Cold War (Part 2)

China's economy must continue growing. Continued Western investment is risky, all the more as it's clear the West is gearing for war. A capitalist economy must grow. Without investment and returns, stagnate capital begins to depreciate.

This is the point where Capitalism turns the imperialist corner. If there aren't any more markets, then you must find them, create them and if necessary force them open. And you must angle and strategise in order to make sure your rivals don't beat you to it.

Xi does not want to fight a war with the United States but his solution to the problem was to re-cast and expand China's already growing global economic footprint. OBOR also known as the New Silk Road gives China something to invest in and creates a multitude of new markets and opportunities.

OBOR, Atlanticism and Trumpism: Setting the Stage for Proxy Conflicts and Battlegrounds in the New Cold War (Part 1)

Announced in the fall of 2013, China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR) also known as the New Silk Road continues to garner attention as the magnitude and scope of the project is beginning to set in.

And indeed the largest coordinated infrastructure project in recorded history extends well beyond the geography of the historical Silk Road. The focus hasn't come from American mainstream media outlets as such stories are of little interest to the domestic audience. However, international news outlets like the BBC are starting to really pay attention. The stage is being set.

Cracks in the Atlantic Wall

What were once subtle signals of fissures in the Atlantic alliance are becoming more pronounced. I refer here to Atlanticism, the belief that Europe and America have a mutual need, values and destiny. This is a deeper and more pervasive concept that transcends military alliances like NATO. This relationship involves not just military but cultural and economic alliances.