German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the European Commission in Strasbourg, France to allocate the budget to form its own military, independent of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]. Since the end of WW II, Germany was prohibited from forming its own military, knowing the destruction seen since WW I Commemorating the 100th year end of WW I in Paris Nov. 11, Merkel stood by allied leaders who sacrificed millions of European lives to save the continent from Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Alternative for Germany [AfD] Party leader Alexander Gauland ripped Merkel for marking the allied victory in WW I. Gauland thought it was strange for a German leader to celebrate with allied powers who sacrificed millions of lives to defeat Germany’s Weimer Republic in WW I. Merkel, of course, shared the stage with French President Emmanuel Macron as a member of the EU.
Macron delivered an impassioned speech to end nationalism, something he thinks led to WW I and WW II. Whether nationalism led to the world wars in anyone’s guess. Germany in WW I sought to expand its borders to add vital resources to helping the struggling German economy. Macron thinks that nationalist fervor led to Germans’ participation in two world wars, costing Germany over 6.3 million war dead. Merkel’s idea of creating a European Union Army mirrors certain complaints from President Donald Trump who asked EU to spend more money on national defense. NATO was created to give Germany and other EU states supervision over its military needs. At the end of WW I or WW II, it was inconceivable that Germany could be trusted with its own military. Suggesting the EU develop its own army raises disturbing questions about the defense of Europe.
Merkel proposed a European Union Army to satisfy demands by Trump for EU countries to contribute more to NATO. “The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate into our own hands,” Merkel told members of the European Commission to applause. Merkel knows that following WW II it was inconceivable that Germany could have its own military, knowing the death, destruction and despair Germany wreaked on Europe. “We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army. Whether Merkel’s vision would be acceptable to the U.S. is anyone’s guess. Creating an EU army raises disturbing questions about tilting the defense balance between the U.S. and Russian Federation, something that wouldn’t sit well with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin., especially if Germany has any control,
Railing against nationalism, Macron puts his trust in the EU, where its bureaucratic governing structure calls for protecting the civil rights of various ethnic, racial and economic groups. Macron was quoted as saying the EU needs protection from cyber threats from the U.S., Russia and China, something Trump didn’t appreciate. Trump tweeted that without the U.S. France would still be occupied by Germany, needing the U.S. military to bail it out. Talking about a new European army threw the U.S. for a loop, considering its reliance on NATO’s mutual defense shield. As long as NATO is there to provide for Europe’s common defense, there’s no need for the EU to have its own army. With Britain leaving the EU, European Commission President Jean- Claude Juncker sees the EU as more vulnerable militarily, despite being part of the NATO umbrella.
If the EU develops its own military, Brussels’ bureaucrats could get the EU into an ill-advised war, something the U.S. would have to clean up. Merkel’s call for a EU army was as much a slap in Trump’s face, at a time when Trump wants the EU to pony up more for NATO defense. Since the end of WW II, NATO has kept Europe peaceful, due to collective decision-making. If Merkel gets her way, NATO would have no say over where the EU chooses to intervene militarily. Merkel and Macron contend that since Russia invaded Crimea March 1, 2014, Europe has been is a state of heightened security. With an EU army, NATO could not stop the EU from potentially getting into WW III. It’s one thing to seek greater NATO security, it’s another for the EU to create its own fighting force. Merkel has enough problems with the Eurozone [common currency] to go into the war business.
Merkel’s idea of creating an EU army reflects her weakened position in Germany, losing much of her parliamentary based because of bad decisions about Mideast refugees. Gauland’s AfD Party says as much about how Merkel uses German resources than about anti-immigration policies. Proposing an EU army runs counter the bloc’s commitment toward diplomacy and peace, leaving collective defense to NATO. White House officials should dissuade the Brussels-based European Parliament and Strasbourg-based European Commission from wasting resources on an European army. NATO provides the EU with sufficient protection from potential encroachment by Russia or any other possible threat. Instead of worrying so much about nationalism, Merkel and Macron should focus on improving the EU’s struggling economy. No army can reverse the EU’s current economic woes.
