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August 31, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 6
An EU army is half way step away from largely relying on the US military for European security and setting up a truly multinational force under the direct control of the UN. Articles 42 and 43 of the UN Charter authorize the Security Council to use armed forces to maintain international peace and security, but in the past it has been organized along national lines, with members contribut- ing forces from with own armies to a “blue hel- met” force and with the US often taking the lead. However, Article 43 of the UN charter provides for permanent independent UN Army that the
UN itself could put into the field. This provision has never been used and no plans to create an UN army have ever been drawn up. What Maas is talking about is for the creation of a half measure, a pan-European force with a single command that would work in tandem with the US force in any UN mandated operation, instead of the command-by- committee that is the case now with all European countries being individually represented. Obvi- ously if the EU had a permenant standing army of its own, the role of Nato would be diminished and the UN would take on a larger role in international peacekeeping.
New world order
Maas’s solution to all these problems is for Ger- many to tie up with France and then use the com- bined weight of a united Europe to match the US’s increasingly self-interested foreign policies. “Let’s use the idea of a balanced partnership as
a blueprint, where we assume our equal share of responsibility. In which we form a counterweight when the US crosses the line.
“If we go it alone, we will fail in this task. The outstanding aim of our foreign policy is to build a sovereign, strong Europe. Only by joining forces with France and other European nations can a balance with the US be achieved,” Maas said in his article.
This is an openly confrontational statement and one that won’t go down well in the White House. Moreover Maas explicitly says it is time for the Franco-German alliance to take over the job of
global policeman — a role that has until now been played by Washington.
“The European Union must become a cornerstone of the international order, a partner for all those who are committed to it. She is predestined for this, because compromise and balance lie in her DNA,” said Maas.
What does this mean for Russia? On balance Putin will probably be happy to see US power dialled back.
This week the US mourns the death of Senator John McCain, but the lasting image of the veteran US politician for the Kremlin is his speech on the stage in the midst of the Euromaidan protests in 2014 saying “America is with you.”
America is outraged by Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, but the Kremlin feels much the same about the US. Putin watched from the sidelines when US political advisors got Boris