Europe Reluctantly Accepted American Leadership That Quickly Turned into Domination

The triumph of the United States after the collapse of the Communist Party turned America into an undisputed global leader. The European Economic Community, as well as NATO, are still in place after the Cold War, albeit with different goals in mind: to legitimize the interests of the U.S. through institutional support and the disclosure of a collective solution.

The U.S. built the new architecture of global security upon the ruins of the USSR. The world put its trust in the superior military of the United States and the hope that this superpower gave them, when it came to politics. Europe reluctantly accepted an American leadership that has quickly become American domination.

There have been many different empires throughout the centuries. None of them have managed to accomplish world domination; the number of territories to be conquered is limited. However, America stands out, for it is a new kind of superpower that doesn’t require conquering other countries to rule over them. Using both economic and national globalist tactics, the U.S. manages to control countries from within, taking some of their features and giving them to global institutions.

As a global hegemon, the U.S. also suffers from disadvantages inherent in having this power. A superpower does not perceive any other as an equal, but sees only rebels, terrorists or disloyal countries in its neighborhood. It cannot accept the possibility of a sufficiently strong opponent with whom it can reconcile before having to engage them in war. Superpowers don’t fight wars; they intervene only to punish the wrong side and bring peace. Superpowers tend to get very upset when vassals stop acting like vassals.

The reason I’m saying all this is because sooner or later there will be an awakening. Intelligent American geopolitical analysts have already talked about this awakening. They are trying to help the U.S. deal with the global disorder that will occur, once there is resistance. There is even mention of the term ‘co-optive hegemony,’ which the U.S. does in fact exercise to some extent. But such a formal and informal structure of international leadership is a target for growing world powers like China, Russia, Turkey, etc. Sooner or later these powers will assert their claim to importance in controlling specific parts of the world. Such claims will one day also be made by factions within the so-called democratic community. The conclusion drawn by a number of analysts, including Zbigniew Brzeziński, is that the U.S. must abandon self-serving hegemony in favor of pragmatic realism.”

The war in Ukraine undoubtedly reflects Russia’s awakened imperial reflexes. Russia is heir to the Russian Empire, an imperial power with expansion as its goal. Long ago, it wanted control over the Dardanelles, Persia, the Middle East, etc. Today, people blame Vladimir Putin for his restlessness and and nostalgia for Imperial Russia. But Joseph Stalin was the same, and so was Catherine the Great. Let’s not forget that as a result of the Ottoman wars, Russia gained access to the Black Sea, and new cities, including Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson, were founded. It is also the time when Russia annexed the Crimean Khanate. Putin is simply continuing Imperial Russia.

The West already knows that Russia will not stop its quest to restore historical realms of power, regardless of whether or not Russia is a dictatorship or a democracy. It is often said that the Kyiv mandate and the Nazi parties are the root of Russian intervention in Ukraine. This may be a motive, but it is not the reason.

We must be honest. If the U.S. had not intervened in Ukraine, the country would have been Moscow’s satellite and instrument, and access to the Black Sea would have been blocked by the Russians. The U.S. tried to prevent that from happening by ingraining Russophobic beliefs into Ukraine and by replacing the pro-Russian government with one that is pro-American. This is what caused Putin to react. Accordingly, Russia responded by declaring war.

Perhaps Putin will take back the coast and parts of southern Ukraine; it is not quite clear how he will do it. It is up to the U.S. to decide what the West’s response will be. As the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said, “Putin expected another Crimea, but instead it got another Chechnya. The battle for Kyiv will most likely result in mass destruction and numerous victims. They will tarnish Russia’s image. An image that has already been demonized and scrutinized.”

Predictions by the U.S. for the early 2020s describe a “Russian collapse,” meaning that Moscow will become weaker and certain autonomous nations will disappear. This can easily turn Asia into the region of Greater China. Any gains from Russia’s war with Ukraine will continue to be negotiated. These negotiations will be important. Russia’s isolation will increase the significance of China and Turkey.

The U.S. has won the war for now. America has taken a softer approach to Ukraine, while Russia has tried to take it back using tanks and rockets. Thus, Russia has awakened NATO, triggering increases in military budgets in the EU that will go primarily to the military-industrial complex of the U.S. It also motivated the military presence in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Black Sea.

Russia made another big mistake. It caused the U.S. to be more attentive to Turkey once again. The war in Ukraine will enable Turkey to engage more deeply in regional activity; Turkey is Russia’s greatest historical rival, not only in Europe but also in Asia.

*Editor’s Note: The author, Kalina Androlova, made these remarks on the radio show “Politically INcorrect,” which aired on the Bulgarian National Radio.