After the new American administration came to power, everything turned upside down

By Ina Stašević from Croatia/Europe

"With Ina for Coffee" I talk to Prof. Darko Ropac, PhD, retired brigadier of the Croatian Army, about the uncertain times for world peace and the dangers that threaten global world peace and development. 

Previous agreements and coalitions are no longer valid, says Prof. Darko Ropac, PhD. retired brigadier of the Croatian Army. A new world order is being quickly established based on America's commercial interests. And all the world's insecurity has arisen precisely because of the actions and decisions of that same America. It is known that as the main players within NATO forces, they have the main role. Their long-standing desire is for this organization with its military capacities to be located in as many countries as possible, while expanding eastward, i.e. towards the borders with Russia. Let us recall from the somewhat distant past how the Americans reacted violently when in 1962 they discovered that the Soviets were deploying their nuclear missiles, fighter jets, and ground troops in nearby Cuba. It came so close to nuclear war that historians have called it the most dangerous moment in human history. And now such a moment is on the horizon again. The Russians are naturally reacting to NATO’s expansion contrary to previous agreements and are attacking their western neighbor, Ukraine. They are actually waging a preventive war, which they want to prevent American and European soldiers from arriving at their borders in full war readiness.

1. Did the Russians succeed in their goal?
It seems that they succeeded. The victim will certainly be Ukraine, which will have to give up a large part of its territory in the coming times through the imposed conditions of negotiations. This is inevitable for achieving any kind of peace. Ukraine will have to give up its aspirations for NATO membership, and possibly full integration into the European Union. So, the Americans, with their long-term Cold War, but also war, policy, have brought Ukraine into an unenviable position and are now leaving it stranded.

2. What is Europe's position in these events?
In this great chess game of the distribution of world power, Europe has brought itself into a subordinate position. It relied too much on Euro-Atlantic integration and the NATO alliance, neglecting the development of its own defense forces. And our politicians, as their supreme achievement, convinced the people that joining this military alliance was a guarantee of our security. People thought about how foreign naval forces would defend our seas, and foreign air forces our skies. Of course, none of that is evident from the small incidents that occurred over our area. We are once again reminded of that popular saying "trust yourself and your own people". Whatever we are and however much we are, we are our own. No one can defend anyone more wholeheartedly and better than our own people, which we have proven in the recent past. Now this has become clear to everyone, including us who are not political or military analysts, but ordinary observers with a grain of salt in our heads. NATO forces will only react in defense of the interests of the biggest player in that alliance, namely the Americans. If by chance their interests coincide with the interests of us little ones, then they will react, but again to our detriment, because no war conflict is good.

3. What should Europe do to increase its security?
The goal is to weaken the European Union, which has been growing stronger economically, humanly and militarily since its foundation. In addition to its current competitors on the world market, the Americans are bothered by strong players and will do anything, even lead to a war, to protect their primacy. In order for Europe to stand on its own two feet, it takes time, and then money. The decision has been made, and the EU will allocate a huge 800 billion euros over the next few years to develop its defense forces. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the necessity of establishing a European Defense Union. What exactly this means has not yet been defined. Whether this means the establishment of joint EU armed forces or something else remains to be seen. But it is clear to everyone that the future is not looking good for us. Instead of investing in the development of infrastructure and all other aspects of peaceful social development, we are turning to the development of war potentials that do not feed a hungry people, do not bring culture or education, and do not build a health and civil security system. We, the little ones in that EU, can no longer count on generous aid in catching up with Western standards, which we have used more or less abundantly and have been in the European manger. With additional allocations for the development of defense forces from 2 to 5% or more, our society will be impoverished. But we can't get anywhere from that basket, we have to adapt to the game of great powers.

4. What is the significance of the introduction of high taxes imposed by America?
The economic and social growth of India and China is a serious competition to America's global prestige. The development of sophisticated technology and armed forces of these countries, along with incredible human potential, is a serious counterweight to American dominance. Trump is aware of this and is trying to weaken the economic power of his competitors by imposing taxes. Through increased taxes, he has opposed almost the entire world. Economic analysts and trade war experts are convinced that this will ultimately backfire on America. We will soon witness these events!