Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
A specter haunts Europe. No, it’s not communism; it’s US rating agencies. Greece is bankrupt; the eurozone is about to crack; JP Morgan makes billion-dollar “mistakes”; there’s no (jobs) future for the new generations. And yet the weaponized arm of the Western 0.1% elites occupies Chicago – turned into an Orwellian police city-state – to discuss “smart defense”.
In Afghanistan, the “smart” North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is in fact bound for a humiliating escape. “Smart defense” is code for “there’s no money”. Only five among 28 NATO member states spend 2% of their gross domestic product on the military – as NATO would have it. One of them was – surprise! – Greece. Here’s yet another crash course on weaponized neo-liberalism. First Greece was more or less forced to buy expensive submarines from the French and the Germans; then it was forced to make budget cuts. Call it the “food for subs” NATO relief plan.
The US pays for no less than 75% of NATO’s bills – yet another graphic demonstration of NATO as the European arm of the Pentagon. Still, in 2011 European Union (EU) members spent no less that $180 billion on defense. Not anymore. There’s no money. So it will be up to the Pentagon to keep it going.
And keep it going it will – with relish. As expected, this Sunday in occupied Chicago NATO approved – better yet, US President Barack Obama and his allies “just decided” – to go with the first phase out of four of the US missile shield for Europe.
Copyright © 2006-2012 BlackListedNews.com