Is Germany About to Side With Russia Against America?

Europe could be in the early stages of a geopolitical earthquake.

Key German leaders want to end sanctions against Russia. Such a decision might seem like a minor piece of economic news, but it could be the beginning of a major break between Europe and America and the separation of Germany from the Western security alliance.

European sanctions on Russia are up for renewal in July. The European Union and the United States imposed the sanctions after Russia invaded Crimea in March 2014. The plan was to keep the sanctions in place until the Minsk Protocol, a protocol aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine, was fully implemented.

But with little to no progress on the Minsk agreement, some leaders in Germany want to end the sanctions. On May 31, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested ending the sanctions “step-by-step,” rather than waiting for Minsk to be completed.

What Will Happen in Europe When Britain Leaves

From 2007 with lessons for today:

Soon, Britain will leave the European Union. (Stock Xchng)

 

It could be one of the most momentous, watershed events ever to occur on the European continent.

The time is drawing nearer when Britain will leave the European Union.

How will this development affect life on the Continent? Drastically.

Over the years, Britain has been the biggest hindrance to the unification project proceeding forward. Where France and Germany had ambitious designs for European unity, Britain viewed it as a take-it-or-leave-it economic venture. This fundamental difference, coupled with Britain’s sheer size and political influence, has made London the resident counterweight to Franco-German ambition.

A New Global Arms Race

Caption: An S-300 PMU-1 antiaircraft missile is launched during a military exercise. (Costas Metaxakis/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The world is becoming more dangerous than ever before. That’s the type of statement you may read in the newspaper or hear a presidential candidate say. But how to do you prove that it is true? One trend that gives us a good indication is military spending.

In 2011, the world was spending more on its military than in all of history. We have remained around that historic peak in the years since, although military expenditures have shrunk slightly each year. The world is still spending more than during the Cold War, World War ii or any other time.

The reason this indicates the danger in today’s world is not just as simple as saying, the more money spent on weapons, the more dangerous the world is. It matters who’s spending on it. And when you look at those facts, the picture is even more disturbing.