QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; The French have never been real supporters of America and NATO. They have always wanted to be seen as a world power since Charles DeGaul. What is your view on Macron’s answer to Trump’s demand that they pay their fair share of NATO to turn to Russia?
JE
ANSWER: The French President Emmanuel Macron has urged European states to work with Russia and construct new security architecture, in a bid to strengthen defense capabilities within the European Union and thus rely less on America. This is a question of power. NATO exists because of a view that Russia would invade Europe to end capitalism. Those days are gone. Nonetheless, the idea of empire still haunts us to this day. That is the idea in reality behind the European Union to take Europe and recreate the old Roman Empire of one federalized government. Putin may harbor that same view of reestablishing the Russian Empire. However, it is no longer to spread communism. It may take another 50 to 100 years before we end this idea of empire. Macron is still displaying the view that Europe should stand together against America. It has been the Frech who have blocked free trade and trade negotiations because they are the origin of communism where the idea was born and this is reflected in the poor economic performance of France as a whole.
