EU leaders look set to focus on Iran — where there is little they can achieve — while still failing to flex real muscle against Putin in Ukraine.
Two conflicts will compete for the attention of EU leaders meeting for a summit this week. There is one — Ukraine — where they can make a difference, and another — Iran-Israel — where they can’t.
It seems paradoxical, then, that the Middle East — a theater of war where the U.S. is infinitely more influential than Europe — will probably consume more attention than Ukraine — an EU candidate country that is desperately pleading for more European assistance as the tide turns against it, and Russian forces pummel Kharkiv, its second city.
Still, the EU seems determined to go through the diplomatic motions of appearing to be a global power that might be able to sway notoriously stubborn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Bad take.
A regional conflict in our backyard will greatly impact Europe.
Just look at what the Syrian civil war and Iraq/Afghan wars did and how the resulting refugee problem impacted Europe.
Now imagine that times five if Iran and Israel get sucked in a war with Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq in the crossfire.
Bad take. Nobody said a major conflict in the Middle East won’t have a significant impact on the EU. The EU just can’t do much about it.
The EU has the capacity to deal with both problems and more, it’s the national government’s short sightedness that limits it.
The idea that the EU is powerless is naive.
It’s not powerless, but I think Israel is the one with the power. Iran made an empty show of power. They forewarned so that it could be intercepted. They are happy to let the matter be done with.
All Israel has to do is nothing, but pride will fuck with their heads and they’ll likely escalate. Nothing the EU can do about that.
unfortunately its the us. most of the missiles were shot down by the us.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
It seems paradoxical, then, that the Middle East — a theater of war where the U.S. is infinitely more influential than Europe — will probably consume more attention than Ukraine — an EU candidate country that is desperately pleading for more European assistance as the tide turns against it, and Russian forces pummel Kharkiv, its second city.
Still, the EU seems determined to go through the diplomatic motions of appearing to be a global power that might be able to sway notoriously stubborn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The advantage to Paris of being part of an anti-Iran coalition would be to try to hold back Israeli hawks, but there is no doubting that it’s the messaging from U.S. President Joe Biden that really matters.
“During Iran’s attack against Israel, some Western countries contributed to protecting Israeli skies as an important act of solidarity,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told POLITICO.
Russian attacks on Ukraine “underscore the urgency of intensifying our delivery of military assistance, notably air defence capabilities,” European Council President Charles Michel said in his invitation letter to leaders.
“The whole Western policy up till now has been to provide us with the weaponry and ammunition calculated to ensure Ukraine doesn’t lose, but not necessarily win,” said opposition lawmaker Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
The original article contains 1,033 words, the summary contains 213 words. Saved 79%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
