Taps Coogan – September 30th, 2021

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George Friedman, Geopolitical Futures‘ Chairman and author of Flashpoints – The Emerging Crisis, recently gave an interview with a Polish TV station in which he lays out how the AUKUS submarine deal between the US, UK, and Australia highlights the ascendency of the Indopacific as the United States’ overarching geopolitical priority and how NATO is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

 

Some excerpts from George Friedman:

“Asia is critical because it’s the oceans that matter to the United States. The key events for the United States always take place in the oceans. The United States has amassed the alliance of ‘NATO in Asia.’ Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, India… The first solution to the United States is always to have a significant ally… Basically the American stance towards China is the same as it was towards the Soviets: build a major force and block, not attack, but block. I think China’s economic position is overestimated by the world. It is the second largest economy but in per capita income… China ranks 75th, behind Equatorial Guinea. On one hand the total production is significant. On the other hand the crisis in inequality is massive…”

“NATO is weakened by the Europeans. To have a military alliance you must have a military and that military must be useful to your allied countries. We’re a member of NATO. The NATO countries don’t have force enough to help us nor are they interested in spending the money. Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world. It should not have to be defended by the United States, by American troops. It can defend itself. So the Europeans threatened that they were going to have a European military force… Outstanding. The American position is: ‘Finally. Good luck. We’d love to see it.’ It’s very hard for the United States to be allied with NATO because in terms of concrete actions that NATO can take in support of other things, it’s not there… So we are now looking for a new relationship and this (AUKUS) is the one that existed in World War II. For almost a century this has been the foundation. So naturally, they bought American submarines not French ones. 

Enjoy the full discussion above.

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