{"id":50089,"date":"2016-09-23T21:05:20","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T01:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=50089"},"modified":"2016-09-23T21:05:20","modified_gmt":"2016-09-24T01:05:20","slug":"no-matter-what-the-msm-reports-europe-wants-a-trump-presidency-clinton-will-only-bring-more-war-and-chaos-to-the-continent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=50089","title":{"rendered":"No Matter What the MSM Reports, Europe Wants a Trump Presidency, Clinton Will Only Bring More War and Chaos to the Continent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why Europe Secretly Roots For Donald Trump<\/h1>\n
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Submitted by Matthew Karnitschnig via Strategic-Culture.org,<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Careful observers of European politics might be forgiven for asking if \u2014 behind the exclamation of shock and horror over the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency \u2014 they don\u2019t detect the occasional wry smile or hint of giddiness when the conversation turns to the U.S. Republican presidential candidate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be sure, hardly a day goes by without some senior European official voicing grave concerns over the possibility that\u00a0Trump\u00a0might win the elections. European Parliament President Martin Schulz\u00a0warned<\/a>\u00a0recently that Trump \u201cwould be a problem not just for the EU but for the whole world.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And yet, in some quarters at least, the Trump cloud carries with it at least a sliver of silver lining. <\/strong>No European politician will say so publicly, but to some on the Continent, Trump presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for emancipation from American influence.<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

To varying degrees, America-bashing has been a mainstay on both the Right and Left of European politics for decades. <\/strong>From GMOs to Guantanamo, from the drone war to the death penalty, European politicians have rarely had difficulty finding reasons to rail against the U.S.<\/p>\n

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In fact, the evils of U.S. influence is one of the few things that European politicians from nearly every slice of the political spectrum can agree upon. In Germany, for example, one is just as likely to see an \u201cAmi Go Home\u201d (Ami\u00a0is German slang for American) poster at a rally for the Left party as at a gathering of the far-right\u00a0Alternative for Germany.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Just as the EU served as a convenient whipping post for British politicians of all stripes in recent decades, culminating in the Brexit vote, the U.S. serves a similar purpose for many European politicians.<\/strong> Even those who profess a deep commitment to the transatlantic relationship often can\u2019t resist using the U.S. as a rhetorical foil to deflect attention from their own vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

As long as moderate politicians occupy the White House, anti-American politicians will find it difficult to turn their rhetoric into reality. A Trump presidency would force a rethink.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just last week, Jean-Claude Juncker, hailing the Commission\u2019s crackdown on Apple\u2019s Irish tax penalty in his State of the Union\u00a0speech<\/a>, declared: \u201cEurope is not the Wild West.\u201d Anyone listening knew that \u201cWild West\u201d means America. \u201cWe are not the United States of Europe,\u201d Juncker added, to applause from the assembled MEPs. \u201cWe are much more diverse in Europe and stronger.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most Europeans at the center of Europe\u2019s political spectrum genuinely fear the consequences of a Trump victory and a weakening of the Transatlantic relationship. But others smell an opportunity too good to be allowed to pass.<\/p>\n

As long as moderate politicians like President Barack Obama or U.S. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton occupy the White House, anti-American politicians will find it difficult to turn their rhetoric into reality. A Trump presidency would force a rethink.<\/p>\n

Here are five reasons some European politicians are secretly rooting for Trump:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The end of free trade:<\/strong><\/u>\u00a0From the outset, European trade negotiators warned that anti-Americanism posed the biggest threat to a sweeping transatlantic trade deal. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP<\/a>), the free-trade pact being negotiated by the U.S. and Europe, has been on life support for months. A Trump victory wouldn\u2019t just douse any remaining hope for success, it would put a stake through the heart of the negotiations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Opponents of the deal see it as the Trojan Horse of trade, designed to give U.S. companies even more influence in Europe. Trump has argued the opposite, that free-trade deals\u00a0hurt<\/a>\u00a0American workers. The bottom line: a Trump victory would put a free-trade pact between the U.S. and Europe of any kind firmly off the table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The birth\u00a0of an EU army:<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0The U.S. has guaranteed Europe\u2019s security for decades through NATO, effectively placing a giant security umbrella over most of the Continent. That reliance doesn\u2019t sit well with everyone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though Europe doesn\u2019t have anywhere near the military resources of the U.S. (American military spending accounts for about 75 percent of the NATO total), politicians in France and Germany are eager to get to work on a\u00a0European defense force<\/a>. The idea isn\u2019t new and faces myriad hurdles, mainly the question of how to finance it on Europe\u2019s shoestring budget.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, a Trump victory would give the initiative a major boost. As with the trade deal, Trump would likely be happy to let the Europeans fend for themselves. He has made no secret of his\u00a0distaste<\/a>\u00a0for Europe\u2019s reliance on the U.S. military. Conversely, few Europeans would welcome Trump as commander-in-chief. If he wins, proponents of a European army would finally have the compelling argument they\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Breaking up\u00a0big brother surveillance: <\/strong><\/u>Europe\u2019s most emotional gripe about American influence in recent years has revolved around mass surveillance. Edward\u00a0Snowden<\/a>\u2019s revelations have convinced Europe that nobody \u2014 be it Angela Merkel or the man on the street \u2014 is safe from the NSA\u2019s digital dragnet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though the reality is somewhat less dramatic, that narrative has carried the day and many Europeans are convinced the U.S. is listening to their phone calls. Snowden, a man Trump argues should be executed, has become a modern-day Che Guevara for Europe\u2019s youth. For all the transatlantic tensions around mass surveillance, Europe still cooperates with the U.S., mainly to get access to intelligence on Islamic terrorists. A Trump victory would be welcome news to those opposed to such cooperation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cracking down on Wall Street:<\/strong><\/u>\u00a0The influence of Wall Street banks in Europe has long been a bee in the bonnet of Europe\u2019s anti-American elites and populists alike. No conspiracy theory about the eurozone debt crisis, for example, is complete without dark hints about suspected machinations in New York\u2019s financial district.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The recent\u00a0brouhaha<\/a>\u00a0about former Commission president Jos\u00e9 Manuel Barroso joining Goldman Sachs illustrates the depth of the distrust. \u201cGoldman Sachs was one of the organizations that contributed to the financial crisis in 2007-2009, so we wonder about this particular bank,\u201d Juncker last week, explaining why he called for an investigation into Barroso\u2019s move. Never mind that the EU has no specific ban on officials working for Goldman or that plenty of European banks, such as Deutsche Bank, also had a hand in the turmoil.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Justified or not, the bottom line is that Wall Street is considered a toxic force in Europe. Politicians on the Left have had Wall Street banks in their sights for some time. A Trump win would present a good opportunity for a crackdown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Schadenfreude:\u00a0<\/strong><\/u>The most powerful force driving Europe\u2019s secret hopes for a Trump victory is simple\u00a0schadenfreude. Most Europeans never bought the U.S.\u2019s \u201ccity on a hill\u201d claims of exceptionalism. And yet for decades, they\u2019ve been subjected to American claims of moral superiority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not only did the U.S. liberate Europe from fascism, it also freed the Continent from the clutches of communism, goes a common refrain. To more than a few\u00a0Europeans,\u00a0President Trump would prove that the U.S. is really no different than the Continent: just as\u00a0dysfunctional<\/a>, just as vulnerable to its basest instincts and just as susceptible to the false promises of a demagogue.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

___
\nhttp:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/news\/2016-09-23\/why-europe-secretly-roots-donald-trump<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Europe Secretly Roots For Donald Trump Submitted by Matthew Karnitschnig via Strategic-Culture.org, Careful observers of European politics might be forgiven for asking if \u2014 behind the exclamation of shock and horror over the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}