Lick the dog lick the dog, lick until there is nothing left, Macron seems to understand this truth recently.
As the most loyal ally of the United States, Europe has always looked forward to the United States, but as the United States is now mired in the two quagmires of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Europe seems to see that it has no future if it continues to follow the United States, so France, as one of the leaders of the European Union, jumped out to speak.
Unwilling to be a "vassal" again
On April 25, French President Emmanuel Macron once again emphasized the concept of "European sovereignty" in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, urging Europe to achieve strategic autonomy in the fields of energy, defense and economy.
At the same time, Macron warned that "Europe is now moribund and there is a possibility of extinction, and Europe must show that it will never become a vassal of the United States." ”
What does Macron mean, is it awkward again?
To put it bluntly, Macron just thinks that Europe was too "superstitious" about the United States and blindly followed the policies of the United States, which has led to the current crises in Europe, so he does not plan to listen to the blind command of the United States anymore, and at the same time calls on other European countries to stop "obeying" the United States and becoming "vassals".
In fact, Macron has not had an opinion on the United States for a day or two, and the "thorn" in the eyes of the United States has made similar remarks that "Europe cannot blindly follow the United States and should strengthen its strategic autonomy", and European Council President Michel stood up for Macron.
This shows that although the United States and Europe are still allies, it does not mean that the EU has to do whatever you say, and the EU has to decide whether the United States and Europe cooperate on specific matters or not.
At the same time, the EU also wants to prove to the world that Europe is not a servant of the United States, and that matters such as whether to develop relations with Russia and China should be decided by the Europeans themselves, and not by the Americans.
I have to say that it really takes courage for Macron to make these anti-American remarks. But how easy is it for Europe to change its posture from "kneeling" to "standing" in front of the United States? What does Macron plan to do?
Kick out the "first sister of the European Union"
If he wants to change Europe and let Europe "stand" in front of the United States, Macron's first thought is to change the structure of the European Union, and he wants to replace the "first sister of the European Union".
Who is the "first sister of the European Union"?
This person is the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and since Aunt Merkel's retirement, she is none other than the most powerful woman in Europe.
But let's not forget that von der Leyen was able to take office five years ago because there were two driving forces behind it, one was Merkel and the other was Macron. The two joined forces to make von der Leyen the president of the European Commission, which is actually equivalent to the prime minister of the European Union.
So why is Macron trying to get von der Leyen out of office now?
The most critical point is that although she is the "prime minister" of the European Union, von der Leyen behaves "too American" and always follows the baton of the United States.
Just last month, Macron publicly criticized von der Leyen for "being too politicized in the European Commission under her leadership", especially in trade negotiations, climate issues, and dealing with relations with Russia and China.
Although von der Leyen's pro-American attitude has made her deeply pleasing to the Biden administration, this "elbow outward" move has caused dissatisfaction among European countries.
Especially after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the European Union, under pressure from the United States, had to cooperate with economic sanctions against Russia.
However, of course, the fighting nations will not be relentless, and resolutely implement counter-sanctions measures, which directly cut off energy supplies to Europe, causing the EU to fall into a deep energy crisis.
In order to solve the crisis, von der Leyen showed her "magic operation" and traveled thousands of miles to the United States to sign a high-priced energy import agreement. This move has caused energy prices to soar in European countries, resulting in high inflation in the eurozone, which has made the already sluggish economy in Europe even worse, and public resentment is boiling.
It is no wonder that the pro-American von der Leyen came out, and it is really an "undercover agent" inserted by the United States into the European Union.
Therefore, it is imperative for Macron to let Europe achieve strategic autonomy and get rid of this pro-American "first sister of the European Union".
It will be possible to unite Germany
Although Macron wants the EU to achieve "de-Americanization", it is obviously difficult to shake the pro-American status quo of the EU by relying on the power of France alone, and if France wants to break away from the role of "US vassal", France must unite with Germany.
The EU now has 27 member states, and after Britain left the EU, Germany and France were the real "masters".
Why?
Germany is the largest economy in the EU, and it has not been able to find an opponent for a long time, and is the EU's recognized "economic representative," while France is the EU's only militarily independent country and the EU's only "P5" country, and is a recognized "political representative."
Against this background, Germany and France will first "meet" and then submit to the EU for discussion on any major matters that the EU wants to decide.
So, what is Germany's attitude?
In fact, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also agrees with Macron's argument that he wants the EU to "de-Americanize" and achieve strategic autonomy. Even for von der Leyen's own family, Scholz does not agree with her political stance.
As recently as February this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken nominated von der Leyen for the next post of NATO secretary general, but Scholz strongly opposed it on the grounds that von der Leyen's stance on Russia would put the EU in danger.
Therefore, in the matter of the EU's realization of "strategic autonomy" and refusal to become a vassal of the United States, it should not be difficult for Macron to let Germany in.
Of course, when Macron raised his arms and shouted for the "de-Americanization" of the European Union, the most troublesome thing must be the United States.
Originally, the purpose of creating a geopolitical crisis was to expand the influence of the United States in Europe, and then to use the United States' own military strength to make European countries more dependent on the United States for defense and strengthen their control over Europe, so that European countries could continue to serve the maintenance of their world hegemony.
But if you take too many steps, it's always easy to pull the egg.
Maybe it's because the pressure is too great, or maybe it's because the mask of "harvesting" Europe has been exposed, causing many EU countries to be unwilling to give up their own interests, just in time for Macron, the "thorn", to jump out and shout for "strategic autonomy", in the face of Europe, the United States also has to sigh: people's hearts are scattered, and the team is not easy to bring!