Why being a friend of the US is ‘fatal’?
“To be an enemy of the US is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal”
― Henry Kissinger
News analysis: Why being a friend of the United States is ‘fatal’?
See also Fate of Qin Gang, China’s former Foreign Minister Politico Europe
CGTN • October 23, 2023
US President Joe Biden has pledged an “unprecedented” package of aid to support its “ironclad” ally in Middle East – Israel, which is entangled in a fresh round of conflict with its old foe Palestine. Besides, the White House also vowed to back Ukraine “as long as it takes” in its fight against Russia.
The funding for Israel and Ukraine that the US government has asked for, amounted to almost $106 billion. Will this be a credible commitment or just another empty promise?
“It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal,” former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once remarked. And the US has proven him right. Time and again, the US has showed that it is not a reliable ally in global affairs.
Sitting across the pond, making huge profits
Economist Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of former French President Charles de Gaulle, told the French newspaper Le Parisien that the US provoked a conflict in Ukraine to “turn Europe into a vassal” and has managed to use the Ukraine crisis to “destabilize Europe.”
In terms of energy, security, economy, refugees, etc, Europe is paying a heavy price in the crisis while the US is enjoying the most benefits and still fanning the flames to prolong and expand the Ukraine crisis.
“This is while the United States, sitting across the pond, watching on and observing, is making huge profits,” Modern Diplomacy magazine commented on its website when describing the Ukraine crisis.
For instance, American energy companies are making a fortune during the crisis, as The Wall Street Journal bluntly stated, “A big winner from the energy crisis in Europe: the US economy.”
The EU imported around 94.73 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2022, compared to 57.27 million tonnes in 2021. The US represented 41 percent of the supply in all of 2022 and remained to be the EU’s top LNG supplier, surpassing Russia for the first time, according to a report by the research firm Kpler. In the first half of this year, the EU remained the primary buyer of US LNG, which constitutes more than half of the EU LNG import market.
Unfortunately, the price to move away from Russian energy is not cheap for the European side. The natural gas price frenzy in Europe shows no signs of easing. For instance, in France last year, energy prices alone increased by 23.1 percent yearly, followed by 6.8 percent for food and 3 percent for manufactured goods and services.
Europe’s interests have never been America’s concern. In 2021, the US hastily withdrew from Kabul, Afghanistan, leaving its European allies stunned and unprepared. The US also forged the AUKUS with the UK and Australia, blatantly breaking the Australia-France submarine deal.
Coercive diplomacy
The US applied coercive diplomacy with East Asian allies with no mercy.
In 1986, in response to the rise of Japan’s semiconductor industry, the US forced Japan to sign the “US-Japan Semiconductor Agreement,” initiated a “Section 301 Investigation” against Japan, and imposed trade sanctions on a variety of Japanese products such as semiconductors and computers, which undermined the competitiveness and potential of Japan’s semiconductor industry, seeing its market share fall from 50 percent of the global market to about 10 percent in 2019.
In recent years, the US has been wielding the tariff stick against Japan because of its dissatisfaction with Japan’s longstanding trade surplus with the US. In March 2018, the US imposed tariffs of up to 25 percent and 10 percent on imported steel and aluminum products under the Trade Expansion Act, temporarily “exempting” the Five Eyes countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but charging Japan the same.
The US’ ally South Korea is chewing on the same thing. The US passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year, eliminating federal tax credits for electric vehicles made outside North America, meaning companies including South Korea’s Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Corp will no longer be eligible for such subsidies.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol hoped talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden would resolve Seoul’s concerns over the Act during his visit to New York in September 2022. However, Yoon was only granted a 48-second spontaneous chat with Biden.
Since 1991, South Korea has shared the upkeep cost for US soldiers, including costs for South Korean civilians hired by the US Forces Korea (USFK), construction of military installations and logistics support.
Under the 10th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), South Korea paid 1.04 trillion won (about $890 million) for the stationing of US troops. When the 10th SMA was about to expire at the end of 2019, the US reportedly threatened to pull troops if South Korean didn’t pay $5 billion to the US for a new deal.
No wonder former European Council President Donald Tusk once commented on the US’ move, “with friends like that, who needs enemies?”
“All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer care for you anymore. I have wounded you as an enemy would. I have punished you as the cruel would, because your guilt is so great, because your sins are so many” Jeremiah 30:14.
“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37
“And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My [not China’s nor Russia’s] snare” Ezekiel 17:20
Joel
A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob 