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The Russian Trap: Putin to demilitarise while Europe rearms?

  • Fra Hughes Fra Hughes
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 2 Mar 2025 14:37
  • 2 Shares
7 Min Read

Vladimir Putin, I advise caution, as Trump will not be in power in another four years and sadly perhaps neither will you. A weakened military is not the legacy you wish to leave in my opinion.

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  • Even if America really did reduce its military budget by half, it would still dwarf monies spent by its own “perceived adversaries”. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)
    Even if America really did reduce its military budget by half, it would still dwarf monies spent by its own “perceived adversaries”. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

President Trump, as part of his public commitment to reduce American overall spending costs as part of his Make America Great Again agenda, is proposing a 50% reduction in the overall expenditure on the American “defense budget”; he hopes to see this reciprocated by both Russia and China.

Everyone should welcome any cost cutting exercise in the eye watering budget that is the American defense industry.America has over 800 military bases ensconced in sovereign nations across the globe.

While technically head of NATO with a huge presence in nearly every European nation, these bases are claimed to be purely defensive as part of a collective shield under “article five” of the NATO constitution, where an attack upon one Nato ally is attacked upon all resulting in a unified collective response from Nato members.

In reality, NATO is the vehicle which allows America to maintain its foothold militarily in Europe, which in one sense it has occupied from the Second World War.

With the expansion of the European Union followed by NATO into the Baltic states and former satellite states of the Soviet Union, America has thousands of troops, armaments, planes, ships and nuclear submarines permanently stationed on European land and in European territorial waters.

America is an armed camp inside Europe with full autonomy to act in its own interests outside of European political structures, and could presumably stage coups and color revolutions in any European state if it so desires, even among its allies

Trump, in his previous administration, expressed the opinion publicly that European nations were relying on American money and American might to protect from any third party aggression, and as such demanded all NATO members to increase their defense budgets to 2% of their gross national product.

The intention even then was to reduce American spending in Europe as the deep state pivots its focus and military might towards the “yellow peril” China.

Upon re-election, he has literally doubled down on this tactic and demanded Europe increase its spending on defense to 5% of GDP, lest he withdraw American support for NATO unilaterally.

Europe, because of its political class who are rife with Russophobia, is becoming an armed camp.

While they rail against the American -Russia “detente” and the proposed peace deal between America and Russia over Ukraine like petulant children who have been refused the opportunity to sit at the grown-ups table, Europe, as a vassal appendage of American foreign policy, regardless of their public protestations in defense of Ukraine, will literally bite the bullet and run along after Trump and whatever decisions he makes like the little boys and girls they really are.

So, what is Donald really up to?

Yes, he is auditing all of American state and deep state finances, trying to end waste and bureaucracy to make savings on the national budget.

His focus on USAID has already exposed the depth and reach of a pseudo charitable organization as an arm of American soft power used to influence national and international sentiment to export American foreign policy to undermine targeted independent sovereign states. It has on payroll thousands of journalists and influencers, it finances radio stations, newspapers, online media, television outlets, individuals and organizations with the sole purpose of promoting American values by using money as the oil that greases its propaganda machine.

Will Trump end the black psyop machinations of the CIA, will he tackle the deep state, will he really find out the truth of how the deep state works? 

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I doubt it. They will allow him to scratch the surface and carry out minimal financial reform while everything continues as normal. Hidden, clandestine, the unseen hand of the American State Department and others who work tirelessly to end freedom, foment destabilization, arm, finance, promote, and ultimately foist American imperialism and financial colonialism unto as much of the global population as they possibly can.

Presidents come and go. Some may be less war-like and more conciliatory, but history has shown us the deep state never sleeps, never stops, never gives in and never surrenders power to the elected political class.

America claims to have defeated the Soviet Union during the “cold war” with the breakup of the former Soviet Republics in 1991.

The citizens of the Soviet Union overwhelmingly voted to keep the Union intact, but the political decision had already been made for it to disband to its constituent parts, and so the great experiment of the 20th century came to an end.

Ronald Reagan was the man who promoted the “Strategic Defense Initiative” commonly referred to as “Star Wars” in 1983. The plan to militarize space was designed in part to draw the Soviet Union into the space race, and by extension, cripple the Soviet economy as more monies were funneled into the military, thus undermining the economy which some American authors claim helped bring the Soviet Union to the collapse witnessed in 1991.

The war in Afghanistan between the communist elected government and the religious right in Afghanistan, which was financed, armed, and directed in many cases by the CIA, MI6, and others, was a central part of Cold War politics. The Soviets entered Afghanistan at the behest of the incumbent government just as they did in Syria.

The Soviet Union was then bogged down in its own Vietnam-style conflict. An American proxy war against the Soviet Union via the Afghan warlords.

Bleeding money and men on the hills and valleys of Afghanistan.

Trump's proposal of a 50% reduction in defense spending by Russia, America and China has been welcomed by Putin.

Russia, always inclined towards peace and diplomacy, appears keen to reduce spending as an olive branch to global peace. China has stated publicly it requires it to keep its military defensive capabilities up to date.

America already out spends all of its military competitors. The proposed fiscal budget for 2025 stands at $849 billion.

That is an unbelievable amount of money that could probably end world hunger overnight. Imagine that colossal amount of money being spent to help the global economy or the infrastructure in America, free healthcare, free education, financing the wealth and health of the people, not just the shareholders and contractors of the military industrial complex.

A word of caution.

Even if America really did reduce its military budget by half, it would still dwarf monies spent by its own “perceived adversaries”.

Should Russia weaken its military presence on the European continent while Europe and NATO prepare themselves to become a war camp?

In my opinion, we are re-entering the political uncertainty we witnessed in the 1930s: The rise of fascism all across Europe and indeed America, a rearmed continent led by Russophobic zealots. From Germany to France to the Dis-United Kingdom, all those countries who individually and now collectively wish to see the Russian Federation destroyed and balkanized, easy pickings for corporate Europe and America, are preparing for continued conflict,

Vladimir Putin, I advise caution, as Trump will not be in power in another four years and sadly perhaps neither will you. A weakened military is not the legacy you wish to leave in my opinion.

The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
  • United States
  • Russia
  • Donald Trump
  • Vladimir Putin
  • Nato
  • Europe
Fra Hughes

Fra Hughes

Journalist, author, and activist.

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