RUTHFULLY YOURS

A common line of argument between Russian state propaganda and American conspiracy circles is proliferating these days, namely: the war in Ukraine was allegedly fomented by the Americans to destroy Europe.

For example, the American conspiracy website Revolver News easily refers to the geostrategic considerations of a leading expert on the war in Ukraine, Andrew Korybko. Incidentally, Korybko is also a ‘Moscow-based analyst’ financed by Russia’s autocratic government: a mere detail.

In this thesis, which charges Europe with being the victim of an American plot, everything is false. It is a childish and disempowering falsehood — which makes it attractive to unquestioning minds.

The truth is that Europe is a victim only of itself.

It was not the Americans who destroyed the German, French or Belgian nuclear capabilities.

It was not the Americans who banned the exploitation of shale gas in Europe. The founder and president of Center for Industrial Progress, Alex Epstein, explains:

“As natural gas shortages and skyrocketing prices harm Europe, those most responsible for the crisis—those who oppose the production and transport of natural gas—are trying to shift the blame from themselves by claiming that the situation is ‘complex.’ But it is not. It is simple: if it had not been for major global restrictions on the production and transport of natural gas, natural gas supply could meet demand….

“What should European nations do about their self-inflicted suffering? One, they should immediately reverse their deadly fracking bans. Two, those who have championed fracking bans should apologize and promise to radically cut their own natural gas use.”

The truth is that Europe has destroyed much of its ability to supply itself with natural gas.

It was not the Americans who prohibited Germany from building terminals to import American gas.

It was not the Americans who designed Germany’s ultra-“green” Energiewende (energy turnaround).

Was it the Americans who decreed the end of nuclear power in Germany in 2001 by taking control of the minds of then Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his “green” minister Jürgen Trittin?

Was it the Americans who accelerated Germany’s nuclear phase-out in 2011, by hypnotising then Chancellor Angela Merkel?

Was it the Americans who forced the Germans, and thereby the Europeans, to put themselves at the mercy of Moscow, by betting exclusively on Russian gas? In fact, “the Americans” did exactly the opposite: they warned the Germans. “Trump accused Germany of becoming ‘totally dependent’ on Russian energy at the U.N. The Germans just smirked,” reported The Washington Post in 2018.

For the conspiracist, the bigger the story, the better. The destiny of the conspiracist is that he thinks he is smarter, when in fact he is not necessarily dumber, but less informed than the others. The conspiracist does not need the facts; that is how you can recognize him: a tweet, an Odyssey video, a “meme” are all he needs to “prove” his point.

According to a recent report by the RAND Corporation on Russian propaganda:

“Contemporary Russian propaganda is continuous and very responsive to events. Due to their lack of commitment to objective reality… Russian propagandists do not need to wait to check facts or verify claims; they just disseminate an interpretation of emergent events that appears to best favor their themes and objectives. This allows them to be remarkably responsive and nimble, often broadcasting the first ‘news’ of events (and, with similar frequency, the first news of nonevents, or things that have not actually happened).”

Is it not high time, for Europeans finally to face up to their responsibilities?

Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (Saint-Louis University of Louvain), a philosopher (Saint-Louis University of Louvain) and a doctor in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is the author of The Green Reich.