Obama and Merkel on Transatlantic Relations
by Stephen Lendman
Obama’s likely last overseas trip to Greece, Germany and Peru was supposed to be a victory lap. Instead, it comes after Hillary’s defeat – the aspirant he called “unfit to serve” succeeding him in January.
Coincidental with his arrival in Berlin on Thursday, the German broadsheet Wirtschaftswoche published an op-ed by him and Angela Merkel on “The Future of Transatlantic Relations” – a likely message to Trump (without mentioning his name) to stay the course.
Obama and Merkel (O&M): America and Germany share a “commitment to personal freedom and dignity, which only a vibrant democracy under the rule of law can guarantee.”
Fact: America, Germany and at least most other European countries reject freedom, dignity, democracy and rule of law principles – opting for aggressive wars and homeland crackdowns on opposition against what their governments represent.
O&M: “Our countries share a joint responsibility to protect and preserve our way of life.”
Fact: They mean exclusively serving wealth, power and privilege at the expense of most others.
O&M: “…we are working hard to ensure that international law and norms are respected around the globe…”
Fact: Merkel is a close Obama ally, partnered with his war on humanity, breaching “international law and norms” unaccountably.
O&M: “Our countries are committed collective defense (through NATO) to preserve (Euro-Atlantic) security…”
Fact: US-dominated NATO is for offense, not defense, a killing machine threatening humanity’s survival.
O&M: “We cooperate closely in the fight against terror…”
Fact: They partner with likeminded rogue leaders in fostering state-terror, raping one country after another.
O&M: “Our deep respect for human dignity compels us to provide humanitarian relief and aid for millions of refugees worldwide…”
Fact: The only effective way is by halting imperial wars both leaders support – and paying reparations to its millions of victims.
O&M: “(D)emocracy, justice and freedom form the foundation of our successful economies.”
Fact: America and Germany are undemocratic, unjust, and unfree – the way real just societies define there terms.
O&M: “Our shared conviction about the power of trade and investment to lift living standards prompted us to pursue the important project of establishing a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). There is no question that both German and American employers, workers, consumers, and farmers would profit from T-TIP.”
Fact: TTIP, TPP, NAFTA, CETA, and similar international agreements are anti-democratic corporate giveaways, freedom and ecosystem destroying nightmares, jobs destroyers, not creators – the latter reason why Trump opposes them.
Obama, Merkel, other Western leaders and likeminded others worldwide serve monied interests exclusively at the expense of popular ones.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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