Why More American Troops in Europe Will Make Old Continent Hostage to US Security Imperatives

"America’s presence in Europe is one of regional domination over Western Europe and encroachment and encirclement across Eastern Europe along Russia’s borders," says Brian Berletic, a geopolitical analyst and former US Marine. "It has always been a process of escalation, edging ever closer to a conflict with Russia either directly or, as we see unfolding in Ukraine right now, by proxy."

Ritter explains that the US has made it clear that the day of it paying for the expense of sending and sustaining American troops overseas all by itself is over, and it's up to Europe now "to pay at least a significant part of the cost of hosting these troops." The general is aware of these financial and political unknowns, hence his hesitance, adds the military analyst.

In order to effectively deter Russia, the US would have to deploy heavy armored brigades in Europe and keep them permanently there, according to the military analyst. However, it would be expensive for the US to provide these units, and it would be costly for any EU nation to host them, he explains.

According to Berletic, if there were no US military presence and no economic or political coercion used by the US, Nord Stream 2 would already be operational, with Europeans "enjoying cheap, plentiful, and dependable hydrocarbons from Russia." Instead, the EU has recently been thrown under the bus by the US and is now "risking socio-economic ruination," the geopolitical analyst points out.

Still, EU member states also bear responsibility for the current state of affairs, according to Scott Ritter. He highlights that Europe has long been excessively dependent on the US in terms of security. Ritter outlines two solutions for Europe which would have ensured its strategic autonomy:

· to work with Russia to redefine a European security framework that de-emphasises the possibility of armed conflict;

· if security cooperation with Moscow wasn't something that was politically acceptable for Europe, to build up its own inherent military capability to "deter Russia."

The Biden administration appears to be interested in prolonging the conflict in Ukraine for as long as possible, thus deepening the rift between Europe and Russia, argues Brian Berletic. US officials' apparent plans to turn Ukraine into Afghanistan 2.0 and amass American troops in Europe could ruin any prospect of healthy and mutually beneficial bilateral relations between Russia and the Old Continent, according to the former US Marine.

https://sputniknews.com/20220330/why-more-american-troops-in-europe-will-make-old-continent-hostage-to-us-security-imperatives-1094336657.html