Both the pandemic (health crisis) in 2020 and the energy crisis 2022 in Europe cannot be understood without looking at the whole picture of cui bono on all side

Both the pandemic (health crisis) in 2020 and the energy crisis 2022 in Europe cannot be understood without looking at the whole picture of cui bono on all sides. When Trump warned Germany about the dependence on Russian gas he had first and foremost US interests in his mind. Continental Europe (effectively Germany and France) failed to formulate and establish a distinctive stance regarding its foreign policy towards Russia with whom they share a continent. Exactly this lack of own assertiveness is now leading to the self-inflicted energy crisis. The Russian and US interests where clear from the start way back in at least 2014 when irreversible actions (on boh sides) where made. The US interests: when push comes to shove they don't mind the pawn sacrifices in Eurasia by defending its hegemony against - ultimatley - China. After the fall of the Soviet Union Europe's interests were scattered (e.g. Balkanization, Brexit, North vs South etc.) and today are basically aligned with US interests even if they seem at odds purely from a strategic pov. I once asked a friend of mine who grew up partly in China (who was always very cautious not to be drawn into political arguments) provocatively who his favourite (European) politician was, he answered: Charles de Gaulle. At the time I thought what a weird answer that was, why such an old and partly forgotten statesman but after some years I came to realize that he probably admired his very demanding independent stance after WWII not shying away to challenge his uber-powerful ally overseas when his own national interests where at the line. I can clearly identify the national interests of the US, Russia, China, India, South Africa, Turkey, Poland and even Hungary ... in the Ukraine war but I have a hard time understanding that of Germany or France from a self-perserving perspective. Quoting from Bertold Brecht's "Dreigroschenoper"[0]: Erst kommt das Fressen, dann die Moral. [Food is the first thing, morals follow on]. [0]https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=xbUW0ZfnZbs&feature=emb_title https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=xbUW0ZfnZbs&f...