View from Greece: U.S. next step – to the war against China

The imposition of extremely high tariffs on China, which essentially means the disruption of trade between the two largest economies on the planet, amounts to the United States launching a war against the "Middle Kingdom" (Empire du Milieu). This war is analogous to the one the US initiated against Russia in Ukraine, although this time it is using economic means, writes Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, former ex-advisor at the office of the Greek PM Andreas Papandreou on Arms Control and East-West relations.

The minimal objective of this war is to halt China's economic, military, and technological development, which — like Russia's resurgence and its nuclear weapons on the international stage — challenges the monopoly of US and Western dominance on the planet, as they sought to establish itself after the dissolution (“suicide”) of the USSR in 1991.

The maximal objective of the operation is the fragmentation of the unity of Chinese social forces and the ruling Communist Party, the overthrow of its planned economy system, and, if possible, the disintegration of the country, which currently poses the greatest economic threat to the international omnipotence of Western capitalism.

As with the war against Russia, in its war against China, Washington seeks to garner the support of other nations on the planet, especially in Europe and East Asia. The American government has also made it clear that any negotiations with any country regarding tariffs will not be limited to economic issues. For the Trump administration, any reduction in tariffs presupposes that countries will “align with the United States on matters of economy and national security.” In other words, they must choose a side. “He who is not with us is against us.”

The leadership of the European Union, which instead of serious politicians is comprised of low-calibre, corrupt, and dependent individuals “appointed” in a way to their positions by bankers and various lobbies, appears unfortunately ready to blindly follow America into the war against China, just as it did against Russia.

The contradictions in Trump's policy support the view that his goal, along with the faction of big Capital that has rallied behind him and Mr. Netanyahu, is a strategic retreat. They realise that the West is not capable of achieving the objectives it pursued when it provoked and participated in the war in Ukraine — namely, the recovery of Donbass and Crimea, the overthrow of the Russian government and the dismemberment of Russia. The continuation of the war absorbs significant resources from other "fronts" while simultaneously strengthening the trends of the Global South's emancipation from the "collective West," particularly the dollar, the primary tool for refinancing the US economy.

Thus, these forces aim to close the Ukrainian chapter with minimal losses and gains (rare-earth metals) and focus on the war against China, which is the West's strongest economic and technological rival. They have already launched the war in recent days, without even waiting for peace to be restored in Ukraine.

They have not hidden these ambitions. Trump's own vice president, JD Vance, has explained that the US president will close the Ukrainian chapter to concentrate on China, while also making it clear that he will deal with Iran.

In anticipation of the war with China, the Trump faction naturally seeks to secure their "rear" in the American continent, while Netanyahu, a key figure behind Trump's re-election, aims to “swallow” the entire Middle East with Trump's help — a soft underbelly for Russia, Central Asia, and, further afield, China. Already, Syria, occupied by Turkey and Al-Qaeda with the complicity of the West and Israel, serves as an excellent base for launching attacks across Eurasia. Not coincidentally, Trump congratulated Erdogan for achieving something no one had done in 2,000 years: occupying Syria with the help of jihadists. These congratulations reveal the quality of today's leadership in the US and Turkey (and Israel, which is now escalating a genocide in Palestine — a genocide that not only destroys Palestinians but erodes the moral foundation of all humanity, as long as no effective action is taken to stop it).

The Trump bloc also seeks to dismantle Russia's alliances with Iran, China, North Korea, the BRICS, and any idea of replacing the dollar.

The current Russian leadership knows how much it has gained by presenting itself as the defender of the “global majority”. Russia's success against NATO, the strongest military and economic alliance in human history, in terms of nullifying its objectives, is undoubtedly due to the high quality of Soviet military strategy inherited by the Russian armed forces from the Red Army. War, as Clausewitz defined it, remains the continuation of politics, so Russia's success also reflects the support of a majority of Russian society, which judged that it could not afford to let its homeland lose the war. Without such support, success would have been unthinkable. But this success is also the result of the fact that the majority of the world's nations did not support the collective West against Russia and did not impose sanctions.

Moscow has every reason to explore Trump's intentions in Ukraine and exploit any openings he may try. But it cannot satisfy the dreams of the “Trumpists” and ally with them against China. Because it knows that if it dismantles its alliances, it will not easily be able to rebuild them. Moreover, a Western victory over China would leave Russia itself in a desperately difficult position. We must not forget that while Washington may appear "conciliatory" in Ukraine (it remains to be seen how genuine this is), it is pushing Europe into over-armament, has presented the largest military budget in its history, and is interested in a new “Star Wars”.

Returning to the trade war declared by the United States against China, these developments place Beijing, as well as Russia, the Shanghai Organisation, BRICS, and the entire Global South, before the challenge of proposing and fighting for a new democratic, just, ecological, and social global economic order. Such an order would allow humanity to evolve peacefully toward a higher form of civilisation and prevent the attempt to impose a global totalitarian dictatorship of American and Western capitalism over all the nations of the world.

This is also a challenge to any forces in Europe that remain outside the control of financial capital and the US and NATO.

The challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity, Dimitris Konstantakopoulos stresses.

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