
A well-known French political scientist Andre Glucksman in an interview with the Hamburg newspaper Die Welt spoke about disintegration of the Franco-Germanic alliance, which was the motor of the EU. The cause of discord is that Berlin turned away from Paris, turning to Moscow. This, as political analyst noted, explains the current crisis in Europe.
"In France we call it 'back to basics'", Glucksman says. He noted that Germany's u-turn in the direction of Russia has been taking shape under Schroeder. However, Angela Merkel, he said, pursuing the same policy.
"I expected that Merkel will change something. However the Nord Stream remains as it was, and the South Stream is to be added soon. Or, lets take for example, cooperation in the field of nuclear energy between the German Siemens and the French Areva. Siemens refused to work together and is now building a plant together with Russian oligarchs. Now we are competitors all over the world: France on the one side, Germany and Russia on another", the political scientist noted.
Germany is no longer thinks by the EU categories: it sees its future nether with the fate of Greece, which is close to a default, nor with the fate of France. "Germany has now new horizons ... Russia and Russian modernization. It's a very old concept, which belongs to the era of the reign of the German princess who became Russia's Empress Catherine II (who killed her husband the Tsar, to seize power - KC)", Glucksman says.
Andre Glucksman has also recalled the German-Russian relations in the XIX century, when industrialization of bast-shoe Russia was carried out by Germans and Baltic nobility. He noted that the desire of modern Germany to repeat the past experience is, at least, "naive".
In addition, Glucksman compared German policy toward Russia with neo-colonialism, noting that basically, it contradicts fundamental principles of the European Union, one of which is a refusal of Member States for the colonial ambitions.
As one of prerequisites for safeguarding the future of European unity Andre Glucksman sees a joint European energy policy, while Germany is developing energy cooperation with Russia, ignoring that its European neighbors - Baltic countries and Poland, and also Ukraine - are against it.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/05/07/12005.shtml