Britain: As Theresa May flies out to Saudi Arabia, we should beware of Britain's new Brexit allies - by A. Smith

It’s been three months since Theresa May called for Brexit to be the birth of “a truly global Britain” and we’re starting to see what that actually means. Over recent months, we have seen Government ministers amassing huge numbers of air miles in a bid to form new trading relationships and strengthen older ones

This week Theresa May is making her first international visits since triggering Article 50 – and unfortunately it tells us a lot about where she sees the UK’s post-Brexit future lying. Today she flies into Jordan, and tomorrow she’s off to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a visit that she hopes will “herald a further intensification” in relations between the UK and the two countries.

The timing is certainly controversial. Last week marked the second anniversary of the terrible bombardment Saudi forces have led against Yemen. UK arms have been central to the destruction, with over £3 billion worth of military equipment having been licensed to the Saudi regime since the bombardment began. The impact has been deadly, with over 10,000 having been killed and 17 million people being left food-insecure and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Research by UNICEF shows that the conflict has created a situation in which a child is dying of preventable causes every 10 minutes.

Despite the horrific backdrop, Whitehall is working with BAE Systems to sell even more of the same fighter jets that are currently flying over Yemen.

This is not the first controversial state visit May has made since taking office. Last December she flew out to Bahrain for the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, in which she used Brexit as a pretext for a to call to “go even further” in working with the Gulf dictatorships.

Note EU-Digest: Brexit seems to have forced Theresa May to seek
strange "bed-fellows".

Read more: Britain's new Brexit allies | The Independent

EU and the US: strange bedfellows - perceptions and reality - by RM

When asking this question it might be a good idea to look at what unites and divides these two Atlantic Alliance partners.  

Historical ties: US and Europe  respect many common democratic ideals and through-out the years always jointly stood up for these ideals on many occasions, including-fighting wars and conflicts over these ideals against adversaries together .

Economics: both the EU and the US adhere, certainly if we look at these ideals in the past, to supporting and promoting free and open global trade,

This common purpose has, however, eroded  rapidly over the past 5 - 10 years.

Comparing US and EU austerity programs following the 2008 economic crises, it seems that when you put EU austerity programs under a magnifying glass they are in effect quite realistic, and even though they are so far not showing spectacular results, these measures seem to be working.

The US, on the other hand, seems to be doing economics by "magic wand" and in the process has rung up the world's biggest deficit.

The so-called  quantitative easing {QE) developed by the US Fed in fact means just printing more money and putting their head in the sand. QE is only pushing the day of reckoning further away. Unfortunately, this kind of economic policy will come and haunt the US in a big way one day.

In the past the US had a thriving industrial base on which it could fall back. It does not have that today.

As to Europe and the ECB, chaired by Mario Draghi, a former Goldman Sachs employee, it seems the ECB is also expected to take the plunge into quantitative easing, mainly as a result of constant Wall Street Pressure.

The results, in the long run, will like with the US program, eventually not be what was expected.     

Facts and figures: European economic data is usually very accurate. In contrast, US economic data including labor data is not always accurate, making it necessary for the US Government to release several updates and revisions which make it quite confusing for economic analysts.

Freedom of the Press: there does not seem to be any apparent censorship of the Press in either the EU or the US

Watching the news in America outsiders are constantly amazed by the uniformity and sensationalist news coverage projected by the corporate owned networks to the majority of US viewers,

Two US exceptions as to the above observation are "link TV" and "PBS".

Aljazeera America and BBC America are also considered good alternatives for news "without a slant" one can watch in America.

For more international news, another possibility is "streaming" news from France24 on your computer. .

For Europeans in America interested to keep up-to-date with their home news they will find most local European TV stations have internet links which you can watch anywhere in the world..

Miscellaneous observations Some other general observations about American and European differences

Like the EU, the US is a magnet for immigrants and refugees from economically, democratically, and war ravaged countries.

The US population in general is obese, consumer driven, under-educated and not very savvy when it comes to world affairs or in speaking foreign languages.

The EU population is nationalistically and  negatively inclined at what they consider as foreign, be it immigrants or religious beliefs..

Europeans in general are far better educated than Americans, many speak at least 2 to 3 languages and are aware of what is going on around the world.

Corporations: Corporate America: has basically taken over political America and regardless of the fact that they are perceived in both the US and the EU as corrupt and too powerful, are nevertheless continuing their practices as usual and are practically unopposed by governments on both sides of the Atlantic

Corporations and their lobbyists are getting an ever stronger foothold in the European parliament.

Racial Divide: There is still a huge, often hidden, racial divide between black and white in America.

Middle East: The strong Jewish influence and political lobby by Israel in relation to US policies in the Middle East has certainly contributed to the present chaotic situation in that area.

The situation becomes even more muddled if one includes in that picture the US close ties with Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

One could also say that this situation  is reminiscent of the former British Empire "divide and conquer" policies which eventually ended in disaster.

The EU has a different vision about relations with Middle Eastern countries and has close ties with the Palestinians and their leader Abbas .

The EU has also strongly objected against the destructive Israeli attacks against Gaza and the unauthorized expansion of Israel on the West bank.

NATO: EU states are usually forced to go along with the US on their military adventures in the Middle East and elsewhere as a result of their membership in NATO.

Research and polls show that 68 % of the EU 500 million plus population would vote in favor of getting out of the NATO if a referendum were held today

The Environment: On the issues of global warming, GMO, and alternative energy, the population of the US is held mainly in the dark by the corporate controlled press and government.

Consequently, they are not totally aware of the dangers lurking around the corner if no action is taken.

Future outlook: A positive development for future change is that the "below 30" of the US population have no appetite for any global military adventures, and little or no confidence in their present political representatives. and  believe transparency of Government actions are compromised.

This positive outlook is also apparent in Europe

It certainly is a hopeful sign that the change which is coming will probably also result in the US and the EU becoming more equal and independent partners within the Atlantic Alliance than they are today.

EU-Digest