COLLINGWOODS….:Collingwood: The struggle between Atlanticists and Autonomists over the European Union’s strategic future

The future of the European Union is being fought in secret in Europe’s main cities and among its elites. Even when one side is vastly outnumbered, things are moving in that direction. Although it is in the lead, the opposing team is unaware that it is running out of time.

Politicians, bureaucrats, and their think tank acolytes rarely acknowledge this internal conflict in public. It is never portrayed as a competition insofar as it is reported by the traditional media. As a result, little awareness exists that a war is being fought at all. However, the result will determine the EU’s destiny, have a significant impact on the domestic politics of EU members, and possibly even have a major impact on the great power

This is the conflict between the Autonomists, who want the EU to pursue a policy in its own interests independent of the US, and the Atlanticists, who think the EU and its member states are best served by closely aligning with US strategic goals.
The Atlanticists and Autonomists: Who Are They? Why is this fight being joined at this time? And what are the most likely ramifications of its conclusion? In order to address these queries, we have to go back nearly eight decades.
Following World War II, the United States attempted to establish a system of international law that would tie its allies both economically and militarily. In order to achieve this, it established NATO and negotiated bilateral defense agreements with countries like the Philippines and Japan. It also supported the Bretton Woods system, which comprised the World Bank, the IMF, the Marshall Plan, and the peg of currencies to the dollar, which was based on gold, as well as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which subsequently developed into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Later, Washington would also play a significant role in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, which eventually developed into the European Union and the European Community.
Washington effectively made a deal offer to the nations who were not under Soviet sphere of influence but had been vanquished, destroyed, or declared bankrupt during World War II. Our military will be primarily responsible for defending your countries and preserving peace, and we will grant you trade access to our market (as well as the financial liquidity) you require to reindustrialize and become wealthy once more. You will give up complete strategic freedom in exchange for our capital and companies having unrestricted access to your markets, especially those that were formerly protected by walls of imperial preference.