Transatlantic Post-Fascism, Le Pen, Meloni and The End of History
After Le Pen gave the legacy to a younger man and renamed the Front National to RN, after she is said to have discovered her love for Ukraine after being close to Putin, the Italian neo-fascist Georgia Meloni, in contrast to Berlusconi, is now also responsible for more transatlantic postfascism because of her love for the Ukrainians and she becomes the transatlantic Hope against China, as Meloni is said to have put an end to China’s New Silk Road – the „Chinaversteher“ reports on Focus: that not only the Chinese Silk Road comes to an end in Europe, but also worldwide and the debt has fallen on Xi’s feet while other media report at the same time that China’s economy is sluggish and foreign trade is sagging and that social benefits are now also being cut for Xi’s armament, which is causing dissatisfaction among the population:
„Italy gives Xi a heavy blow on his ‚New Silk Road‘
China had high hopes when Italy sought cooperation on the New Silk Road project in 2019. The project is coming to an end this year – and hardly anything has happened. Champagne corks popped in Beijing when Italy became the only G7 country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China in 2019. Italy wanted to participate in Xi Jinping’s dream project „New Silk Road“. The Chinese leader has used the Belt & Road Initiative since 2013 to buy political influence around the world by investing in infrastructure projects such as ports and roads. Until 2019 only Greece included in the „New Silk Road“. Beijing was particularly successful in doing so in countries that could not borrow money in any other way. China stipulates in corresponding contracts that Chinese companies and workers implement the projects. In addition to political influence, Xi has secured a lever to generate more growth for the domestic economy. European nations, on the other hand, whose creditworthiness is better than that of many Southeast Asian or African countries, also got fresh money in other ways. Until 2019, only Greece with the port of Piraeus was integrated into the „New Silk Road“, and China also had a foot in the door to the Balkans through its involvement in Serbia. From Beijing’s point of view, Italy seemed ideal for venturing into the heart of the European Union, as Rome had repeatedly encountered difficulties in paying off its debts.
Meloni does not stick to China as much as initially expected Pushed by the rating agencies and urged to be frugal by northern Europe, Beijing’s nomenklatura seemed a promising way out for Italy. In this way, Beijing wanted to secure influence on what Brussels is doing. But not much followed the festive decision to work together in the future. The Memorandum of Understanding expires this year. The government of the right-wing extremist brothers of Italy under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared that they would not extend the declaration of intent – and thus dupe Beijing. It is reported from Rome that since the signing, one has looked closely at how the People’s Republic is developing. The leadership of the People’s Republic, which has become increasingly autocratic and also repressive in international relations, has led to a change of heart. That will have surprised some observers.
When Meloni took office, there were actually fears that the new government would feel closer to dictatorships like the Russian and Chinese than to the democratic and constitutional principles of a free Europe. For China, the dwindling connection to Europe hurts So for Xi Jinping things are not really going well when it comes to the “New Silk Road”. From Italy to the distant Solomon Islands, governments are rethinking their deals with Beijing. It has now become abundantly clear that investment is not about economics. At the same time, those in Beijing who can do math are ringing the alarm bells: Too much money has been lent and will not be repaid. Debt restructuring is necessary, even debt relief. African and Southeast Asian countries are particularly affected. Less money is therefore being awarded and from now on investments will only be made in projects that have to do with new environmental technologies and other strategic fields from which Beijing expects real benefits. Given these changing perspectives, an end to the „New Silk Road“ in Italy will hurt Beijing particularly badly. Because via the EU and its embedding in Western institutions, Italy would be a candidate from whom you could somehow get your debts collected. It probably won’t come to that now.
China expert Professor van Ess said quite aptly about Meloni’s transatlantic hope of fundamental hostility to China and its Silk Road:
„I assume that Ms. Meloni will have her loyalty paid for. If the money doesn’t flow accordingly, she will negotiate with China.”
Good point. Key word: national interest of nationalists and not multilateralists. Although all member states of NATO and the EU have national interests, they have agreed on a minimum consensus of a common interest and also make compromises in all differences. Nationalists only see their so-called national interest, no common ground, and try to blackmail the rest of the world and multilateral institutions that can be extracted in terms of so-called national interest or egoism, which inevitably brings it into conflict with other nations, even if this is the nation itself due to the protection provided by multilateral organizations in danger of becoming a colony of one or other great powers and ruining itself. Key word : national interest. Northern States/ Eastern- Southern States in the EU . But the EU will probably pay, if only to avoid provoking a new euro crisis. But the question remains as to how much debts are still feasible and whether Lindner isn’t playing Schäuble. But maybe then Scholz with the Greens will be the Merkel-Dragihi again. Whatever IT takes and “Wir schaffen das”/“We can do it.“ But the EU will probably pay, if only to avoid provoking a new euro crisis. And don’t forget Global Gateway as the European Silk Road – it could also connect and unite the south of Italy and the rest of Europe with infrastructure instead of needing a Chinese New Silkroad. The situation is extremely complex, but also very simple. The southern states around France want a mutualisation of the debts, which Germany and the northern Europeans would have to pay. . Conversely, the austerity policy is also unsustainable. Conversely, Macron is right that neither Ukraine nor the Balkan states should be included and become member of the EU, since these are only nationalist mafia economies, which would be the next troublemakers like Orban, the PiS, Meloni and also all Le Pen, and their national interests via multilateral constructs like that EU and NATO and only want the best price for their own interests internationally or from Russia or China. Cherry picking at the worst. As such, a European New Silk Road, an EU Hi-Tech Fund and an EU Refugee Fund for local aid and a little more European industrial policy would be the appropriate interim solution preventing new EU memberships that make everything even more frayed and confrontational, but with common projects beyond left and right in order to still have an integrative effect at all. The military turning point has also to materialize anyway. But there, too, the political will is missing due to a lack of a synthesis. And even this would only be for a transitional period and not the end on a story or the End of History, but: A never ending story.