The phrase “War is politics by other means” has been repeated ad nauseum over the years, but its origins have been lost to time. Some attribute the quote to Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz in the 1800s, but the sentiment almost certainly preceded him. In the late 1600s, King Louis XIV of France ordered his cannons engraved with the words Ultima Ratio Regum — “The Last Argument of Kings.” More than a hundred years earlier, Niccolo Machiavelli famously noted that war was simply a tool to achieve a desired political outcome.
What the king can’t accomplish from the seat of his throne, you see, he can accomplish via the tip of his sword. So, when you strip away the lofty rhetoric and righteous indignation, war was just a militarized extension of politics — the natural, inevitable consequence when words alone were inadequate.
But if war is politics with weapons, what, then, is politics?
Politics is show biz, baby! It’s the art of maximizing your agenda, protecting your interests, and lining your pockets.
And quite honestly, the Europeans are WAY better at it than we are.
Ever since the end of World War II, Americans have treated Western Europe like they’re a continent of incontinent(s) — a land of invalids. They’re like our out-of-work cousin on disability — who somehow still has ample money for booze, weed, steak chops, and fancy vacations.
For the last 80 years, we underwrote Europe's national defense. We stationed American men and women in Europe to deter aggression (and serve as fleshly tripwires, lest war ever broke out). We didn't just give ‘em open access to the American marketplace, but we used our navy and foreign bases to guarantee free global trade to all our allies.
And in return, we only asked for their support in the Cold War. That’s it: Please side with us against the Soviets. It was the most generous, one-sided deal in geopolitical history.
On one hand, the strategy worked. The United States won the Cold War — and we did so without a direct battle with the Russians, nuclear Armageddon, or triggering World War III. That’s a HUGE win.
But on the other hand, 80 years of unlimited, unrestricted American generosity has conditioned Western Europe to view the United States as its personal piggybank: A nation of saps and suckers at Europe’s beck and call. We exist to serve them.
Western Europe is, very literally, “trading blood for oil” by turning a blind eye to Russian aggression and human rights abuses in a self-serving attempt to import cheap Russian oil and gas. They want to give Russia BILLIONS for (cheap) oil and then demand America spend BILLIONS to arm Ukraine.
From Europe’s point of view, it’s a wonderful arrangement: Russia is being squeezed economically, so it's selling oil and gas for pennies. And then, when Russia takes their money to buy more weapons, good old Uncle Sam is there to spend even more money to arm Ukraine. That’s realpolitik writ large.
It’s also one helluva gravy train.
Related: Donald Trump Could Pull the Funniest, Most Evil Prank EVER on Canada!
The Guardian just released a must-read article, “EU spends more on Russian oil and gas than financial aid to Ukraine — report.”
EU member states bought €21.9bn (£18.1bn) of Russian oil and gas in the third year of the war, according to estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea), despite the efforts under way to kick the continent’s addiction to the fuels that fund Vladimir Putin’s war chest.
The amount is one-sixth greater than the €18.7bn the EU allocated to Ukraine in financial aid in 2024, according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
From the continent that once cried, “Let them eat cake!” it certainly seems as if someone’s trying to have their cake and eat it, too.
Vaibhav Raghunandan, an analyst at Crea and coauthor of the report, said: “Purchasing Russian fossil fuels is, quite plainly, akin to sending financial aid to the Kremlin and enabling its invasion. [It’s] a practice that must stop immediately to secure not just Ukraine’s future, but also Europe’s energy security.”
A few other juicy quotes:
In the calendar year 2024, the EU spent 39% more on Russian fossil fuel imports than it set aside for Ukraine.
“Many countries were more generous in past conflicts. Germany, for example, mobilised much more aid, more quickly for Kuwait’s liberation in 1990/91 than it has for Ukraine in a comparable time period.”
The report also found Russia earned €242bn from global fossil fuel exports in the third year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with revenues since the start of the war “now inching closer to the trillion figure” as the country adapts to sanctions.
Just something to keep in mind, next time you read an article about our NATO “allies” criticizing Trump’s attempt to stop the bloodshed — and the war profiteering.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member