French President Emmanuel Macron has once again repeated his statement from last year that «NATO’s brain is dead» (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=37635). And once again, the reason is his irritation with Turkey, which is becoming a serious player that Paris has to reckon with in its policies. «I refer to my statements at the end of last year about the death of the NATO brain. I think the situation in which two NATO members are taking opposing military positions is a good demonstration of this,» he said.
The formal reason for this was the conflict between Turkish and French warships off the coast of Libya, which almost escalated into a confrontation but was ultimately averted. But few doubt that the real reason for Macron’s latest outburst against not only Turkey but also NATO, of which Turkey is a member, is the failure of Paris’ anti-Turkish strategy in Libya, where it tried to fan the flames with the help of the UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Not only did Ankara succeed in thwarting these plans on the battlefield with its groundbreaking drones, but it also humiliated Paris diplomatically, including within NATO, which is increasingly irritating Macron. While the anti-Turkish coalition is trying to mobilize its last reserve — the army of the Sisi regime — for a meeting with the pro-Turkish Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, a delegation from the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), led by its commander Stephen Townsend, arrives.
The beginning of interactions at this technical level is the development of political processes in the warming relations between Ankara and Washington, about which we recently wrote (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=38749). Trump’s refusal to support Haftar, who was initially an American creation but at some point shifted his focus to Paris and Moscow, could now lead to support for the internationally recognized pro-Erdogan Government of National Accord (GNA). Whether the Sisi regime, itself facing serious internal problems, will then decide to intervene in Libya is a big question, the answer to which will depend on a combination of factors, including whether the Americans will really support the GNA or continue to play their usual double game.
In this context, it should be understood that President Macron turned against Donald Trump immediately after the latter was elected president of the United States, and this «affection» was and remains mutual. Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately bet on the victory of the current US president. Now a fierce power struggle for the presidency is intensifying in America, and Macron is on the side of the forces that are trying to oust Trump, just as Trump is doing everything he can to resist.
Of course, the peculiarity of the United States is that it is not a country where all decisions are made by one person, especially in foreign policy. However, given the current situation and the balance of power, Donald Trump does not need to make extraordinary efforts to annoy his opponents, including Emmanuel Macron, who is part of the club. It would be enough for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to effectively refuse support for his potential Libyan adventure and even formal support for the GNA, which is already an internationally recognized government, so that the Egyptian dictator would carefully consider his forces and chances before deciding on a military confrontation with Turkey in that country. On the other hand, without the intervention of the Egyptian «useful idiot», Paris will not be able to change the situation in Libya. Understanding this, Macron once again exclaims that «NATO’s brain is dead,» meaning that he cannot use this organization as a tool to achieve his goals.