sris2015 Detasprint cern EU has been an extension of USAand unable to refuse the calls of the NATO leader across the Atlantic into joining time and again the so-called Coalitions he Euro-Americans like [ all people have short jemories. They cry over the destruction of the art relics of the Greco-Roman empire which laid the foun- ations for the western men- tality and social structures, but forget to remember or tend to ignore that the Roman empire had pros- pered by exploitation of the resources of its near and tant provinces bordering the Mediterranean sea, which they looked upon as mare nostrum (our sea). Itwas not very different from more re- centand more developed Eu- ropean colonial exploration or the present US strangle- hold on world resources. Obeying the American dic- tates, EU has been an exten- sion of USA and unable to refuse the calls of the NATO leader across the Atlantic into joining time and again the so-called coalitions of the willing, bypassing UN ap- proval to satisfy its itch for fomenting and_ sustaining civil wars in the Middle East and North Africa, always in the name of pursuing pro- ‘motion of democratic values. With a long history of sup- porting dictators around the world, USA-EU partnership InipihvurepaperheraldoivDetalsprint aspx? 15S68Bbaxid= 161228751 church links. The human val- ues that the West proclaims as its contribution to humat ity appear dimmed over the pressure of accommodating the refugees manufactured by its own meddling into in- ternal affairs of sovereign countries. Were their prob- lems affecting the West or its allies in the past as much as they do now? With the exception of Ger- many which seems to re- member the havoc perpetrated by its Nazi past, France has only made some empty noises about welcom- ing the refugees. Most other European countries directly facing the onslaught of the refugee crisis are showing their true colours. The most vocal Hungary, which has freed itself from the Soviet Russia, is now imitating its detested example of the Berlin wall. Portugal, on the furthest limit of the European conti- nent (known as finisterra for this reason) can has shown a virtual generosity. But very revealing are the values re~ flected in the discourses ofits, political leadership, both in the government and in the opposition. While the vice- PM of Portugal, true to his name Portas has declared an “open door” policy, but quali- fied itas an opportunity to at~ tract youthful refugees who could solve the crisis of the aging Portuguese society and its own youth migrating, The socialist leader of the opposi- tion sees in the presumably less educated refugees (if there are many less educated Europeans than the Por- its multiple sanctions against Russia and covert backing of Kiey nationalists. The western powers have yet to dislodge Russia from Crimea orneutral- ize its support for the East Ucranian separatists. Russia has. given up on Obama's incoherent Middle Eastern ‘policy’ that veers be- tween arming its pet jihadists and bombing those who counter its biddings. Having called for an international coalition to crush the ISIS threat but seen only chaos and folly, Russia is reportedly poised for a game changer with a major expeditionary force in Syria to help its gow- ernment to defeat the head- cutting mass murderers and ensure the legitimate govern- ment of Syria its strategically. If Russia is really serious, about using herairforceasits current moves suggest to pro- vide the Arab and Iranian "boots on the ground’ with high-tech intelligence and devastating air power, the sit- uation in Syria and Iraq could be about to take a very dra- matic turn for the better, un- the Western coalition which made pots of money selling arms to Iraq and Afghanistan but with ques- tionable success so far Meanwhile the global lead- ership role exercised by the USA since 1945 and squan- dered in a series of illjudged and calamitous adventures at the behest of neocon and un- democratic lobbies on Capitol Hill is sure to be undermined even further. may be not be going too far to say that the combination ofthis move, to- gether with the Russian-Chi- 12snsro1s vals in the market of arms supplies, and is on a spree of replacing unpalatable “dicta- tors” with pliable friends in power as potential victims of its blackmail. Unfortunately, such replacements have only resulted in chaos in every case of such interference into the affairs of sovereign countries. Under false banner ofdem- ocratic values, the USA-EU combine has been serving their own capitalist interests by exploiting the social-potit- ical problems of sovereign nations, many of them their former colonies with whom they have linguistic, NGO or Detaisrint tuguesey an opportumty gain hands to clean Por- uguese forests so as to pre- vent seasonal fires. One wonders what is so dignifying in such self-serving values. Someone wrote recenty that UN is 70 this year and itis time foritto retive.Itsounds sarcas- tic, but none-the-less reflects its helplessness when the in- torests of the big powers clash. ‘This has become obvious fol- lowing the US directed moves {ocontain Russia by expanding NATO on its borders. The in- tensity ofthe Russian response under Putin has come as no surprise and has put the US pretensions in check, despite exe plans Ww proviae an alternative to the Dollar for global trade, may herald the end of the ‘American Century’ It may take somewhat longer than we could wish, but ordinary American tax- payers, like the rest of the ‘world, can Took to the future with some more confidence and optimism with a return to a balance of powers that could replace the prevailing unilateral arrogant domi nance, (Teotonio R. de Souza is the founder-director, Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa (1979- 1994). InipihvuepaperheraldoivDetalsprint aspx? 15S68Bbaxid= 161228751 22