Europe's war burden: The 'sinkhole' is growing!

As the war enters its second week, the real question is perhaps this: Will the US lose what it already has while chasing after something else, like the Turkish proverb about losing the bulgur at home while going to Damietta for rice?

Why wouldn't it?

It will. And it looks like it is going to happen. Even if Iran cannot fend off these attacks, that 'bulgur'—whatever is left of it—is in serious danger.

Why, you ask?

Because we can no longer speak of an imperial hegemony that is robust and sophisticated enough to correctly calculate the consequences of every step it takes. It has been a long time since the brains—or the brain—in the capitals of the West lost their former sharpness.

On the contrary, if we move from the lessons György Lukács drew about 100 years ago from the Italian and German "experiences" of imperialism, we are in a position to say that it is not "rational reason" but "irrational madness" and absurdity that dominate the institution of politics.

Those who don't believe it can take a look at the list of "elites" involved in the Epstein files or look at that strange man called Donald Trump, who is truly worthy of the US. The state of the European democrats, who gave a blank check to the American-Israeli bombers in the first steps of their campaign against Iran, can also be revealing: Macron, Starmer, Meloni, and of course, Friedrich Merz. They seem likely to throw in the towel quickly if this massacre drags on. Perhaps it is because they fear that the old class war could resurface from the depths...

Anyway, it is clear that this support could enter a process of collapse with the first sign of resistance. At least there are some signals.

The American vassals of old Europe are producing a lot of lies and fog through democratic media, but despite this, it is very difficult for them to return from the Iran campaign with any spoils.

We must explain this.

This "sinkhole" opened by bombs must be defined.

IF THERE IS NO THREAT, THERE IS NO BRAIN! WHAT ABOUT MERKEL?

In the second half of the last century (the "Cold War"), big capital in imperialist capitals was able to leave the reins to politicians who were truly sharp-witted, cunning, and capable of keeping a finger on the pulse of the masses. They left it to them because those politicians were derivatives of a worldwide socialist challenge. In other words, they were born out of a resistance against a resistance created by the real socialist establishment. A world disappeared with 1989/90. In a realm where class enemies had vanished, why would the world's wealthy need a bureaucracy or a political class to take on this task of resistance?

Capital thought it could take the helm itself. Trump was enough.

A class with developed mental faculties seems to have become a thing of the past in imperialist capitals. Perhaps the last politically sharp "woman" for capital was Angela Merkel. How could it be otherwise? Dr. Merkel was a representative of the generation that had destroyed/could destroy a socialist republic, and by emerging from the schools of the republic she destroyed, she was able to dismantle her country, and then, by taking the reins herself, she steered her "new country" to safety.

The task was great: All the consequences of the Second World War had to be reset, and for this path, captains who were truly masters of their craft were needed.

Angela Merkel was the true heir to Willy Brandt and Herbert Wehner, who emerged from the tragic history of the German left, as a restorer raised by a socialist and small Germany. The task had been fulfilled, but a political class capable of managing the new risks of 2026 had not been raised. In the meantime, Merkel's battery had also run out.

Right now, it seems there is a lack, or even a void, of such a cadre. And this is a very, very dangerous thing. The periods of 1914-1918 and 1941-1945 may have slipped from the minds of the younger generations. But isn't history a stage where it is not very difficult to fall into similar traps again?

Presumably, it is.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: FOR WHOM?

If there is no opposing class or enemy, the wealthy can also become sluggish and—for example—get trapped, just like in Iran.

Then let us ask: Are the gates of hell opened in Iran by the dim-witted wealthy or plutocrats of the West a window of opportunity for the oppressed, rather than for the vulgar and hedonistic masters of the world system?

In Iran, "Pandora's Box" was opened with bombs that mowed down civilians, children and all. This dark picture also applies to European Germany, which is now determined to consolidate its (comparative) advantage in the real economy of the old continent with militarist moves. We can think so. Chancellor Friedrich Merz had given the good news long before the Iran attack that they would "build Europe's most powerful conventional army": Was he looking for a way out for Germany, which is struggling in an energy trap?

As a matter of fact, the trend of deindustrialization ("Deindustrialisierung") in Germany, the geoeconomic power and master of Europe, was growing due to the Ukraine war and suddenly accelerated after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. If it didn't accelerate, why did the Volkswagen group, with its Audi and Porsche brands, announce the day before yesterday that it would lay off 50 thousand workers?

This is a terrible figure, and it is impossible for it to remain without consequences. Currently, the unemployment rate in Germany is close to 7 percent. In January, there were over 3 million unemployed.

Not long ago, just last week, in the country's automotive hub, the state of Baden-Württemberg, a Green politician of Turkish descent—who does not hide that they are prone to right-wing and even militarist policies—won an election in a way that could make them state premier. They will form a government with the Christian Democrats (CDU). In the same election, while the so-called far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) became the main opposition, the Social Democrats (SPD) were officially wiped from history in this industrial center with a 5.5 percent vote share. There are no socialists or anything of the sort around.

These are no longer signals.

These are photos of a "sinkhole."

In closing, perhaps to return to it later, let us ask: Does the money or capital accumulated in the world financial system have a counterpart in the real economy? No. Well, is war or hyperinflation necessary to melt this unbacked money? It seems so.

It is war, after all.

We are in a crisis. This is a major crisis.

Perhaps a "window of opportunity," but for which social class?