US' game of manipulation Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

At a ceremony dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Munich held in earlier October, former German chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe can achieve a lasting peace only with the involvement of Russia. Most European countries have covered their ears to Merkel's remarks. So has the US.

Merkel's warning is a realistic analysis of the current strategic situation in Europe. The US is trying to permanently divide Europe through increasingly extreme political manipulation. However, it is not only Europe that needs to remain sober and vigilant. The US must also be prepared to pay the price for its own political adventurism.

After World War II, Winston Churchill gave a speech declaring that an "Iron Curtain" had descended over the continent. The ideological "Iron Curtain" not only caused a huge wound on the European continent that is difficult to heal even up to today, but also pulled the US into the quagmire of the Cold War. However, before expelling the Soviet forces from Central and Eastern Europe, the US successfully weakened the combined forces of the UK and France, marked by the Suez Crisis in 1956, which accelerated the decline of the British Empire. 

In the following decades, the US initiated and took advantage of the waves of democratization and global anti-colonial movement, cleared European hegemony and completely took over the global leadership with US-dominated commercial and military hegemony system.

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, especially in the 21st century, the US and the UK are trying to dominate the Western camp in a brand new way. The US continues to increase military deterrence on a global scale, manipulate the geopolitical landscape, and undermine strategic balance. 

Against this background, the deepening of Russia-Europe relations and the possible substantial unity and strength of Europe cannot be tolerated in the US-led hegemonic order. The historical opportunity for the two Germanys to reunite made the US and the UK feel uneasy. Later, Germany had continually constructed cooperation agendas with Russia and France, which exacerbated the sense of anxiety and panic of the US and the UK.

The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict exposed the global ambitions and strategic evils of the US. It is trying to repeat its old tricks to trigger a new war in Europe, with an aim to divide the continent. 

In this sense, what Merkel is striving to build is an indestructible and indivisible "Nord Stream" political plan. The plan is a strategy that Merkel the leading European politician put forward from the perspective of the global political landscape and the long-term development of Europe. It's a precondition for Europe to avoid another "Suez Crisis." 

To ensure the balance of relations among European countries, it is necessary to maintain the relative stability of the Germany-Russia relations. To ensure the stability of the global order, it is significant to keep the relative stability of relations between Europe and Russia and the necessary political unity.

The US obviously does not want to accept the reality. The US is trying to tie Europe to its own burning chariot against Russia. However, it also traps the US in a complex multitasking processing system. 

Since Joe Biden took office, the US has taken more radical ideological actions. Yet the world today is no longer the Europe of the 17th century. If Berlin insists on that Europe cannot live without Russia because it is in the European interests, the US will have to compromise. 

Likewise, the world today is not the world of the 1950s. Germany cannot have a permanent US command, nor does Japan. If the US cannot accept Merkel's open "Nord Stream" political plan, but continues to try to maintain its world hegemon status in the way it is using now, and tries to push the "old Europe", Russia and China to the "Suez Moment" at the same time, it will be very likely that the US itself will become the next declining British Empire.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Russia's space agency was discussing with the US a continuation of its participation in the International Space Station past 2024. 
This, at least, could allow Europe and China to add some positive factors to the expectations of the development of the international situation. 

It will be to its own advantage if the US gave up its obsession on hegemony. Thousands of years of human civilization have proven that the decline of the empire is not terrible, and the real terrible thing is the collapse of the empire. It's time for American political elites to develop a political philosophy of retreat - a rhythmic, slow, and decent retreat. 

The author is a political scholar. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn