Weaponizing Europe, Countering Eurasia: Mackinder, Brzezinski, Nuland and the Road to the Ukraine War

ABSTRACT The Ukraine war is a proxy conflict whereby the US hopes to destroy Russia as a challenge to its hegemony. Although the kinetic war has, so far, been confined to Ukraine, Europe is also a key instrument in the American arsenal. However, Europe is also an objective of the war because it forms the western end of Eurasia. This great landmass, principally comprising China, Russia, and Europe, not merely challenges US political and military power, but is a counterbalance to the US-dominated maritime global economy. This essay traces these geostrategic concerns from Mackinder to the present day, within the evolving geopolitical context. Europe is both a weapon of war and a victim, with de-industrialization, immiseration and social turmoil looming. This presents US strategy with problems since the mix of advantages and disadvantages is uncertain and the ramifications unpredictable.