Unfortuntely we are "hooked" on the USA in Europe.
If the USA is heroin, we are junkies.
It will take a long time to 1) admit the problem, 2) kick the habit, 3) start a new life with sound relationships.
The USA spies on us, tricks or bullies us into its idiotic and consistently failed wars and is responsible --- deliberately or not --- for some very disturbing cultural and moral developments in Europe.
Yet we continue coming back for more. We are guilty of this ourselves and NOTHING seems to be able to snap most people out of it. Wikileaks and Snowden changed little.
Most people in Western Europe and lately also Eastern Europe grew up surrounded by:“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.”
― George Orwell, 1984
American food
American beverages
American style clothing
American music
American films
American TV
American computer games
American military bases
American culture
American values
...and more
When Europe did this to Asia, Africa and South America we called it by its rightful names: Imperialism and colonialism. But this is on a grander scale and not acknowledged for what it is.
If a German person puts on tracht he's considered a backwards nerd. But nobody thinks twice if he wears jeans and a T shirt with an American slogan, in English.
In England, people dancing traditional English dances are often accused of being racist. But nobody thinks twice if they dance to hip-hop or disco.
In Sweden, kids nowadays are swearing in English. They'd choose a McDonald's Happy Meal over a traditional healthy meal of fresh fish and newly picked mushrooms.
Every kid on the European continent knows Disney's characters. But the traditional fairytales are being forgotten. The kids can sing the tunes to these films, but not traditional songs that existed for hundreds of years.
I could go on forever with examples like this.
I'm not saying this is America's fault exclusively or that all of it is deliberate. We are guilty for allowing it to happen.
Americans, please don't take this as an insult on your culture, it isn't. American culture in small doses, or in the country where it belongs is an amazing thing that I greatly appreciate.
But all this has created a situation where America can get away with ANYTHING in Europe. We are US zombies! I doubt if a massacre perpetrated by the US in central London, Paris or Berlin would make people snap out of it. It would be justified as anti-terrorist or a tragic accident in the US controlled media and people would get back to their Cokes, computer games and Hollywood films.
The US energy plan will fall on geographical and economical realities though.
To you maybe, to me they weren't, and what's more its proof that might convince English speaking people who believe that the Kiev gov't is conducting an anti-terrorist operation.