The Gulf Stream Blues Podcast

Dave Keating

Occasional podcasts, interviews and recordings from live book readings of The Owned Continent. davekeating.substack.com

  1. How Trump‘s War in Iran Has Become Europe‘s Problem

    Mar 25

    How Trump‘s War in Iran Has Become Europe‘s Problem

    Donald Trump has been badgering European countries to join the Iran War now that he is losing it. But he did not consult them beforehand, and did not try to assemble a ‘coalition of the willing’ as George W. Bush did before the Iraq War. Now that he is flailing, he wants to draw Europeans into his mess. As one French general put it last week, Europeans joining this war now would be like buying a ticket for the Titanic after it already started sinking. And yet, we see some countries slowly getting drawn in - most notably the UK. I spoke with Luke Johnson from the Public Sphere Substack about how the war is impacting Europe and what European leaders should do. We discussed my Substack post from last week where I explored whether it would make sense to agree to Trump’s demand to send ships to the strait of Hormuz in exchange for concessions on Ukraine and tariffs. In the end, I concluded that such a bargain might sound like a smooth play at first, but when you fully explore it, you realise it doesn’t make any sense. We also discussed why Europe’s failure to ramp up renewables after the loss of Russian gas in 2022 has made it very vulnerable in the current crisis, particularly for the least-prepared countries including Germany and Italy. Unfortunately, I concluded, the instinct of many European leaders right now seems to be to halt climate action and renewables investment in reaction to the current crisis, as we saw at last week’s European Council summit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davekeating.substack.com/subscribe

    26 min
  2. Europe says no to joining Iran war. But will France waver?

    Mar 17

    Europe says no to joining Iran war. But will France waver?

    “Europe did not start this war,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, explained at last night’s press conference following a summit of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels which rejected the idea of sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz. Though she had come into the summit holding open the possibility that the EU mission of Operation Aspides which has been protecting shipping in the Red Sea could be expanded, Kallas left it reflecting the ver clear consensus that had been in the room: it would be an incredibly bad idea for European countries to send military vessels to the strait because it will drag Europe into the war and risks accomplishing the opposite of what they want: enlarging and prolonging the war. National officials were sounding a similar tone. “We did not start this war,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said yesterday. “The Americans chose this path, together with the Israelis.” Dave Keating from Gulf Stream Blues and Julien Hoez from The French Dispatch discussed the all-important role of France in this issue, given it is the only significant military power in the EU. While Germany and Italy have already delivered a firm no to Trump’s ask, France and the UK have not yet firmly ruled it out. Dave and Julien talked about how President Macron’s current ‘lame duck’ status, and the developments of Sunday’s elections in Paris and Marseille, could factor in to the decision. Trump told reporters yesterday that he is confident Macron will assist him. “I think he’s gonna help. I mean, I’ll let you know, I spoke to him yesterday.” Trump also said he was “not happy” with Keie Starmer for rebuffing him. Over the weekend Trump threatened that it will be “very bad for the future of NATO” if European countries refuse to follow his command to send ships to the strait. Posts mentioned in this video: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davekeating.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

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Occasional podcasts, interviews and recordings from live book readings of The Owned Continent. davekeating.substack.com