A no-deal Brexit will undermine Western democracies although unity will become stronger after the likes of US President Donald Trump and former UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson leave the political scene, former State Department official Harry Blaney told Sputnik.
Earlier in the day, the House of Commons, the main chamber of the UK parliament, rejected for the third time the “soft” Brexit agreement Prime Minister Theresa May had negotiated with the EU. UK parliament has been divided among Brexiteers who want an immediate break from the EU with no transition deal, Brexit supporters in favor of a “soft” transition, and those entirely opposed to leaving the bloc.
“[No-deal Brexit] will undermine Western unity and thus hurt the integrity of Western democracies which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will, I am sure, approve,” Blaney, a policy planner for US Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Cyrus Vance, said on Friday.
However, Blaney added, once Trump is out of office, the final trajectory of US-UK-EU relations may converge back towards the norm.
“Neither Trump, nor after an election will Boris [Johnson] survive,” he said. “What destruction they might do will not last, as fundamental forces keeping the UK, US and Europe together are strong.”
Plus, he added, even Johnson’s Tories do not want real separation with the United States no matter the person or reason for divisiveness.
The UK parliamentary rejection of May’s deal, Blaney said, likely meant that another Brexit referendum might be on its way.
Last week, the European Council gave London until April 12 to come up with a new solution if the withdrawal deal was not passed by March 29. May, who had pledged to step down if her deal got the necessary support in the parliament, said the search for a solution would continue on Monday. (UNI)
