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Sunday, March 16, 2003 Page: 3B
When America’s traditional central European allies did not march in lock
step with his boss, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld dismissed them as the
“old” Europe, defining the “new” Europe as the former Communist countries in
the east.
And how ungrateful can the “old” Europe be! Didn’t thousands of our
soldiers die to liberate France from the Nazis, and didn’t we free Europe from
the Hitler nightmare? And what’s with these peace-loving Germans anyway?
In a recent editorial cartoon, President Bush shouts at French President
Jaques Chirac, “You’d be speaking German if it weren’t for us,” and Chirac
shouts back, “You’d still be a British colony, it weren’t for us.”
France and Germany ARE grateful to the United States, and neither their
liberators nor the post-war Marshall Plan reconstruction will ever be
forgotten. Ingeniously, the Marshall Plan combined humanitarism with a heavy
dose of pragmatism and self-interest: After all, you can’t trade with a dead
continent.
But gratitude does not mean to blindly follow one’s benefactor into all
eternity. The Bush administration-initiated Iraq crisis has plenty of
detractors all over the world who feel that the president has not made his
case for an imminent danger presented by the Iraqi tyrant. The real threats,
so say opponents, are al-Qaida and North Korea.
The 20th century has devastated Europe with two world wars. There is
genuine fear that a war with Iraq could widen into a world conflict and
provoke more terrorist attacks. France also has a strong self-interest in
opposing a war with Iraq: they have a substantial Muslim population, and they
maintain an active trade with Iraq.
For Germany, the situation is even more complex, because of the country’s
gruesome past that weighs heavily on the Federal Republic’s (FRD) conscience.
The FRD has been a model of democracy since the end of the Second World War.
Today, there is not one public policy element in the FRD that is not
heavily influenced by the sins of the fathers – be it through the most liberal
judicial system in Europe, the most liberal immigration policy or vehement
opposition to any trace of anti-semitism. Although there is far more emphasis
in Europe on the plight of the Palestinians and disagreement with America’s
pro-Israel policy, such sentiments are never expressed as a matter of FRD
public policy.
In contrast to America’s patriotic pride in its military, for the Germans
the military symbolizes their evil past, so they keep a low-profile armed
forces and play down the military’s importance in their vision of a world at
peace.
In a negative way, this deeply held conviction that war must be avoided at
all costs explains Europe’s inaction during the Balkan’s ethnic brutalities.
But there really is a new Europe – albeit not the one Mr. Rumsfeld had in
mind. Europe has grown up, it has evolved. Starting with the Common Market, it
progressed with the European Union and a single currency. It has not yet
achieved political unity, as the present squabbling over the Iraq crisis
clearly shows.
Europe dreams of a United States of Europe and sees itself as part of a
bipolar coalition, an equal partner with the USA. Much has been said and
written about growing European anti-Americanism, which however, is more of a
strong dislike for this American president.
Even preceding the Iraq crisis, President Bush’ disastrous unilateral
policy approach on several issues valued by the Europeans has alienated them
and is, at least in part, responsible for now turning a cold shoulder to his
demands. Nor do they appreciate the president’s blunt, sermonizing rhetoric.
They are also highly suspicious of the Bush administration’s post 9/11
pre-emptive strike policy, which they perceive as dangerous, unilateral and
imperial. “The National Security Strategy of the USA” has all the ingredients
for an evolving American empire.
During a recent evening news broadcast, a French woman gazed over the sheer
endless rows of white crosses on Normandy Beach and the American flag gently
swaying over them. “This is hallowed ground for us, too,” she said softly. “We
will always be grateful to America. So many of their young men have died to
give us back our liberty. But these crosses also remind us of the horrors of
war, and we do not agree with the American president that he has just cause to
fight one now.”
Anneliese Moghul
Mountain Top