Europeans keep eye on US presidential election: Policy differences heighten concerns(leftist waaah)

Boston.com ^ | July 27, 2004 | Charles M. Sennott

[demlosers]

LONDON -- This is not the first US presidential election in which the world feels it has so much at stake.

In 1916, Europe was suffering German aggression and fretting over Woodrow Wilson's campaign slogan, "He Kept Us Out of War." And similar apprehension gripped the continent in 1940 when Franklin D. Roosevelt's isolationist policy carried him in the polls.

Car bomb kills three Iraqis, injures three US soldiers. A10.

When the Vietnam War raged in 1968, Richard M. Nixon's campaign promised "peace with honor," and the international community was up in arms about what many perceived as a reckless Cold Warrior.

But most European historians and political pundits agree that it has been a long time, at least a generation, since the world has felt so consumed with passion about an American election, and so many have been so hopeful of regime change in Washington. These same analysts also hasten to add that despite all the emotion so easily marshaled in foreign capitals against President Bush, there are more similarities in American foreign policy among Democrats and Republicans than there are profound differences.

But this year, there is one place where the choice between John F. Kerry and George W. Bush will indeed have a profound impact, and interestingly it is not the Middle East. It is Europe.

Timothy Garton Ash, director of the European Studies Center at Oxford, argues that the "wrenching confrontation" between Europe and America over the war in Iraq has plunged the world into crisis and made this "a formative election for the world."

"Those of us over here have always participated in the great drama of American politics. But this election will have a profound impact, especially for Europe," Garton Ash said in an interview in London.

If Bush is reelected, Garton Ash said, his unilateral approach to the international community and his willingness to flout international law will cause Europe "to define ourselves against America."

"You will become 'the other,' for Europeans," added Garton Ash, who has just published a new book that is already on British bestseller lists titled "Free World: Why a Crisis of the West Reveals the Opportunity of Our Time."

[gunnygail]

Old Europe can rot. They caused WW1, WW2, could not defend themselves against the Russians, dorked up Bosnia, and are pathetic in nature. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, unemployment is rampant, and xenophobic feelings are everywhere. Sounds like a repeat of pre-WW2 days. This time, they can do WITHOUT Uncle Sam's help.

[Mike1973]

One more reason to re-elect Bush/Cheney.

[stremba]

So exactly why should we be concerned with whether Europe likes the US or not? The simple truth is that they don't like us, no matter what we do. Europeans dislike us because they know that they are rapidly becoming irrelevant. Prior to WWII, European nations were the main powers in the world. After WWII, when the US and the USSR were the main powers, European countries were still valuable as allies of the US, since our main enemy was primarily a European-based empire. Now, however, since our main enemies are the Islamo-fascists in the Middle East, allies in the Middle East are more valuable than our old European ones. (another good reason for replacing Saddam with a friendly government BTW). In the future, if the threats in N. Korea and China continue to develop, Asian allies will become of more importance. In any case, it appears that the European nations will continue to become more and more irrelevant.

[tophat9000]

Any one note the historical pattern here….. Europe wants us to get involved in THER WAR’s to DIE for there interest… even when it of very little threat to us…

But when we go to war for OUR interest to protect OUR self we are reckless… flout international law(read we are not doing it for Europe)

[absalom01]

If Bush is reelected, Garton Ash said, his unilateral approach to the international community and his willingness to flout international law will cause Europe "to define ourselves against America."

Yeah, we need to be careful, or the French will start to try to undermine us ... uh, or something.

[hermgem]

It boils down to economics, or better: falling even further behind in economic growth.
Europeans fully and precisely comprehend that their devotion to Socialism/ Marxism will not be able to keep pace with growth vs. a capitalistic system, which by the way China also has adapted.
They fully understand that economic growth has shifted away from Europe and involves primarily America, China, India.
Europeans are solidly stuck in a socialistic philosophy from which they will not deviate.
In-spite of numerous good sounding intentions, plans, political promises, rules, laws, unemployment stubbornly stays at plus minus 10%.
Desperation prevails in those families who either had or have children graduating, as job opportunities are a big close to no. As a matter of fact, increasing layoffs are still ahead. Europeans are increasingly jealous of current US growth and employment figures.
Their solution, and this is quite desperate:
Elect in the US a liberal government that will move to the left and closes ranks with a socialistic society, shares values (growth, jobs, global warming, policies, etc.) to the good of both Europe and the US, in other words: Keep balancing these groth or precisely: unemployment numbers>
Kerry is their solution.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

The problem in Europe is that the population is so wholly uninformed about the issues. Thanks in part to a media which constantly puts a negative spin on news from America and traveling celebrities who like to berate their own country on foreign soil.

[EQAndyBuzz]

The problem in Europe is that there no longer is natural enemy. There was once a common bond between Europe and the US; the fear of the spread of Communism.

That fear is no longer there. Problem is outside of the old Soviet Union the threat never left. It just morphed itself into a more radical form of Socialism. Governments see this and rather than do something, they will pillage their treasuries and then let the country bankrupt itself until someone steps in and rescues it.( Hitler, Lenin?)

This could be in five years, ten, twenty. But it will happen. What happened with the US is that European radicals did not allow their governments to support the US. European leaders, in knowing that they were looting Iraq for their own bank accounts and fearing the US would find out, they chose to use this as the basis for not jumping into Iraq while, hiding the evidence and hoping to get Bush out of office.

A Kerry win, validates the fall into Socialism with Europe once again falling in lockstep with Washington. Problem here is that "New Europe" will once again be in danger of collapsing under the spread of the new Socialism.

IMHO the United States is caught between a rock and a hard place. A rich radical is a dangerous person. In addition a ideology that believes that the US is the spawn of satan wants to wipe us off the face of the earth.

Communism or Radical Islamofacism. We are the prize of these two ideologies. Unless we reelect Bush, we may find out who the victor is very soon.