The View from Spain

CNS News ^ | 3-9-05 | Peter Brookes

[FlyLow]

It's been almost a full year since Spanish voters rejected the chosen successor of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Aznar had cultivated a warm relationship with President Bush and committed troops to Iraq - and Spain went to the polls just days after a vicious terrorist strike.

But Aznar's having no second thoughts about his policies or America's dominant role in the world.

On the contrary, in a recent visit to The New York Post, Aznar said he sees American power as more important than ever, especially considering the independent, "soft power" foreign-policy agenda being pushed by Europe's dominant powers, France and Germany.

Aznar continues to buck Europe's prevailing (liberal) wisdom. In fact, he believes that it's Europe that needs the U.S. now more than ever - not the other way around.

Aznar's attitude is refreshing, if not surprising.

Remember that a year ago this Friday, al Qaeda operatives brutally attacked Madrid commuter trains with 10 bombs, killing 191 people. The attacks stunned the world . . . and, just days later, sent Aznar's popular, right-of-center government down to defeat in national parliamentary elections.

Aznar's successor, socialist Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero, quickly withdrew 1,300 Spanish troops from Iraq, cooled relations with Washington and lowered Madrid's high international profile.

For its part, al Qaeda could claim a small, but significant, series of victories: It had cracked the Iraqi Coalition, helped bring down Aznar's pro-American government and deepened the ongoing transatlantic estrangement.

But having survived a 1995 Basque ETA terrorist attack himself, Aznar isn't one for going soft on terrorism - or America. In fact, today he appears more convinced than ever of the importance of the transatlantic relationship and America's role in the world.

[rudyudy]

The narrowing of the divide isn't due to the recent diplomatic charm offensives by both sides, though they certainly didn't hurt. But what's really making a big difference in mending U.S.-European ties are a number of far more dramatic events: Lebanon's Cedar Revolution; Elections in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia; talk of political openings in Egypt; Syrian promises to withdraw from Lebanon, and Iranian nuclear negotiations.

He forgot to mention that little incident with Van Gogh.

[nikos1121]

How is the new guy doing?

[jocko12]

Anzar screw the EU.

[llama hunter]

Aznar's party will be back in power next election, just wait, the new asshole, like any good socialist, is fucking up the economy which Aznar's party had humming along nicely, which is why most observers pegged the Conservatives to win the election they lost because of the terrorist attacks, the socialist's exploitation of those attacks, and the question whether the government lied about ETA being responsible at first