Europeans Save the World

NRO ^ | 11/31/2001 | Jonah Goldberg

[a_Turk]

Symbolism over substance. Guilt and propaganda over self-confidence and moral reasoning.

The Spanish, drawing deeply from their rich and storied two-and-a-half decades' experience of democracy, are mumbling loudly about whether they will extradite 14 members of an al Qaeda cell to the United States. Brave members of the European Union, who feel the need to remain anonymous, explain that none of its 15 member states will violate the prohibition on extraditing anyone to a nation that uses military tribunals or imposes the death penalty.

Also this week, lawyers in Brussels (a phrase which should raise your bile as quickly as "diversity counselors at Swarthmore") have commenced proceedings to put the prime minister of Israel on trial for "crimes against humanity," for something done by a Syrian mercenary who later found work for the mass-murderer Hafez Assad.

And, lastly, just as it has become clear that the United States and Great Britain have orchestrated a Northern Alliance victory in Afghanistan, the French have boldly leapt into the breach. There's a nice circularity to that: They stuck us with Southeast Asia when it was clear they couldn't win, and they signed up for Northwest Asia when it was clear that we could.

Now, of course, we all understand that during wars everybody wants to get along (except of course for the two sides killing each other). Hell, during WWII we made nice with Stalin (Time's "Man of the Year" more than once), even though our differences were so profound that, when the war was over, we had to dedicate the next 40 years to settling them. And I do understand that most of Europe is on our side and helping out as much as they can, or as much as they think they can.

But let's not forget — not to put too fine a point on it — the Europeans can be jerks. Okay, hold on. Let me make clear what I mean by that. I am not using the term as a geographic or ethnic adjective. I'm using it to describe a broad coalition of self-hating intellectuals and effete bureaucrats who have either abandoned their national identities out of embarrassment (as in Germany) or are using a new "European" identity as a Trojan Horse for their own cultural ambitions (i.e., the French and Belgians). I am not talking about, for example, the millions of Italians who celebrated "USA Day" in celebration of and solidarity with Americans in the wake of September 11. I am not referring to the average Joe, Giuseppi, or Jacques who doesn't care much for left-wing politics or grand new orders.

Indeed, that raises the first objection to all of the manicured-hand-wringing among the European cognoscenti about America's stand on the death penalty. European nations are not very democratic. European leaders, bureaucrats, and intellectuals moan about America's stance on the death penalty as if the very idea shocks the conscience of every nation in Western Europe. Belgian novelist Pierre Mertens recently told Time, around the time of the McVeigh execution, "It is a tragic paradox that the deluxe country among the democracies resorts to this kind of barbarity." Last year, a gaggle of European ministers delivered a decree to our state department expressing their "concern about the increasing number of persons sentenced to death in the United States."

So noble. So proud. So full of male mad-cow droppings.

As the decidedly liberal Joshua Marshall pointed out in The New Republic a while back, European elites imposed the death penalty ban on an unwilling, unenthusiastic public."There is barely a country in Europe," writes Marshall, "where the death penalty was abolished in response to public opinion rather than in spite of it." "In other words," he concludes, "if these countries' political cultures are morally superior to America's, it's because they're less democratic."

In Britain, home of Amnesty International, between two-thirds and three-quarters of the public want to reinstate the death penalty, Marshall noted. In Italy, Europe's anti-capital punishment trailblazer, half of voters want the death penalty returned. And in France, it took nearly 20 years after the abolition of capital punishment for a majority of the French to say they don't want it back. And, while Marshall's numbers are a bit old by now, I think it's safe to say more Frenchmen want the death penalty to come back than want to bathe every day.

But forget the death penalty. This dynamic holds true across a broad array of public policies. The Euro has been rejected or postponed in every nation where it's come up for a fair vote. Britain, Denmark, and Sweden are opting out of the Euro because they have this funny habit of listening to their own citizens. That's why Euro-pinstripers haven't allowed most Europeans to vote on it.

The problem with the Europeans — again, I mean the diploweenies and academic Huns — is that they've basically bought into the anti-European propaganda of their hard Left. In a sense this makes Americans more pro-European than the Europeans. And, conversely, it explains a big part of European anti-Americanism. America has a lot less to apologize for or feel guilty about than Europe does. Despite what a lot of fools may tell you, America really doesn't have a colonial past like Europe's. Sure, we kicked around Latin America a bit, but that hardly amounts to running whole countries for centuries. As for the slave trade, well, yeah, that was really bad, but the Europeans started it — obviously. Anyway, you know all that.

Meanwhile, Europeans — sitting in the shotgun seat of history rather than behind the wheel — simply have too much guilt and, worse, time on their hands (see "Europe on the Whine" ). So they side with the "oppressed" peoples of the world. They set up performance-art apologies for the Crusades — a defensive war that the Europeans lost, by the way — and go around saying they're sorry to Jews and Arabs. And, of course, they stake out bold moral stands against the United States, a nation that has the effrontery to actually make decisions that matter.

Europe has so thoroughly bought into anti-European propaganda that the continent is now thoroughly anti-Israel. Bret Stephens had a wonderful piece in yesterday's Wall Street Journal explaining how dire the case is, and I don't have the room to go into it here. But it is worth pointing out that despite what the Europeans and their students in the Middle East think, Israel was not created via colonialism but in opposition to it. As Paul Johnson writes in Modern Times, "the notion that Israel was created by imperialism is not only wrong but the reverse of the truth. Everywhere in the West, the foreign offices, defense ministries and big businesses were against Zionism."

Indeed, the Soviet Union backed the creation of Israel — and far more than the U.S. did — because it was a way to dissolve Britain's imperial integrity. While I have no desire to hear from the conspiracy theorists who believe the Bildenbergers are running the show, I would like to know how it is that Israel can be an American colonial vassal while at the same time being so counter to the interests of the United States — particularly to the allegedly all-powerful oil companies?

Of course, it doesn't matter. Facts are mere speed bumps on the road to lefty moral outrage, especially among Europeans desperate to find a Third World enabler for their own psychosis.

Indeed, perhaps no better recent example of the triumph of symbolism over substance — and of guilt and propaganda over self-confidence and moral reasoning — can be found than this week's movement by the E.U. to "outlaw" xenophobia and racism — despite the fact that Europe is by far less racist and xenophobic than any of the countries where the alleged "victims" of its xenophobia and racism come from.

The sad fact is that, with the exception of Britain, there's pretty much not a nation on the European continent that has the right to lecture us about human rights or how to conduct our foreign policy. Spain can hold onto these terrorists if they like, basking in their moral superiority. It may even remind some of those glorious days when they sat out World War II while their brother fascists killed millions. Though I don't seem to recall them clacking their castanets in rage when military tribunals executed those same brother fascists for war crimes, after the war. But oh, right, they weren't even a democracy then.

[river rat]

I'm sure there are a lot of families in the United States that would have perferred we NEVER showed up for either of those European theater "dances"..

The sun's reflection off the crosses and stars over our dead, could blind you.
Semper Fi

[virgil]

Who was late for the "dance"? I seem to remember something called Lend Lease. Not on your timeline.

[river rat]

Hey, partner! Are you trying to ruin this old man's quiet and rainy Sunday afternoon?
You've pinged me twice today, with posts you KNEW would irritate me -- was it your intention to piss me off?
Well, you succeeded.
< /sarcasm> Thanks for the pings - they're good for the blood circulation.
Semper Fi

[codder too]

Understand that the EU is calling for not only the EURO monitary system but now for a EURO ARREST warrant. Decisions to be made this month either by the ministers of Justice, or if they fail to agree on the terms of the mandate, the Heads of State will make the determination , according to Mr Verhofstadt.

[quebecois]

I think that the two world wars sucked the life out of Europeans. They seem to be perfectly happy to wallow in their disfunctional welfare states...fat and happy. They have no children, don't work particularly hard, and have pretty much given up the idea that there is something bigger than themselves and their social saftey net.

It is sad....for they once had a lot of swagger. Its hard to imagine that this continent gave us Cortez, who marched into the middle of the Aztec empire with a few hundred men...and conquered it.

How long has it been since Europe has produced a daring military leader like Napoleon or Rommel...or an intellectual like Newton or Darwin....or a religous leader like Luther or Calvin (do they still have any religious leaders in Europe...other than Imams?). Clearly, Europe is burned out and demographically imploding. I can honestly say that I'll be sad to see it go....it is the homeland of my ancestors.

[Dr. Frank fan]

He rambles and flits around from one idea to another, pretending to string them together as if to prove some long ago lost point.

Funny, I thought the point was quite clear and he strung the ideas together in a coherent manner.

I could deal with his article in detail, but why bother.

So that the rest of us will know just exactly what you object to?

Goldberg's main theme seems to be that much of what passes for "noble" or "courageous" or "moral" thought among European elites tends to be anti-democratic and self-loathing (in the sense of being knee-jerk anti-European or anti-Western).

Do you disagree with this? If so, why?

His examples were the "European view" of capital punishment, the "euro" and related unification issues, and the anti-Israel trend (and overall tendency to want to always side with the perceived "oppressed") in Europe.

Do you disagree with any of these as supporting the author's view? If so, which one(s)?

Let me know. Best,

[Dr. Frank fan]

You thought the point was clear????? What exactly is his point?

I explained what I thought was his point in my previous post. Here is what I wrote:

Goldberg's main theme seems to be that much of what passes for "noble" or "courageous" or "moral" thought among European elites tends to be anti-democratic and self-loathing (in the sense of being knee-jerk anti-European or anti-Western).

Remember now? ;)

That Europe is undemocratic?

Not "Europe" per se, but the "elite" opinion of Europe, yes.

That the death penalty shouldn't be a reason not to extradite?

He didn't exactly say this, although one could perhaps infer this from what he wrote. He was more interested in talking about the motives of people such as the Spanish authorities who are taking this stand, and examining whether these motives are hypocritical or disingenuous. His point regarding Spain seems to have been that it was a little funny for a former fascist state whose dictator was still in power well into the '70s to lecture the U.S. on what is right and what is wrong. Do you disagree with this?

That the majority of European citizens would actually like to have the death penelty (his proof for this is....a quote?)?

No, he didn't say this (or even imply it). What he did say was that the decision to abolish the death penalty in most European countries was done in a non-democratic manner. He is also trying to dispel the widespread notion that Everybody In Europe Is Resolutely Against The Death Penalty, which, as he points out, is far from the truth.

That lawyers in Brussels are proceeding against the prime minister of Israel?

Actually, lawyers in Brussels are proceeding against the prime minister of Israel, as I understand things. This is nothing but a statement of fact.

[skipping a few...]

Look, it seems that you are confused by the fact that Goldberg discussed a variety of issues in his piece. (In fact it almost seems like you are confused by the fact that his piece contained more than one sentence...) But they are all related to his main theme, so I don't know what your problem is. As for what his main theme was (IMHO), I refer you to the above quoted block which I quoted from my previous post. Go read it (again, if necessary). Then tell me if you disagree with it, and why.

Or maybe he's really trying to say that European politicians are self-hating elitists who are squandering national identities simply because they want to?

You're actually coming closer to the mark, with this one.

The only point i take away from it is that he dislikes Europeans in general and wishes he had a bigger mud-slinging machine.

That is a more general way of stating what his point was, I suppose. For something more specific, see cited blockquote above.

In any event, pick one of his multiple points and i'll tell you why i object to it if you're interested.

Okay, good idea. Do you object to Goldberg's point that the decision to revoke the death penalty in many European countries was not done in a democratic manner?

[No Truce With Kings]

This article underscores one of the main reason I chose my handle. I mistrust monarchs, whether they wear the title "king" or euro-bureaucrat. The Euro-wienies act in direct opposition to the people's will.

Howso' great their clamour, whatsoe'er their claim,
Suffer not the old King under any name!

[Vigilanteman]

Maybe the point of Member since December 1, 2001 is that he doesn't want an article written by a FJB and posted by a Turk criticizing the same European elitist intelligensa who brought us World War I & II. We should just let our ultraleftists statist betters run the show, care for us from cradle to grave and pay our taxes.

[Dr. Frank fan]

You could have a point...except that I don't know what "FJB" means. Best,

[Dr. Frank fan]

Oh wait....I just remembered... (reference to a famous quote of The Smartest Woman In The World). Heh...got it. :)

[WRhine]

Indeed, perhaps no better recent example of the triumph of symbolism over substance — and of guilt and propaganda over self-confidence and moral reasoning — can be found than this week's movement by the E.U. to "outlaw" xenophobia and racism — despite the fact that Europe is by far less racist and xenophobic than any of the countries where the alleged "victims" of its xenophobia and racism come from.

Seems that we share this sickness with Europe and the leftists of our continents are the carriers of this disease.

[185JHP]

The main explanation for their demise is, they've lost their moral compass. That is to say, so many of them that aren't amoral, are immoral. Do you know about the "wilding" month celebrated in Germany, where anything goes for a month, adultery being not shamed but lifted up? I don't remember the name of it. This in the country of Luther?