Axis of Allies

Wall Street Journal ^ | 2002-02-26 | Review & Outlook (U.S.)

[spald]

February 26, 2002

Axis of Allies

To read the papers these days, you'd think Europe and the U.S. were headed for a giant fall over President Bush's "axis of evil" policy. Certainly European critics have earned all of the headlines. But there's another side to this story, which is that much of Europe actually supports Mr. Bush.

We wouldn't exactly call it a silent majority. But it includes some very big names, starting, for example, with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Since you won't read about it anywhere else, we thought we'd tell you what he said.

"I think that the position Bush has taken is of historic dimensions," Mr. Aznar said last week in an interview with European journalists. "It is comparable to the choice made by Truman, who in the postwar [period] took a strong position against the Russians, and to the declaration that Reagan made at the beginning of the 1980s which defined the Soviet Union as the evil empire."

The Spanish leader added that "I believe that today it is more important than ever that Europe strengthen its ties with the United States: Alone we Europeans will be able to do nothing, not only on the international scene but also even inside our own Continent, as the crisis in the Balkans demonstrated. There are those who want to make an impression by lining up against the U.S., but I do not agree with this attitude." Take that, Jimmy Carter.

Also largely unreported was the comment last week of Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, who spoke of "overstatements of differences" with Washington. Mr. Solana's remarks were widely taken as a slap in the face of Chris Patten, the EU external affairs commissioner who warned, in widely quoted comments, that Mr. Bush was in "unilateralist overdrive."

Something is clearly getting lost in translation of how Europeans view America right now. When French Foreign Minister Hubert Vendrine calls U.S. foreign policy "simplistic" or German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer accuses the U.S. of treating European nations as "satellites," their remarks make news on both sides of the Atlantic. But when a European leader speaks pointedly in support of America, he's shouting into the wind.

The real story is the battle in Europe between the new politics and the old. It is no accident that those dowagers of the old socialism, France and Germany, tend to produce the U.S. critics, while exponents of a new centrist or center-right politics, primarily British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Mr. Aznar, support Mr. Bush.

The internal debate in Europe is about its role in the world and the future shape of the European Union. Specifically, it focuses on the politics of European integration in which a French-led bloc wants to create a more integrated (and socialist) Europe. The issues will come up in elections in France and Germany this year.

Both France and Germany also had business ties with Iraq that they are eager to resume; that won't be politically correct as long as Iraq is part of the "axis of evil." A campaign (with tacit or explicit government support) to indict Western sanctions as the cause of Iraqi misery has also succeeded with the European public, making it that much harder for Paris or Berlin to support military action against Iraq.

France and Germany are important countries, but they aren't all of Europe any more than America is Washington and New York. And even they may ultimately find a way to support American action in Iraq and elsewhere. In the meantime, President Bush can count on backing from Messrs. Aznar, Berlusconi and Blair, though they too will face political hurdles at home.

A part of Europe sees eye to eye with the U.S. on economic liberalization and a foreign policy that attempts to rid the world of threats to peace and stability. Another part of Europe disagrees. Why do only the grumblers make the news?

Updated February 26, 2002

[spald]

Much of Europe actually supports Mr Bush.

[livius]

That's true. And Spain is definitely in our camp; even the Socialist party there is less hysterical in its denunciations of the US than are other European leftist parties. Part of it, of course, is probably location: Spain and Italy are separated from Muslim North Africa only by a bit of water. I think they're more realistic about the threat, as a result.

[philosofy123]

Actually, Europe has done well standing with us. If we have a case against Iraq, that is clear, they will stand with us as they did in 1990. The current push to simply unseat that dictator because we don't trust him does not fly. We have more dangerous people to deal with! Most of the terrorists were Saudi, and Egyptians. We need to work on these two counties first. Most of the arms shipped to terrorists are coming from Iran, we need to work on that country first.

If the US neutralizes Saudi Arabia, Rgypt, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Albania....then, and only then we can say let us get after the terrorists in Iraq!

[KC_Conspirator]

"I think that the position Bush has taken is of historic dimensions," Mr. Aznar said last week in an interview with European journalists. "It is comparable to the choice made by Truman, who in the postwar [period] took a strong position against the Russians, and to the declaration that Reagan made at the beginning of the 1980s which defined the Soviet Union as the evil empire."

This is the most astute European I have heard yet. He is making the right historical connections.

[Grampa Dave]

Excellent thread!

So the AXIS OF WEASELS is basically made up of the old Euro trash France and Germany with Russia the old commy country thrown in.

This is one of the driving issues of the AXIS OF WEASELS "France and Germany also had business ties with Iraq that they are eager to resume; that won't be politically correct as long as Iraq is part of the "axis of evil." A campaign (with tacit or explicit government support) to indict Western sanctions as the cause of Iraqi misery has also succeeded with the European public, making it that much harder for Paris or Berlin to support military action against Iraq."

Short message to the Axis of Weasels, France and Germany!. You socialist pu$$ies don't really want to be against us. Germany has learned the hard way twice. The third time might the your candle gets blown out! The Frogs can just go straight to socialist hell!

[Shermy]

Great article. I would like to see polls of the European peoples.

It appeared that Europe is "against" us because, for one, the squeaky wheels get the grease. On one hand, there were the old lefties of the anti-american sort, esp. from Britain, outraged that they couldn't coherently use the current crisis to support their reflexive anti-American constructs. On the other, as I'm beginning to understand, are the Eurocrats, especiall in Germany and France. They want full integration of Europe (because it benefits them), and have proposed things like the EU army. Blair responded with a NATO construct of a rapid reaction force. The Eurocrats have gambled that they could construct a monster image of America as a boost to Eurocratization, but it seems to have failed.

Nice touch that this article mentions French investments in Iraq. Wish he would come out more forcefully and say that's why France gives a damn about Hussein - they want their money back. So do the Russians, that's why they "care".

I think the focus on "socialists" is mistaken and bordering on diatribe. China, Russia, some German greens, etc., generally support our response. The negativity of the alarmist sort comes from the Eurocratic elite and third worldists.

Blair angers Germans by backing Iraq strikes

Nato plans army of 250,000 to fight 'anywhere'

[onedoug]

¡Aznar choque!

[Mr Ducklips]

Of course, but you'll never hear it from Rather and his ilk...and they run the shows people watch. Sad, eh?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

A very small group of anti-Christian Germans started complaining about evangelists in Europe. These personally offended few spread their message of hate throughout Europe until France passed a law calling most churches cults. Belgium, Poland, etc. are following suit. How did the words of these few, out of the millions of Europeans disgruntled over something, spread so far and fast? The European media chose to push this story, just as our Big Media chooses to destroy our President by stressing every negative opinion and ignoring every positive fact.

Thank you for this post.

[MeekOneGOP]

bump!

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you so much for pinging me to this .

[spald]

bump for February 27 if you please!

[WOSG]

Then what is missing from Europe, that we have here in this country, is a vigorous and bold Conservative movement. It's as if the whole of Europe was like Rhode Island and Vermont, totally brainwashed, with only liberals, hard-core leftists, and moderate RINOs.