David Quinn: We’ll all pay a heavy price for poisoning America’s Irish stew

On Thursday I shook the hand of the world’s most reviled man. No, not Saddam Hussein but George Bush. The occasion was the St Patrick’s Day reception in the White House. It was a very small affair compared with the days of Bill Clinton. Only about 60-80 people were present and of that number probably less than a quarter were Irish.

The fact that Bush turned up at all was a minor miracle. The previous day he had cancelled all engagements to muster support for a further United Nations resolution and it was entirely possible that he might have done so again on Thursday. But he met Bertie, accepted the bowl of shamrock, discussed the north and Iraq and then addressed the reception — again talking about the north — after which he met anyone who wanted to meet him.

That he showed up at all reveals how patient the Americans are with the Irish. It also highlights how successfully the government has walked the tightrope between pacifying domestic opinion, which is mostly anti-war and anti-American, and maintaining good relations with America — still our best friend in the world.

It’s as well for the friendship that Bush wasn’t at the bash in the Irish ambassador’s residence that night because it would have been put severely to the test. Almost every Irish person at the reception who offered an opinion was against the impending war against Iraq — and loathed Bush. All the usual fabricated nonsense was being spouted. It’s about oil; the Americans armed Iraq in the first place; Bush is the real threat to world peace.

Dealing with this level of ignorance is like draining an ocean with a thimble, but let’s try anyway. First of all, it’s not about oil. If oil was so important, why would the world’s stock markets be heading south so fast? You’d imagine they’d be soaring in the expectation that the Yanks would get hold of all that black stuff. And, if it was really about oil, why didn’t the Americans grab the oilfields during the first Gulf war? No, the US didn’t arm Iraq. The Russians and the French did that. You remember them, don’t you? They’re the ones doing their level best at the moment to try to protect their ally Saddam from the Americans. The Iraqi air force, such as it is, comprises Soviet and French fighter planes and bombers and its tank fleet is full of antiquated Soviet models.

The Americans have passed on almost no weaponry to Iraq and whatever material aid was given to it was in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war when it looked as though Iran might win. At that time, Iran represented the greater threat in the region.

It was not an endorsement of Saddam. It was the equivalent of giving Stalin weapons with which to defeat Hitler. Stalin was awful, Hitler was worse, and when the second world war ended it was time to deal with Stalin. When the Iran-Iraq war ended, and Baghdad then turned its attentions to Kuwait, the time had come to deal with it.

As for Bush being the real threat to world peace — well, we’ve been here before. The same kinds of accusation hurled against Bush with monotonous regularity were hurled against Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Reagan was Ronald Ray-gun. Ho ho. Like Bush, he was a moron. Like Bush, he was a warmonger and a menace to world peace. Except that back then, being a threat to world peace meant you were making more likely a devastating nuclear war. So Reagan was even worse than Bush, if that’s possible. For good measure, Reagan was a failed Hollywood actor whose best part was played opposite a monkey. Oh yeah, and he was a cowboy, again like Bush. Reagan reached the peak of his unpopularity when the Americans were fighting Marxist guerrillas in Latin America and when the time arrived for the basing of cruise and Pershing medium-range nuclear weapons in Europe. That was when the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was at its peak. Every trendy belonged to it. Huge demonstrations took place regularly all over Europe, just like the anti-war protests of February 15. I was at university back then and I remember being the only person in my class who backed Reagan and favoured the basing of those missiles in Europe. Had Ireland been one of the countries in which the missiles were to be based, we would have had protests as big as the one we had last month.

Time has shown that Reagan’s muscular approach to the Soviet Union was the correct one. Weakness only emboldened the Soviet regime. A tough attitude made it back down. In no time at all, the Reagan policy of challenging Soviet power around the world and outpacing it in the arms race paid dividends. Within a year of Reagan finishing his second term, the Berlin Wall fell.

Had Reagan listened to his critics and appeased the Soviet Union, there’s a good chance that the Soviet bloc would still be in place. The French were especially critical, looking down their noses at Reagan. So much for the wisdom and sophistication of French foreign policy.

During the Clinton era, anti-Americanism abated because the Democrat president backed the sort of multilateral approach to world affairs so in vogue in this neck of the woods. The result was that Osama Bin Laden was able to turn Afghanistan into a base for his activities, and Iraq defied the weapons inspectors and began to weaken the sanctions regime, in both cases with Russian and French co-operation.

Multilateralism of the sort pursued by Clinton only served to make American foreign policy subject to the whim of countries with interests of their own to pursue, as well as to multiply the threats to America and the West in general. The nature of the threat was brought home to America on September 11.

The Americans now know that the softy-softly approach favoured during the Clinton presidency does not work. Unfortunately, Paris and Berlin, with most of European public opinion, don’t yet know this.

What has yet to dawn on them is that unless regimes such as that of Saddam are dealt with, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will continue. If America backs down now in its confrontation with Iraq, more countries will feel free to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. When enough regimes have these weapons it will become a mathematical certainty that some will find their way into the hands of terrorist groups — if they haven’t already — and they will be used in western cities.

A vote on another UN resolution on Iraq is due to take place soon. It is vital for Ireland that it goes America’s way, although that seems unlikely at present. If the security council decides to vote against America and its allies, it will present the Ahern government with a predicament. On the one hand, it wants to allow the continued use of Shannon by the US military. On the other hand, without the cover of a second UN resolution, domestic opposition will become so strong that it may force the government to ask the Americans to refuel elsewhere.

Last week in Washington, two Republican congressmen managed to have the name of the french fries and french toast served in restaurants on Capitol Hill changed to “freedom” fries and “freedom” toast. If the Americans can no longer use Shannon, then we may find Irish stew renamed “freedom” stew. The result of Irish anti-Americanism is that Americans may soon get the message that we don’t much like them. The only losers will be us.

Happygal, if I have made a mistake about the reactions of the Irish people, please educate me! Heavens, I don't want to believe that the land of my forebears (through a thin strain on my mother's side) is altogether arrayed against us! I have not only read of Irish opposition to America's actions but have heard the reports of my friends who went hunting there this winter, and it was dismaying. I only wonder, is it possible that all the Irish people oppose what the newspapers say? Can the papers survive economically if what they write doesn't reflect the views of the readers at all? I welcome your instruction on this because it's a grief to me, to think that Ireland too despises us.

Just listen to them today, do you really think there is enough testosterone left on the entire continent to stand up to the Islamists?

No way, that's why it's going to be interesting when the Muslims become the majority in France and Scandinavia and other places. Those bleeding heart fools in Europe better learn how to pray to Allah because eventually they're not going to have a choice if they don't stop Muslim immigration now.

I'm an Irish journalist.

I know what to tell people. And I know what buys and sells papers over here.

I am telling YOU...you are trigger happy, reactionary.

Read a bit, and test the waters before making the ideological *LEAP*.

(I actually doubt you are the big shot you profess to be on these threads...Most American business men, are FAR more discreet!)

I don't mind giving up french wine (I'm a tea-totaller and can't afford it anyway).

I don't mind giving up belgian waffles...they just make me fat.

But there is NO WAY, no matter what they say or do, there is no way I'm giving up my Irish Pennywhistle.

ME too, 2Jmom. I love Ireland passionately, it's people, history and music, but I am very disturbed by all I am hearing from there. I have a plane ticket for April 23 and was planning a 2 week trip there, same as last year, but I'm being warned by friends there that the anti American sentiment is strong. Last year when I was there I was stunned by the Euronews propaganda broadcasts regarding Israel. They'd give a 20 minute handwringing segment to poor Yassir Arafat's house detention, where he had plenty to eat and drink and was in no danger, then for two minutes give coverage that amounted to "oh, and there was another suicide bombing today, killing 20 Israelis, including four children, ho hum." I was apalled that anyone would fall for the blatant propanda, but then two of my friends joined a march through downtown Dublin protesting the way Arafat was being treated. They shouted "Free Y.A." and waved Palestinian flags, but there was no mention of stopping any of the suicide bombings. And now, according to my friends over there, Euronews has replaced Irael with America and they are all jumping on the bandwagon to the extent that there was dancing in the streets of Derry when the space shuttle blew up. I'm trying to decide whether or not to cancel my trip. I love Ireland, but the Irish are brainwashed now, as is all of Europe. Hitler's propaganda minister had nothing on the news-meisters over there right now.

My late mother-in-law (McDonald out of Norton) used to call tham "professional Irish", but I think plastic paddies is much more fitting.

And you're right about Boston, there used to be the donation can in every bar and convenience store.

I always wondered how much money really made it to Ireland back when on the lam gangster Whitey Bulger was in charge of the pickup.

I take it you're not such a "happy gal"? Or that you were one of the ones dancing in the streets when the shuttle blew up? Or is it that you enjoy seeing tv news reports of dead Israeli babies?

Care to explain?

I'd like to know WHERE you got the impression ANY Irish people dancing in the street when the shuttle blew up. Or enjoying seeing 'dead Israeli babies'. Sweetheart...you need to get out and about a bit...you know NOTHING of the world.

I have a friend in Derry with whom I'll be staying next month. He is worried about what I'll face there, so he wrote me to warn me of the current anti-American attitude that's getting to be common. He was the one who told me of the dancing in the streets when the shuttle went down. He wrote a letter to his local newspaper condemning the celebration. The fact that you didn't see it in no way changes the fact that it happened. As to what I said about the news reporting of the Palestinian situation and the "Free Yassir Arafat" demonstration, that's what I saw personally (two of my friends took part in it). Sorry if you have a problem with reality, unHappy, but your refusal to accept reality doesn't alter reality.

I take it you're not such a "happy gal"? Or that you were one of the ones dancing in the streets when the shuttle blew up? Or is it that you enjoy seeing tv news reports of dead Israeli babies?

I'm British, but I have no hard feelings towards the Irish; unlike you, I can make a separation between the general Irish population and a few loons (Sinn Fein / IRA). In any event, even Sinn Fein / IRA did not celebrate the shuttle explosion nor do they publicly celebrate dead Israeli babies, as much as the IRA is in sympathy with the Palestinians.

Your attack on Happygal is unwarranted and un-called for.

Ivan

So your friends are loons. This is not representative of the Irish public as a whole.

Ivan

Happygal, I am trying to learn here. I see I've really gotten you upset and I regret that very much. Believe me when I say that it causes me distress to think that the Irish people might be against the US, but this is the clear impression given by the Irish papers I have read online. If you tell me I am missing something, I believe you and ask you where to look. Now I will look at the Independent, and I thank you for the information.

As for presenting myself as a big-shot businessman, are you confusing me with some other poster? I am a lady in her forties, raised in Illinois but of Southern heritage, a hard-working and perpetually exhausted divorced mother of two young children. I am far from rich but perhaps I gave the impression that I have money because I speak of riding horses, which is something millions of middle- and lower-income Americans do as well. I haven't had a vacation in eight years but was planning a trip to Ireland. After the death of my father a small inheritance made me think of buying a horse for my daughter, who works so hard and so richly deserves a horse. And where better to buy a horse than Ireland, the place that produces the greatest horses in the world?

As for being trigger-happy: as a woman alone I have twice in my life had to defend myself with firearms, and I do not apologize for that. I have come to regard guns as cherished tools, like my circular saw and my computer. As for being reactionary: Guilty as charged.

I've read that if it were not for New York and Boston there would be no IRA.

My two encounters were a guy trying to trade a not-quite-classic car for 'clothing and any old firearms' I might have laying round the house, and being bumped from a job for suggesting that it was time to quit blowing up horses and commuters and get on with life.

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