A relevant article. c.i.
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The Wimps of War
February 11, 2003
By PAUL KRUGMAN
George W. Bush's admirers often describe his stand against
Saddam Hussein as "Churchillian." Yet his speeches about
Iraq - and for that matter about everything else - have
been notably lacking in promises of blood, toil, tears and
sweat. Has there ever before been a leader who combined so
much martial rhetoric with so few calls for sacrifice?
Or to put it a bit differently: Is Mr. Bush, for all his
tough talk, unwilling to admit that going to war involves
some hard choices? Unfortunately, that would be all too
consistent with his governing style. And though you don't
hear much about it in the U.S. media, a lack of faith in
Mr. Bush's staying power - a fear that he will wimp out in
the aftermath of war, that he won't do what is needed to
rebuild Iraq - is a large factor in the growing rift
between Europe and the United States.
Why might Europeans not trust Mr. Bush to follow through
after an Iraq war? One answer is that they've been mightily
unimpressed with his follow-through in Afghanistan. Another
is that they've noticed that promises the Bush
administration makes when it needs military allies tend to
become inoperative once the shooting stops - just ask
General Musharraf about Pakistan's textile exports.
But more broadly, they may have noticed something that is
becoming apparent to more and more people here: the Bush
administration's consistent unwillingness to take
responsibility for solving difficult problems. When the
going gets tough, it seems, Mr. Bush changes the subject.
Last week's budget is a perfect example. The deterioration
in the long-run budget outlook is nothing short of
catastrophic; at this point a fiscal train wreck appears
inevitable once the baby boomers retire in large numbers.
Should we be reconsidering those tax cuts? Should Mr. Bush
tell the American people how he plans to cut Social
Security and Medicare?
The White House has an easier solution. First, it has
conveniently decided that budget deficits are not a bad
thing after all. Second, it has stopped making long-run
projections, and now looks only five years ahead. And even
those projections don't include any allowance for the cost
of an Iraq war.
Which brings us back to the war. Mr. Bush apparently
regards Saddam Hussein as a pushover; he believes advisers
who tell him that an Iraq war will be quick and easy - a
couple of days of shock and awe, followed by a victory
parade. Maybe. But even if it does turn out that way, is
this administration ready for the long, difficult, quite
possibly bloody task of rebuilding Iraq?
The Europeans don't think so. In fact, they view Mr. Bush's
obsession with invading Iraq as a demonstration of why he
can't be trusted to deal with what comes next.
In the United States it is taken as axiomatic that America
is a country that really faces up to evildoers, while those
sniveling old Europeans just don't have the nerve. And the
U.S. commentariat, with few exceptions, describes Mr. Bush
as a decisive leader who really gets to grips with
problems. Tough-guy rhetoric aside, this image seems to be
based on the following policy - as opposed to political -
achievements: (1) The overthrow of the Taliban; (2) . . .
any suggestions for 2?
Meanwhile, here's how it looks from Paris: France was
willing to put ground troops at risk - and lose a number of
soldiers - in the former Yugoslavia; we weren't. The U.S.
didn't make good on its promises to provide security and
aid to post-Taliban Afghanistan. Those Americans, they are
very brave when it comes to bombing from 10,000 meters, but
they expect other people to clean up the mess they make,
no?
And French officials have made no secret of their belief
that Mr. Bush wants to invade Iraq not because he is truly
convinced that Saddam Hussein is a menace, but because he'd
rather have an easy victory in a conventional war than
stick to the hard task of tracking down stateless
terrorists. I'm not saying they're right; I have no idea
what Mr. Bush is really thinking. But you can understand
their point of view.
In the days ahead, as the diplomatic confrontation between
the Bush administration and the Europeans escalates,
remember this: Viewed from the outside, Mr. Bush's America
does not look like a regime whose promises you can trust.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/11/opinion/11KRUG.html?ex=1045996406&ei=1&en=05837395f32f59d7
c.i.
