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Tue 11 Feb, 2003 01:33 pm
Is the U.S. administration's "with us or against us" attitude going to be counter-productive in the long run with our allies?
A significant number of European nations resent what they perceive as "Cowboy Diplomacy" by the present administration. Polls show that most Europeans like Americans and generally feel that war with Iraq may be necessary (except Germany) but don't like the President's
"go it alone" approach to this conflict because they feel it is a harbinger of things to come. This has also put one of the administration's best friends, Tony Blair, on the hot seat with his own people.
Secondly, will this go it alone concept backfire on the U.S. when it comes time to rebuild Iraq and we need help from our allies? (We have not heard much about Afghanistan lately, how are we doing there?)
Thirdly, given that the U.S. is the most economically and militarily powerful nation on earth will we see some sort of classic "Balance of Power" diplomacy invoked to counter-balance the U.S.'s perceived hegemony?
Does the nucleus of this manifest itself in France, Germany, and Belgium's recent refusal in NATO to begin planning for Turkey's defense during a possible Iraqi conflict?
JM
The crack in the Euro-American relationships, IMHO, is not a result of Mr. Bush's policies regarding Iraq. There is no more Soviet military threat, and the major European nations (except, maybe, UK) start feeling more and more self-sufficient, and they consider that they do not need American assistance any more. They have used Americans, now they do not need them, and they abandon them...
Yes.
Unreparable and unmanageble till the last citizen dies in Europ's soil.
By Europe i mean the globe not excluding
Berlusconi's pizza or lady: di's England.
Change we shape.
It is enough
enough
enough