William Pfaff (London Observer): Why Bush will fail in Europe

[Jack Rabbit]

From the London Observer (Sunday supplement of the Guardian Unlimited)
Dated Sunday February 20

Why Bush will fail in Europe
The President has an enormous political gulf to bridge. The trouble is, he doesn't even know it's there
By William Pfaff

President George W Bush arrives in Europe this week in the belief that the European Nato allies can be persuaded to 'turn away from the disagreements of the past' and open 'a new chapter' in transatlantic relations, as Condoleezza Rice, on her European trip, advised them to do. He is likely to go home without the concessions he wants.

He wants more help from the Europeans in Iraq, Afghanistan, and probably in other places yet to be announced; European backing for American policy on Iran (and Syria and Israel/Palestine); and no European arms sales to China. Those are Washington's priorities. There is a further list of secondary issues, commercial as well as political.

His trip will fail because he and his administration do not understand what really divides most continental European governments from the United States today. At the same time, Europeans are mostly unwilling to confront these issues, because of the trouble with Washington they imply. But, unacknowledged or not, they count.

• First is the definition of the crisis. Few Europeans believe either in the global 'war on terror' or the 'war against tyranny', as Washington describes them . . . .
• The second cause of transatlantic disagreement is the American claim to global domination, and its hostility to Europe's acquiring political or military power commensurate with European economic power . . . .
• The third basic disagreement is that the US has repudiated the system of absolute state sovereignty that has governed international society since 1648, and is the basis of modern international law.

Read more.

[cyclezealot]

1. Most of Europe and the world say the biggest recruitment to terrorists

is the US policy in the Middle East..Since Iraq it has really taken off...Associate themselves to the US at their own risk.

[applegrove]

2. I think they have anti-propaganda laws in Europe - why don't they use them

and stop him from visiting?

[Frances]

3. Good analysis

Thanks for posting this link.

[DELUSIONAL]

4. This article contains a paragraph about "one major power"

Condi-da-LIAR apparently holds the opinion that there should be only ONE major power -- and she is claiming that status for the US.

Many of us have the feeling/impression that the GOP ultimate aim is to destroy -- eradicate the Democratic Party. And we know that the GOP is willing to do this by any means possible -- including Election Fraud, illegal redistricting (and trying to make the new redistricting legal using their own judges).

The GOP now dominates -- Congress -- Presidency -- Supreme Court -- and the Corporate Media. It would seem there is a US domestic policy of the GOP "in which there is more than one major power is no longer acceptable". So the current leadership no only wants to dominate the US but also the world.

So if the world doesn't bow down to the US -- what is the US going to do? And what if the liberals, progressives and Independents fail to bow down to the will of the "dominate" party -- what is the GOP leadership going to do??

The second cause of transatlantic disagreement is the American claim to global domination, and its hostility to Europe's acquiring political or military power commensurate with European economic power.

This claim rests on the argument that an international system in which there is more than one major power is no longer acceptable. Two years ago, Condoleezza Rice told the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London that 'multi-polarity' in the past had been 'a necessary evil that sustained the absence of war but did not promote the triumph of peace'. As a theory of political society, she said, it stands for rivalry and competition. 'We have tried this before. It led to the Great War ... '

[rfranklin]

5. They will use violence against Americans to enforce their...

religious vision. They are already close to it and when their frustration level and arrogance rises a bit more they will start imprisoning and torturing dissidents in this country. After all, these are the people who consider torture the equivalent of fraternity hazing. Why would they worry when their mission is so noble?

[struggle4progress]

6. All traditional American political theory is based on the notion ...

... that divided interests must insist upon divided power, and that measured competition and political conflict lead the way towards human progress. It is why our states retain power, it is why our judiciary and legislature are separated from the executive, and it is why we have divided the military into separate separate. To abandon these traditional values is to court tyranny.

It is polite of the author to pretend to believe that Condoleezza's argument for monopolarity is sincere: the Europeans' intuition informs them perfectly well that while the Bushistas say "Trust us," they are simultaneously planning covert acts around the world, in Venezuela, Equatorial Guinea, and elsewhere to consolidate their control of world resources.

[Fovea]

8. Don't you find it interesting that theses supposed

free marketeers are so against 'rivalry and competition' in international affairs, while perfectly happy to throw american workers
to the dogs of NAFTA, and competition with Chinese slave labor.

How is it that their own theories of enconomic life are so incompatible with their theories of global politics?

[Briar]

7. And as the article shows

it isn't just Bush. Clinton and Kerry also made the same arrogant and bullying claim that the US has a divine right to rule the rest of us:

"The American claim to a dominating or hegemonic position in international affairs is bipartisan. The Clinton administration made it; the Bush administration makes it; John Kerry made it during last year's presidential campaign. It says that America's power itself imposes a right or responsibility to suppress terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and 'rogue states', and to enforce international order."

And it is why Blair is a traitor - he supports a regime which seeks to dominate the whole world:

"The American challenge is to the fundamental claim of other nations to sovereign autonomy."

[Demeter]

9. Failure Is Bush' ONLY Accomplishment

The First Failure has no peer. This man could fail a failsafe. Laura is either a robot or VERY well-paid.

[yardwork]

10. Bumping - please continue all discussion of this article on this thread

There are at least two other threads about this same article here in Editorials. In order to keep the discussion in one thread, I locked the other two threads. Please continue all discussions about this article here.

Thank you!

[Ouabache]

11. good article - all should read

as for me, I copied it to the hard drive as well.

The Europeans see us as the next Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.
Surprised?