http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1152961,00.htmlGreat opinion article in The Guardian, that clearly explains Blair's
fatal error, that his apologists fail to see, which is the very same
reason why Chirac and Schroder acted the way they did:
"(...) In the baffling and often alarming new world in which we live, the real threat to Europe is quite different. At this moment, the US is the world's only superpower, the hegemon of a new global order, shaped by US interests and dominated by the singular US version of capitalism. But unless we are to assume that history really has come to an end, American hegemony will sooner or later evaporate just as Britain's did. New superpowers will arise to challenge America's supremacy, just as imperial Germany and the US itself were challenging Britain's by the end of the 19th century. China is already some way along that road, and India will not be far behind. Much more frightening than the threat of international terrorism is the spectre of a divided and politically incoherent Europe, incapable of safeguarding the interests of her people in a world dominated by the US, China and India. (...)"