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Is There an EU after the Iraq Crisis?
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by
Tim Erickson:
President of Politalk
03/06/2003 |
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There
is little that I can add to a discussion about the relative
strength of the EU in the wake of Iraq, that has not already
been said by more experienced and astute EU observers than
myself. However, what I might contribute to this discussion
are my own observations about the perceived strength of the
EU here in the heartland of the United States.
The
good news for Europe, is that the war in Iraq reminded many
Americans that Europe is still out there and playing a role
in international politics. For a brief moment in time, what
was happening in Europe really mattered to a portion of the
US public that would otherwise have had a hard time finding
Europe on a map. I suppose that many Americans continued to
take Europe for granted, assuming that when the US called,
our allies would be there waiting for us.
The
bad news, is that the focus in these parts, isn't so much
on Europe as it is on individual European states. Frankly,
I think that many more American's, than I would like to believe,
have bought into the "New Europe" vs. "Old
Europe" paradigm that US Defense Secretary Rumsfeld made
so popular.
My
European friends take some pleasure in the fact that "Europe"
took a position contrary to the US and at the very minimum
forced a debate. From the perspective of my neighbors in Minnesota,
Europe did nothing of the kind. Its commonly accepted here,
that France and Germany acted as obstacles, while the rest
of Europe lined up behind and in support of US policies.
In
the US, frustration over the war with Iraq centers not on
Europe, but on France. I see bumper stickers that read, "First
Iraq, then France" and get email from citizens who vow
never to visit France again. I really can't imagine such hostility
being directed at Europe in general.
Most
of the people that I meet on a day to day basis, are not even
aware of the European Convention or a proposed European constitution.
One of the outcomes of the war with Iraq, is that when they
hear about these revolutionary changes that are taking place
in Europe, its going to be pretty hard for them to believe
it. They will ask themselves how a continent that was so divided
could ever agree on a single foreign policy - and they will
shake their heads.
While
within Europe, the war with Iraq may have served to strengthen
European identity, which in the long run is good for the EU.
Within the US, recent events only highlighted the differences
between European nations and have encouraged a mindset in
Washington DC, that Europe can be divided and individual nations
played off of one another.
In
the wake of the war, Europe has something to prove to itself
and the world about its ability to come together and act in
concert. However, the effect of the war, is that many of us
have grown more skeptical that this will ever really happen.
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