France's NATO Gambit--Who's "unilateral" now?

Wall St Journal ^ | October 21, 2003

[SJackson]

NATO is the ultimate coalition of the willing. An alliance of democracies, it can only exist if its members agree to remain united. That's why the French effort to create an independent European defense organization, with a separate headquarters, needs to be understood as an attempt to undermine the only official institution that binds the West.

[samtheman]

US troops out of Germany. Today.

[sd-joe]

then sooner or later the U.S. will have to rethink its own commitment to Europe.

It is already past time to be rethinking US commitment to Europe.

We keep pouring money and resources into Europe and get no gratitude or help in return.

We should set up bilateral agreements with the willing, Britain, Spain, Italy and whoever really wants to help, and just isolate France, Germany, and Belgium.

[Broadside Joe]

Agreed. But remember Germany may change after the next election. Then France (and others of thier ilk) can rot on the sidelines and puff up thier feathers like the peacocks they are.

[OpusatFR]

It gets me that the idiot journalists have missed the biggest quagmire in history: our bases all over Europe to rebuild the miserable place and to keep them from being overcome by Communism per Uncle Joe Stalin (and his hero Ed Asner.)

Time to close the bases there. I know that having them in Europe gives us access to a ready defense force, but time to think out of the box. It is like so many of the economic policies that are still in effect that are in essence relics of the cold war. The whole thing must be thought anew.

[Steely Glint]

Let Europe rot.

Let the cheese-eating surrender monkeys defend Europe. (Well, officially, anyway...the world knows that the French idea of defending consists of waving a large white flag and crying.)

Europe no longer has anything that we need. It's just not important any more.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the post.

One irony here is that the same Europeans who are most critical of a supposedly "unilateral" America are undermining the world's most effective multilateral institution. It's true that a separate EU military force won't compete with NATO overnight. But over the years it will become a competing power center and erode NATO's effectiveness and clout. This is no doubt precisely what Mr. Chirac has in mind, and other Europeans have to realize what is being decided.

~~~
Rummy was leading NATO's Defense Ministers and fighting France's latest attempt to weaken American influence on the world stage in CO recently as the pro-France press lied about him being sidelined by Conde.
~~~

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[Unam Sanctam]

Is it true that Joschka Fischer is less anti-American than Schroeder? Perhaps he's just a little more circumspect in his statements.

[theFIRMbss]

>That's why the French effort to create an independent European defense organization, with a separate headquarters, needs to be understood as an attempt to undermine the only official institution that binds the West
-----------------------------------------------------------

Europe
Europa (mythology)

In Greek mythology Europa was a beautiful Phoenician princess, daughter of Agenor and Telephassa. Zeus saw her gathering flowers and immediately fell in love with her. Zeus transformed himself into a white bull and carried Europa away to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity and Europa became the first queen of Crete. By Zeus, she mothered Trojan War contemporaries Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon, who were raised by her husband, Asterion. Zeus gave her three gifts: Talos [a bronze automaton], Laelaps [a legendary dog who never failed to catch what he was hunting] and a javelin that never missed. Zeus later re-created the shape of the white bull in the stars which is now known as the constellation Taurus.

Europa later married Asterius, the King of Crete.

Europa has lent her name to the continent of Europe, which is called Europa in all Germanic languages (except English), and in all Slavic languages which use the Latin alphabet, as well as in Greek and Latin. Thus, for instance, its appearance on postage stamps commemorating a "United Europe" first issued in 1956.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Any place that takes
its name from a rape myth should
be unbound from us...

[RJL]

France is consolidating power.

As the EU grows it’s inevitable that a few countries will tire of French leadership, French exception from rules, and French corruption.

France needs an EU military force ready to protect France’s rightful position as ruler of the EU from any upstart “New European” counties that might want to cause trouble.

If France can also use this military headquarters as a thumb in America’s eye so much the better in Chiraq’s mind.

[conservativecorner]

Let's put our troops in former east european countries who would welcome us because they know what it's like to live under a totalitarian regime. France, Germany and the other America haters can all go straight to hell!

[Teacher317]

If Germany, France, and half of the Balkans allied and attacked Russia, Poland, Iberia and the other half of the Balkans in an conquest effort, would we intervene this time around? You know they're overdue for another major bloodletting.

(I left out England intentionally... their involvement almost certainly would foreshadow ours)

[hobbes1]

US troops out of Germany. Today.

And move the UN To Jerusalem.

Peace in our time.

[Michael81Dus]

I´m not sure wether your question is a good one. You actually should ask if Fischer is less opportunistic than Schröder. I would answer that with a yes.

Fischer - despite of his past - has become a diplomat, who does what he believes is in the interests of his country. And, I agree with Fischer on that, it is not in the interests of Germany to break with the US and to allign with France to abolish NATO.

Different to France, Germany always supported the NATO and a strong partnership with America. Fischer knows that the Germans do not want to end NATO just because of a short-time flirt with its western neighbour.

Schröder, otoh, just sees his personal and present benefit. Pictures showing him with other world leaders, signing "historical" treaties are what he wants. He wants it all: a cheap Euro-army, friendship with all, commentatories calling him a hero having made historical decisions and a place in the history books with another headline than "Worst Chancellor since Hitler".

[Unam Sanctam]

Thanks for your on-the-spot insights!

[ffusco]

Europe is now like our senile old granparents.

[ffusco]

We aren't defendinf Europe as much as protecting our sea lanes and our forward bases.

[Michael81Dus]

And not even that! Have you ever heard of "host nation support"? Germans soldiers still protect more than 90 US facilities on German soil... two thousand soldiers are involved. It was a gesture to make more GI´s available for mission "Iraqi Freedom". We´re not sure how long we have to guard the bases- maybe the US forces won´t come back!?

[Billthedrill]

It's true that a separate EU military force won't compete with NATO overnight.

Well, yes, but the critical question is what happens in the interim. What the French appear to be expecting is that the U.S. components of NATO will be there to protect them while thay busy themselves in building a force that is intended to actively oppose U.S. interests.

There are two issues here - first, that that interpretation of the purpose of an EU military is not shared by even a majority of the EU members, and second, that it would require the U.S. to be even stupider than the wildest French stereotype could possibly expect. One suspects that French expectations in this matter are growing increasingly unrealistic.

[ffusco]

I thought all the US bases were co-located with native forces.