Mark Steyn: War between America and Europe

The Spectator (U.K.) ^ | 12/27/2001 | Mark Steyn

[shield]

Stop with the 'Doctrines and Traditions of Men.' Learn what the scriptures truly teach.

[Prodigal Daughter]

Are you the one who flagged me? Thank you.

[Prodigal Daughter]

Did I told you people here in Holland mosques are build with money from the government, unlike the buildings of other religions?

If you ever post anything regarding how that works in Holland, please add me to your flag list.

[NewAmsterdam]

As ever... I never quite believed that two minds could meet, but somehow I think I have to revise that position. Thanks for your penny's worth. Keeps me going. Mine is below.

[Gritty]

They also surrender faster than the French,... Can anyone remember the last time these sheet-heads won a war?

No. But the last major war in the area between Arab states was between Iraq and Iran (ok,ok, Iran is not quite Arab, but it is Muslim) and they both seem to have lost.

[Khepera]

maybe you'll enlighten me!!! The Jews are Gods choosen people and are blessed by him. Your move!

[colorado tanker]

Euro be my friend.

[edsheppa]

Fascinating, isn't it, how The Last Remaining Super Power On Earth has become the modern day Mamaluk

Not unexpectedly you have it wrong. American involvement in the Gulf War was purely a result of our immense national interest in not having Hussein control the oil reserves of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Without that at stake we wouldn't have lifted a finger.

[Gritty]

Please, Oh please, add me to your Steyn PING List.

I just couldn't bear to miss one of his columns.

[CommiesOut]

Carry_Okie said it all. Not much to add.
I worked with an Afghani born engineer on $3 bill. IBM project.
Very good pro and a very nice person.
Plenty of Hindu, Russian Jews and Arabs in DC area professional and beaurocratic circles.
Never found a nasty person among them.
FR is just a funny circus and an aberration, no better or worse than any other internet BB.
You should see an early '90 Prodigy BB, especially around Bush Sr./Bubba elections... Now, that was a scary circus at times.

[Pokey78]

Both added

[aculeus]

A backward culture that loves dressing up and places no value on professional activity will always appeal to a segment of the English elite.

Brilliant!

I hope Conrad Black is going to give him a column in The New York Sun.

He's worth far more than the entire NY Times Op-Ed page>

Believe me, Noo Yawkers will love Mark Steyn.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for your #100. Of course you are right European politics are complex. I think you summarize well the various constituencies supporting European political integrattion. And I agree, unfortunately, that some are conservative or pro-business.

I also agree that many of the ideas I discussed have been knocking around Europe for many years. That's what is so frustrating.

The point about labor market deregulation is not to foster cross-border markets, but rather to allow easier hiring and firing within the country. Businesses hire more when they know they can fire during lean times. Start-ups are much easier. Holland deregulated its labor market which is why unemployment there is so low. France and Germany have not and suffer high unemployment. France and Germany are a whole lot bigger than Holland, hence the European unemployment rate and problem.

The point about Britain is not that it is not a welfare state, of course it is, but rather Britain takes a more American view of labor regulation and therefore enjoys lower unemployment as a result.

It is frustrating to watch Europe drift toward a super-state, aided and abetted by the groups you describe. If France and Germany continue to dominate the EU, the new state would be run by social democrats, who seem to dominate the commission. Real economic reform would be unlikely. Europe would oppose US policy in the middle east and elsewhere more boldly. And Europe would become more authoritarian.

Combine this with continental judges who seem determined to put on trial as a "war criminal" or some such thing any conservative foreign leader they dislike, and thereby attempt to dictate policy to other nations and you would have the potential for much mischief.

It is my hope Europe will pull back and declare itself an economic union with no goal of creating a federal Europe, leaving matters of personal liberty, labor regulation, taxation, foreign policy and the like to the member states. The nation states guaranty individual liberty and democratic government far more effectively than would a superstate. As you so well point out, one size does not fit all in Europe.

[NewAmsterdam]

Well spoken. You obviously know of what you speak and that is much appreciated. I would like to add a few things. Although much of Europe is run by Social-Democrats that does not explain all. Holland is too, to a large extent, yet our economy is doing far better than most European countries (since the Euro, we cannot control interest rates, of course, and since we have higher inflation we will be more likely to suffer a recession in the near future. Moreover, the introduction if the Euro itself will lead to a sharp one-off inflation of up to 4% since traders will round-off their new prices to the higher level. Bugger to that).

Conversely, Italy and Spain are run by centre-right governments but they are no less Euro-friendly than the left. Which brings me to a point that is rarely discussed here. In my view the European 'project' is warmly supported by the American government elite. The EU is meant to supplement the US; not to provide an alternative to the US as so many people both in America and Europe seem to believe. I think that fundamentally the opinions and views for the future of both the American elite and the European elite are in agreement.

Thus, the EU will never become this socialist super-state many fear, nor will it be the antithesis to American 'freedom'. It will be a muddle-model for confused and semi-representative government that America will drift towrads, too, in my limited view from across the pond.

[pgkdan]

They are in general, better educated than Americans (which isn't saying much). His assertion is condescending garbage

And they live in America. Show me the Arab/Moslem country where this is true.

[pgkdan]

Thanks for pinging me and please keep me on this list.

[Victoria Delsoul]

So each half of the West looks in the Middle East for what it values most in itself: for the Americans, liberty; for Europe, paternalism, benign or otherwise. The result is a mirror image: just as Israel is the odd man out in the Middle East, so increasingly America is in the West, wedded as it is to such bizarre concepts as capital punishment, gun rights, free speech, etc.

Good article, thanks.

[Britton J Wingfield]

Please add me to the Steyn Ping List. Thanks.

[madrussian]

Americans should remember their heritage and culture, which are essentially European Christian. Americans have very little to do with Israel, save American aid, or their Middle Eastern culture.

The author must be projecting his wishes as to how he would like to see the world.