Europe, in turn, would like to see America play a more co-operative role in world affairs, to be more willing to participate in global efforts to control global warming, to support the International Criminal Court, and so on.
The War in Iraq has forced the Europe's dirty little secrets out into the open. It's peace-mongering turned out to be a cover for arms sales. The UN Oil-For-Food program is now revealed as a billion dollar scam run by Kofi Annan to funnel Euro-denominated purchases from Saddam to France, Germany and Russia and the UN itself. And the sanctions a piece of blackmail to ensure that France and Germany get every euro in back payments for weaponry delivered. It was all about money, dirty money at that. Blood for oil: American blood for French oil, to be precise. So Americans might be forgiven for looking a little more closely at the notion of a Belgian court trumping the US Constitution and the greenly packaged bundle of regulations which not so coincidentally confers economic advantages on Europe while penalizing America.
Kiss and make up? Maybe, but the Pandora's box, now opened, is not so easily shut. The day when America took Europe's word unquestioningly are over. From now on, the Soviet Rules apply. "Trust, but verify."
Right on.