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Sep 02, 2006
A REALITY CHECK FOR EUROPE
(By HELLE DALE / Source: Heritage Foundation – US) In recent years, Europe has been looking for ways to take a leading role in world affairs. Lebanon may be furnishing the long-awaited opportunity for Europeans. But then again, if you look at Europe's record in the post-Cold War era, it may not. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for the immediate deployment of a 15,000-strong peace-keeping force in the southern Lebanese stronghold of Hezbollah. However, the European Union, which endorses the idea, has been slow to respond, with the notable exception of Italy, which immediately pledged up to 3,000 troops. French President Jacques Chirac managed to come up with an initial offering of all of 200 troops. Now, that's leadership for you from the man who once talked about "balancing" the United States on the world scene.
While the EU has achieved global economic clout, Europe is a midget in military affairs, with the important exception of Britain. In the Balkans in the 1990s, European inaction and failed diplomacy led to eventual and reluctant U.S. intervention, much to the humiliation and regret of Europeans, who knew they had flunked their first test of the post-Cold War era — dealing with a crisis in their own back yard. Then came September 11. In the first flush of feelings of solidarity with Americans, NATO countries invoked Article 5 of the NATO charter, stating that an attack on one is an attack on all. The Bush administration, meanwhile, having observed the debacle in the Balkans, chose to take on the Taliban government of Afghanistan without NATO support. Europeans were humiliated and smarted under what they perceived as a rejection of their goodwill offer. (read more)
12:20 Posted in CHERRY PICKING, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, US | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: us, nato, europe, lebanon, chirac
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