Over the past few hundred years, Europeans have killed each other in mass numbers during countless wars. They have twice initiated the two most devastating wars in human history. Yet, this long bloody history has led to an amazing skill: the ability to get along with each other. However, despite their smashing success on the domestic front, this ability does not translate into an equally successful track record on the international playing field.
It took two world wars to bring France and Germany together in 1951 to form the European Coal and Steel Community. Italy and the Benelux countries also joined. From these auspicious beginnings came today’s European Union. By ultimately realizing that Europe’s shared economic interests and cooperation was a much quicker and more stable way to prosperity for all, Europe has undergone a kind of mini-globalization and has now successfully integrated most of Europe’s Gap (the east) into the EU.
Thus, Europe’s bloody history and successful integration has led to its having a political culture which extols compromise and bureaucracy. However, what has worked well on the European domestic front is a failure internationally. As we know, 9/11 was an important rule-set change for everyone. America caught on quickly but Europe remains uneasy about it. Until they understand that their proclivity for compromise and bureaucracy isn’t very applicable when dealing with the Gap, they’ll continue to impede progress in the war on terror and countering threats such as Iran and North Korea. The countries they have dealt with and successfully integrated are far different from those with whom they must now deal.
The inter-European cooperation present in the EU should be extended to the US instead of working against us in vain. Terrorism’s goal isn’t the immediate effect that an act has, but the reaction it exacts. Should the EU continue to work against the US and divide the two, overall progress against terror will be hindered and simultaneously delay the further integration of other countries into the global economy.
Europe’s current foreign policy logic is the same as Michael Jordan’s when he switched from basketball to golf and baseball: I’m good at this sport so I must be just as good at another.
Today’s isn’t a question of compromise or diplomacy but adjusting to new rules. The sooner Europe realizes it the better.
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COMMENTS / 3 COMMENTS
Catalin Tilimpea added these pithy words on 19 May 05 at 4:24 pmI totally agree with you insightful comments on the European foreign policy and its roots. You may however be wrong on one particular point, regarding the EU’s alleged “integration” of Eastern block countries.
My own country, Romania, is due to join the EU in 2007 and I honestly believe that it will not “integrate” at all but rather, it will serve as a cold and unpleasant lesson of reality and a possible cure to EU “idealism”. To think like this it is enough to look at current figures for crimes commited by Romanians in EU countries. These figures have risen quite substantially because we don’t need visas any more. It’s quite obvious what will happen when we won’t need passports and border-checks any more.
I believe ‘old’-EU governments will have a very hard time explaining to their citizens how filling their lovely countries with unruly immigrants or “migrants” from Romania and Bulgaria serves a “higher” goal. Maybe this kind of “cold shower” will pave to way to a better understanding of “less civilised” peoples and countries.
Chirol added these pithy words on 19 May 05 at 8:43 pmI appreciate your comments. Don’t you think that once Romania is integrated into the system and begins reaping the benefits that things will quickly change?
Btw, why do Romanians seem to speak such excellent English? I have a friend here in Germany who’s astounding. Gabriel who often comments here speaks better English than most people where I grew up as do you! What gives? School system? Movies? Radio? Just curious!
Catalin Tilimpea added these pithy words on 20 May 05 at 7:04 amIt is hard to make a case that my own people will not change for the better when showered with capital and when offered the option of living more civilised lives. But, yes, I think Romanians are likely to stay the same from a mentality point of view, at least in the next one or two decades.
Essentially Romanians take the extra money coming from the EU as a “free ride” rather than an incentive to invest and produce wealth themselves. And the EU officials, the Commission to be more precise, seem to be really incapable of understanding what exactly happens with the money they send into Romania. It’s kind of a bureaucratic naivete on their behalf to think they can change a society by just pumping money and letting underpaid Romanian nationals supervise how they are spent. To summarise, the EU is waiting for Romania to pull herself out of the gutter on her own and Romania is pretending to, but not really interested in anything but the money.
Regarding Romanians’ excellent English, I think you over-generalise. It’s however safe to say that Romanians who would take an interest in “Coming Anarchy” tend to know good English. I cannot state a common reason, but I learnt English as the new Latin (read universal language). Romanian is a dead language as far as I’m concerned and English is the best choice around when it comes to available content and difficulty to master. I experimented with French and German, too, for “special occasions”, but English was by far the best educational investment of time and money I’ve ever made.
