Headline in the Washington post: "Europe Adamantly Opposed To Any U.S. Attack on Iraq"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22242-2002Feb16.html?referer= email In other News, the Post has also reported (sorry couldn't find the link), that the US will basically be giving up on envouraging its NATO allies to maintain a respectable level of military spending. Basically, The Pentagon has concluded that Europe is so far removed now from being able to undertake any kind of respectable military undertaking, that it is no longer even worth our effort to try and convince them to increase their share of defending the free world. Meanwhile, back in the first article is this burning statement: -- "U.S. allies in Europe are deeply fearful that the Bush administration is moving inexorably toward a military clash with Iraq, and while they are being blunt in their opposition, they also are beginning to wonder if Washington cares what they think." Well, let's see - Europe doesn't finance adequate military capabilities, Europe has not been victims of a major terrorist attack, and most importantly, most of Europe outside the UK has spent the past 10 years trying to undermine the sanctions on Iraq that will prevent it from deveoping weapons of mass destruction. Yeah, I guess that would be a "No," as in Europe has scant foreign policy credibility for the US to take their opinions seriously. This is especially true, given that Europe is currently advocating the same sorts of tired policies that have failed for the past 50 years, that failed to keep Iraq from getting within weeks of having the bombs, that have failed to get Hussein to reveal his stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons aimed at Israel, nearby nations, and US troops, and have failed to present a credible alternative for freedom-loving nations to protect themselves from large-scale terrorism. Fortunately, even the Washington Post now agrees that it is time for Europe to get with the program: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36186-2002Feb19.html The US will confront the axis of evil, and in particular invade Iraq for one particular reason - the world will be safer, freer, and overall better off without Saddam Hussein - from Americans to Israelis to the Iraqis themselves. I would have hoped that above all the moralists in Europe (even if the general populace was a bit more circumspect) would have showed a fraction of the concern for the Iraqis as they showed for Kosovars and Bosnians and Croats (in terms of advocating US military action). Indeed, I would have loved for the liberation of Iraq to be a triumphant moment for NATO and collective action - but given that the Europeans are hardly even capable of operating a significant military presence in Iraq, and even worse, are now content to let the War on Terrorism rest until another couple thousand Americans are killed - the US is thankfully long past the point of letting Europeans veto American foreign policy. The Europeans can choose to do the right thing and fight for freedom. If not the Americans will stick to their convictions anyways. There's too much at stake with the future of Western Civlization hanging in the balance to be deterred by the waverings of the timd. And if that means the Europeans will think that we no longer care what they think? Well, then they're probably right. Ba'atha Delenda Est. JDG __________________________________________________________ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685 "Our campaign against international terrorism does not represent some sort of 'clash of civilizations.' Instead, it is a clash between civilization and those who would destroy it." -Amb. Richard N. Haass
