Europe's Fantasy Life

A Spanish judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war killing a Spanish journalist and a Ukrainian cameraman. U.S. officials have insisted that the soldiers believed they were being shot at when they opened fire. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell said a review of the incident found that the use of force was justified.

But Judge Santiago Pedraz said the warrant "is the only effective measure to ensure the presence of the suspects in the case being handled by Spanish justice, given the lack of judicial cooperation by U.S. authorities."

In this final post on the political, economic and cultural divide between Old Europe and America (see also “Red America v. Blue Europe” 10/12/05 and “Europe’s Sickness” 10/18/05) I will focus on the philosophical issues that threaten to fracture the old alliance.

As America becomes ever more conservative, Americans see old continental Europe as a suburb of San Francisco. Europeans tend to embrace “pacifism, radical secularism, utopian environmentalism, blind support for the UN, socialized health care, government steering of the economy, redefinition of marriage, strident abortion rights and open euthanasia.” One might add a history of appeasement and cowardice; a close relationship with Saddam Hussein, the PLO and Yasser Arafat; opposition to Israel and tolerance of nasty anti-Semitism; and support of the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court.

As revolting as these positions are to the majority of Americans, the most dangerous European trait is simple greed. As China builds up its military might with armaments from Russia and some European countries, it lacks only one thing. If China acquires command-and-control electronic systems from our NATO allies, Euro-greed will enhance the likelihood that American forces may one day be fighting against weapons systems supplied by our allies. This ugly scenario is disturbingly reminiscent of the Iraq war.

What are we to do? Victor Davis Hansen (The American Enterprise, October 2005) has some suggestions I like a lot. First, withdraw as many US troops from the continent as practicable. This will get their attention.

Second, allow dissident Europeans to enjoy fast-track immigration to the US. Next, cultivate our friendships with Britain, Denmark, Italy and Eastern Europe. Rely more on Australia, Japan, India and Taiwan. Finally, push the United Nations to add India and Japan to the Security Council while reducing the European vote to one only.

And tell them just where they can shove the International Criminal Court and the Spanish Judiciary!