British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called "mad anti-Americanism" among European politicians.Meanwhile, the fellows at No Pasaran point out, on a daily basis, the slow collapse of Europe.
"The danger is if they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved," Blair said.
"The strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," he said.
Responding to those who have criticized the White House, Blair said: "The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved."
"We want them engaged. The reality is that none of the problems that press in on us can be resolved or even contemplated without them," he added.
We mock the French for their pathetic responses to peacekeeping missions such as Lebanon, but most of us don't fully realize the reason for it. As their economy shifts to service an ever-increasing welfare state and geriatric population, their military has less and less discretionary cash.
Military operations cost money. A decision to send troops to Lebanon is a decision to spend a great deal of money and therefore a decision to cut it somewhere else. What French naval vessel will forgo preventative maintenance this year so the French can participate in the UN peacekeeping force? Each year their budget gets tighter and the decisions get tougher.
You could substitute an example of foreign aid or a subsidy for international commerce for the military one above and achieve the same result. The Europeans' financial and social exhaustion makes all of their anti-Americanism an expensive hobby. Tony Blair is one of the few European leaders brave enough to point this out.
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