[lbo-talk] Hardening divide

Marvin Gandall marvgandall at rogers.com
Wed May 19 07:46:22 PDT 2004


The widely held view that the US-Europe rift is only a temporary one which will disappear with the Bush administration looks to be wrong, according to the latest Economist. The magazine says “the transatlantic rift that opened up because of Iraq shows little sign of healing. On the contrary, it may widen.”

The Americans, contrary to expectations, have been unable to pressure the Europeans to bail them out in Iraq, and, although this is partly attributable to the deteriorating security situation, the Economist notes broader differences over trade, China, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

More generally, the unilateral exercise of US power has produced the popular belief in Europe, evidenced in recent elections, that the US is “a dangerous, immoral power that needs countering.”

But the Economist thinks European “prayers” for a Kerry victory in November are misplaced, especially in relation to Israel and US deference to international institutions.

While it is “absurd’ to contemplate a revival of the kind of inter-imperialist tension which culminated in World War I, “the notion that Europeans and Americans may increasingly be rivals rather than partners seems less implausible than it once did”, the article concludes.

Economist (sub only) article available on http://www.supportingfacts.com

Sorry for any cross posting.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list