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Dealing with Decline
Posted by Stephen Green · 18 September 2005
I've tried to get worked up about Germany's recent electoral confusion, but nothing came of it. Couldn't even muster any good ol' Teutonic schadenfreude over our old friends' troubles. My one brief thought on the issue wasn't even worth blogging by lonesome: "Certainly a Germany with no leader is preferable to a Germany with a strong one." Pretty lame stuff. Before Germany's weekend election, of course, French President Jacque Chirac checked into the hospital, instigating a mad scramble for power. Imagine 50 Frenchmen of a certain age in really nice suits, all shouting and waving like Arnold Horshack trying to get a little attention from Mr. Kotter. Or in this case, from that tiny fraction of the French electorate that really decides things. What was shocking though was what I read on the blogs about France and Germany: Damn near nothing. Chirac, America's best back-stabbing friend, is having health problems, and the blogosphere practically ignores him? Germany rejects much-needed economic reforms, and warbloggers aren't giddy with I-told-you-so-itis? What's going on here? I think I might know. Individually, any blogger is just as prone to error and bias as anyone else. Collectively, the blogosphere has wisdom and tenacity enough to bring down Dan Rather, Howell Raines, and Trent Lott – and keep Kofi Annan squirming in his Brioni. Perhaps, in its collective wisdom, the blogosphere has decided that France and Germany just don't matter. Well, guess what: The blogosphere is correct. Again. France and Germany were wedded by Brussels - a marriage of convenience cynical enough to make Anna Nicole Smith blush – like a broke Duchess to an untitled nouveau riche businessman. Herr Germany needed moral clout and forgiveness. Mademoiselle France needed money and muscle. They never loved each other, but each could give the other something the other one needed. There were, however, problems. French "moral clout" has devolved into reflexive (and increasingly nasty and personal) anti-Americanism. Germany's financial clout has been diminished by its "social market" economic model. (NOTE: It says something positive of Germany that the EU experiment has been funded largely by German taxpayers. And yet, despite everything wrong politically in Germany, individual Germans and German corporations are still industrious enough to provide the EU's backbone and modernize the former East Germany.) France is grandiose and spiteful. Germany is sullen and resentful. Neither, despite any pretension of togetherness, will ever again matter like they once did. And now each faces a leadership crisis. Should we rejoice? Yes – but quietly. The future of American diplomacy lies not in Europe, where the future leads to violence and decline, but instead it lies south of the Tropic of Cancer. However, we'll still have to deal with Europe, and be especially sensitive to them just as soon as they realize how bad things really are. (When I say "Europe," I emphatically don't mean to include Britain. The UK is now and always will be our most vital ally. Nor do I mean "New Europe." I'm speaking of the Franco-German alliance, and the smaller countries in their thrall.) So how do we manage flamboyant France and truculent Germany? The answer is less complicated than it sounds: We keep them together while pulling them apart. Keeping France and Germany apart should prove no more difficult than giving separate bedrooms to squabbling siblings – they never really wanted to be stuck together to begin with. Keeping them together, that's where things get tricky. But by working outwardly to achieve the latter, the former will happen with all the suddeness of an aneurism. The EU wants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Fine, give it one. But take away France's. The rational is simple: France already has a seat (a WWII anachronism) and would still be represented by the EU. With the stroke of a treaty pen, France and Germany would be forced to coordinate their foreign policies, even when their national leaderships and national interests are in contrast. France and Germany want to be treated as equals. Fine, treat them that way. Never consult one without consulting the other. Or better yet, do all the consulting through their EU bastard child. Either way, eventually France and Germany will be back at each other's throats – a condition as natural as a hooker with her heels in the air. So far, we've gotten things all wrong. When France and Germany have been united, we've treated them as one. When their interests have diverged, we've treated them independently. Our misbegotten diplomacy, in other words, has served to magnify French and German influence on us. We need to do things differently. If they want to be as one, we need to treat them as one – on all things, all the time. We'll pull them apart by sticking them together. Comments
The problem with replacing France's UN seat with an EU one of course, is that you would have to do the same to Britain. France and Germany want to be treated as equals. Fine, treat them that way.
I like this idea.
If an EU seat is conditioned upon giving up her own seat, I think Britain will back off from full integration. It will be fun to hear France's explanation that she needs her own seat at the SC even though the EU is supposed to handle her foreign policy. Posted by: rbj at September 20, 2005 06:35 AMStephen, divide-and-conquer policies are easily recognizable and would backfire badly. Posted by: Ralf Goergens at September 20, 2005 06:44 AMRalf, "Good Cop/Bad Cop" is also easily recognizable, but it works, nonetheless. Posted by: mrsizer at September 20, 2005 07:12 AM"Good Cop/Bad Cop" is also easily recognizable, but it works, nonetheless. Exactly! France is the bad cop, Germany is the good cop. :) Posted by: Ralf Goergens at September 20, 2005 07:15 AMBut it's not divide-and-conquer- that's the beauty of it. It's unite-and-neutralize! Same difference. ;) Posted by: Ralf Goergens at September 20, 2005 07:26 AMGermany is just another example of the MSM/DNC lies. I have said many times here the last 16 months I have relatives there and the middle class is solidly pro-American. I mentioned that his party was crushed in each of the last 2 rounds of state elections. The rich Germans do not like America (think Kofi, oil-for-food) and their MSM hates us. But most Germans supprot the War on Terror and their voting the last 4 years shows this. -- Herr Germany needed moral clout and forgiveness. Mademoiselle France needed money and muscle. They never loved each other, but each could give the other something the other one needed.--- It's the European way. I've been telling the Euros about the EU - 1 voice, 1 vision, 1 seat at the UN. If they get 26 we should have 51. As to Britain, I cannot urge too strongly to begin reading EU Referendum which has been doing a wonderful job covering "defence" issues. Mother's senile and has fallen for the froggie gigolo, she should stay in that old folks' home.
This was reported last night by the Xinhuanet news agency, which cited Meng Bo, chair of the board of CGI, saying, "We're trying to get the operation franchise in China, which might begin in 2008." --- Our tech transfer w/Mother has been thinning for a few years now. Posted by: Sandy P at September 20, 2005 08:14 AMMy head snapped back when I heard Rumsfeld refer to "Old Europe" a while back. Don't know if that was a slip-up or if he intended to say it, but it was my first clue about the decline of "Old Europe". My only concern about Europe, in terms of affecting the US, is their rapid Islamofication. That cannot bode well for us. Posted by: Pat at September 20, 2005 08:40 AMDear Sir, I resent your statement that we in the blogosphere neglected the Big News From Europe. For example, I have been providing extensive coverage of Jacque Chirac's activities: http://louminatti.blogspot.com/2005/09/jacque-chirac-leaves-hospital.html Posted by: Lou Minatti at September 20, 2005 03:44 PMralf, two of the biggest mistakes after wwII were giving the french and the germans self government. this was almost immediately apparent with the french and has been intermittently apparent with the germans (especially kinders schroeder and lafontaine). hopefully the allies will not make this mistake again when the US and the UK need to return to the european mainland. restore the rights of the kings of england to govern france (all of it this time, not just a few kingdoms) and make germany an overseas territory jointly administered by US and UK. hopefully canadian politics will return to their stature of WWII and we'll see the dominion playing a central role in the anglo empire. just have to get the americans to accept hearing rule britannia... maybe make it a joint anthem with star spangled nbanner Posted by: hey at September 20, 2005 04:39 PM |
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