The Czech republic, Hungary
and Poland, already NATO members, have joined Spain, Britain and other
EU veterans in signing the "letter of eight" in support of US policy in
the Gulf. NATO and EU aspirants - including most of the nations of the
Balkans - followed suit in a joint statement of the Vilnius Group.
The denizens of the region wonder what is meant by "democracy" when
their own governments so blithely ignore public opinion, resolutely set
against the looming conflict. The heads of these newly independent
polities counter by saying that leaders are meant to mold common
perceptions, not merely follow them expediently. The mob opposed the
war against Hitler, they remind us, somewhat non-germanely.
But the political elite of Europe is, indeed, divided.
France is trying to reassert its waning authority over an increasingly
unruly and unmanageably expanding European Union. Yet, the new members
do not share its distaste for American hegemony.
On the contrary, they regard it as a guarantee of their own security.
They still fear the Russians, France's and Germany's new found allies
in the "Axis of Peace" (also known as the Axis of Weasels).
The Czechs, for instance, recall how France (and Britain) sacrificed
them to Nazi Germany in 1938 in the name of realpolitik and the
preservation of peace.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25