An American in Paris
Anyone else a little bit encouraged by Bush’s overtures to the EU during his European vacation? I know they’re self-serving (he wants more EU/NATO support for Iraq) but it also seems that he’s looking for areas of common ground on issues such as Syria, Iran, Israel/Palestine, and North Korea--acknowledging the importance of the EU and its right to hold its own unique positions--as opposed to his “my way or the highway” attitude in the past.
posted by ze roberto @ 2/22/2005 06:46:00 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I'm encouraged. I think we're going to see a brave new Bush. He's not seeking reelection, so he can stop pandering to the kooks. He's in legacy mode. I think he’s going for something meaningful. Whether it’s Democracy in the Middle East, or fixing Social Security with the “Ownership Society”, he seems seriously focused on working with those who can help make it happen.
A few well-placed, well-orchestrated visits to Europe (first Condie, then Cheney, now W...) will go a long way toward showing the Eurocrats that the Bush Administration is interested in -- or interested in appearing as though they're interested in -- trying something new: multi-lateralism. The European public is another matter entirely. Bush and his minions are universally hated (not just disliked... HATED) by Europeans. And because Iraq is a swamp, a morass, and unless Bush wants that reality to be his sole and lasting legacy, he has no choice but to enlist the aid and involvement of the EU in Iraq's rebuilding. My prediction: U.S. troops will be in Iraq in numbers that rival those in South Korea throughout the 2nd Bush term, probably through 2010. And the EU will be there, increasingly, to take reconstruction contracts with its contractors -- the real reason the EU nations will be committing their resources to train Iraqi police and security, build schools, etc.) Follow the money trail and you'll realize what's going on.
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