(Smartness; 04-03; p.3)
European security
The necessity to define and thereafter guarantee
security on an European scale made way for the meeting of four
"Old-Europeans" on 29 April. The French, German, Belgian
and Luxembourgian heads of governments met to discuss the necessity
of co-operation on this.
- The composition at first seems a bit odd and there have been
comments suggesting, the meeting means nothing but a special form
of electoral campaign. Such critique however misses the crucial
political signal connected to it: security is definitely not an
exclusive club event of economically and politically powerful
states but an all-European task.
Global responsibility
On 2 May the Commander-in-Chief of the American
forces, Mr Bush jr, announced the end of large scale engagements
in Iraq. Directly militarily involved in the overthrow of the
Iraqi regime was only Great Britain. - Mr Blair arguably could
have learned in the latest English communal elections how broad
the support of the British for that decision is.
Further developments and deeds in Iraq and the
USA are mostly of interest for US-citizens. Europeans wishing
to get an insight into American politics may consider the "flatiron
letters" of Marcia Pally,
an American, as recommendation.
Since especially the German influence in Iraq
will be at least in the short-term quite low, the "coalition
of the unwilling" is obliged to play a role as guardian:
on-goings have to be watched carefully so that the Iraqi population
will not be deprived of its chance to develop freely and peacefully.
Potentially dangerous to that are occupants, their puppets, religious
zealots and third states with interests.
In respect to economics, the advent of a "Dutch-disease"
scenario should be averted, i.e. the creation of a one-resource
economic system. Its consequence would be that a new (old) powerful
élite with access to oil revenue will rise and divide such rents
among themselves without developing the country or giving the
population its share.
- It is these very processes of transformation, in which Europeans
had to and could gather valuable experience that e.g. US-Americans
lack completely.
(end of article)