See Fred Opine
C. Fred Bergsten says the US needs to shackle itself to the EU, because we’re too strong and nimble on our own:
But the bigger adjustment may be required on this side of the Atlantic. The United States is the only military superpower. Its economy, at least for now, is the world’s strongest. Why would it want or need to share power with anyone?
The answer is simple. Precisely because of its military superiority, and the need to act by itself on some occasions in that domain, the United States will inevitably be charged with unilateralism for the foreseeable future. Those charges are particularly acute at present due to the strong differences in transatlantic views on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq and even the next steps in the campaign against terrorism.
During a US history class a dozen years and three cities ago (bear with me, this is relevant), we learned of President Jackson
Ah, Steve.
That brings back memories of junior year in high school, long before I discovered Vodka.
I wrote my history thesis that year on Andrew Jackson and the Indian removal affair… and developed quite a dislike for him in the process. Being the son of 2 lawyers, somebody just blatantly disobeying the Supreme Court didn’t sit very well with me.
Let me know if you want to read it. It should be a book within 40 years or so. That’s the goal anyway.
Right on, Stephen! Unilateralism is, for now, a good thing.
Some (oversimplified, I grant) history:
We helped them defeat Hitler, we rebuilt their cities and their economies, we provided for their defense during the 45-year Cold War.
We witnessed the final collapse of their colonial empires (getting ourselves dirty in the process, with our own miscues in Indochina). We saw the cruel and underhanded ways that they tried to hold on to imperial power (Israel 1948, Suez 1956, Algeria 1961, etc.), tolerated their obstructionism during the Gulf War, helped them when they proved completely hapless in Bosnia, etc., etc., etc.
Now, fifty years after the Holocaust, we are seeing how many unreconstructed antiSemites (and their neoNazi spawn) still populate the Old World.
The US has not been a superpower that has generally gone off half-cocked. In most instances, we have been the superpower that has come in to clean up the messes that the Europeans have created. Always with money, sometimes with soldiers.
It would be nice to have partners, but we can live without what is currently on offer.
This one really hurt. We can stand being called naive, uncultured, cowboys, and such but now our country stands accused of “unilateralism!”
If only we weren’t guilty of it we might be as strong and principled as the French.
I’m writing my congressman immediately.