RFE/RL BALKAN REPORT, Vol. 4, No. 80, 27 October 2000
'THE HOUR OF EUROPE' IN THE BALKANS? As election day in the
U.S. draws ever closer, the discussion there has heated up
regarding Washington's future role in the Balkans (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 23 October 2000). Whatever the outcome of
that debate may eventually be, there are folks in several
European NATO countries who are chafing at the bit to show
that Western Europe is perfectly capable of taking charge of
its own security matters. These views are making themselves
felt despite across-the-board military spending cuts in most
European countries and, above all, despite Europe's less than
stellar record in dealing with the various Yugoslav crises
since 1991. It is as though some Europeans had forgotten that
it was only due to NATO under American leadership that peace
came definitively to Bosnia, indirectly to Croatia, and
eventually to Kosova.
The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on 16
October that some German political figures hope that the
European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) will lead to the
continent's "emancipation" from America. Instead of regarding
the U.S. as the country that protects - and has long
protected - them and their oil supplies, such Europeans see
Washington as a "hyperpower" - the term is of French origin
-- that is tyrannizing them. This, they argue, was shown by
the Pentagon - rather than NATO - making the key decisions
in Kosova. Washington, they add, made it clear to Poland, the
Czech Republic, and Hungary from the start that it retains a
veto in all NATO matters - which, of course, is a gentle
hint to the newcomers as to where they should buy their arms.
These opinions are no stranger to the French political
scene, and perhaps to some others as well. Former German
President Richard von Weizsaecker (CDU) in a recent speech
lambasted the "hyperpower" in such strong terms that the U.S.
ambassador was prompted to walk out of the room. The
Frankfurt daily, for its part, finds such "Euro-Gaullist"
views particularly pronounced in parts of the Social
Democratic Party (SPD), including in that party's foreign
policy committee in the parliament.
Some elements within the party have a long tradition of
being less than enthusiastic about the transatlantic
connection, although the SPD as a whole generally endorsed
it. Perhaps the best known of the skeptics is veteran party
thinker Egon Bahr, who spoke for years about an ill-defined
"German interest." While not stating so openly, he implied
that this interest is different from - if not inimical to --
that of the U.S.
Since his retirement from active politics some years
ago, Bahr could afford to be much more explicit. His 1998
book "German Interests"* suggests that Germany's best
guarantee is within "Europe," by which he means a classic
19th-century-style power constellation of Paris, Berlin, and
Moscow. (The remaining smaller fry are not necessarily asked
their views.) The system is centered on nation-states and is
almost quaint in its geo-political approach, despite the
advent of globalization. And as he and others often did in
their Euro-Gaullist writings in the 1980s, Bahr is careful to
back up many of his points with statements by people like
Henry Kissinger or by unnamed "American experts."
To his credit, Bahr wrote the admittedly provocative
book in hopes of launching a serious discussion of vital
security issues. But, as some commentators have pointed out,
there were few politicians anywhere on the spectrum who were
willing to leave the rough-and-tumble of daily politics and
rise to his challenge.
That includes many who espouse views similar to Bahr's
in private. The Frankfurter daily notes that these Euro-
Gaullist politicians rarely discuss their views openly.
Perhaps they are wary of somehow antagonizing the U.S.
prematurely. Or perhaps they know that such beliefs will not
go over well with the voters.
Whatever the case, there are clearly those in Europe
today who are anxious to follow the call of Luxembourg's
Foreign Minister Jacques Poos in 1991 and proclaim that "the
hour of Europe" has come. This is despite the fact that EU
member states have not been able to send enough police and
judges to Kosova to help keep order and establish the rule of
law - as the French chief civilian administrator there as
repeatedly called for.
In reflecting on Euro-Gaullism, one is perhaps reminded
of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's comment on pre-
war Italian colonial ambitions: there is "such a big appetite
but such poor teeth." (Patrick Moore) (*Egon Bahr, "Deutsche
Interessen," Munich: Karl Blessing Verlag, 1998.)
Copyright (c) 2000. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
http://www.rferl.org
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