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| Europe |
| Franco-German duo infernale |
| 2003-12-05 |
| From a commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. A harbinger of things to come? Excerpts: Europe will not progress if Germany and France do not join forces. This is an old piece of wisdom, but we now have evidence that Europe not only fails to progress, but actually goes backward when Germany and France are (too much) in agreement. The willful dismantling of the euro zone’s stability and growth pact is only one link in a long chain of arbitrary acts of the two nations vis-à-vis the European Commission and the smaller member states of the European Union. The self-professed world power France has traditionally shown little respect toward smaller partner countries, but has insisted on the major countries’ privilege to determine the future of Europe. It is a centuries-old French tradition. Germany, in turn, has been wise enough in recent decades to drop this strategy and foster partnerships with the smaller EU countries. This era, however, seems to be over. The occasional penchant toward Teutonic megalomania probably arises out of the chancellor’s fateful conviction that his defiant rhetoric - which may please his Social Democratic Party - is the right tone in international politics. Desire and reality are also a world apart when Paris and Berlin talk about European defense. Of course, there is a need for a reform of military procurement, a reorganization of parts of the military industry and a modernization of the armed forces. But the vision of such a Europe, which has emancipated itself from Washington, seems to be a far cry from reality over the long term: Nearly half of the French weapons arsenal is decrepit, and things look hardly any better in Germany. Credible international policy starts at home. As the major brakes on a European economic recovery, Germany and France owe their partners a change of policy. In Germany, at least, a lively debate has started over the modernization of labor markets, tax systems and social welfare models. France’s political elite, in turn, headed by an increasingly detached state president, remains locked in tradition, although a majority of the population has apparently realized that change is needed. |
| Posted by:roger dodger |
| #2 Dictators, as usual. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-12-5 11:56:59 AM |
| #1 "The self-professed world power France has traditionally shown little respect toward smaller partner countries" Come to think of it, whom does France show respect toward? |
| Posted by: BH 2003-12-5 11:30:25 AM |