Where Are America and Europe Really Headed?

Following his success in winning the November election, President George W. Bush has shown himself willing to talk to European leaders about how to handle the world's problems. The White House no longer speaks of "New Europe" and "Old Europe." But do the most recent diplomatic initiatives by the president and Secretary of State Rice only mask bitter rifts over major international issues, including the sale of arms to China?

by John Ross Schroeder

"Today America and Europe face a moment of consequence and opportunity," said President Bush in his recent 40-minute Brussels address before high-ranking European leaders. It is hard to imagine that the president's conciliatory tones would not ease frictions in the transatlantic relationship, at least temporarily. In fact, not a few European leaders have said that Mr. Bush's recent trip has reconnected him with Europe.

However, we must also take a wide-ranging look at the long-term consequences. Unknowingly, is the die already cast? Will current trends and future events propel America and Europe into a very serious adversarial relationship that cannot be easily mended? Is the worst yet to come?

Further, does a body of knowledge exist, totally outside the awareness of these two world powers, that will have a decisive impact on their relationship? Does a Higher Power have a plan and purpose that involves the direction of European events?

Before we address these questions, let's look briefly at the contemporary history of Europe.

Europe in the 20th century

During World War I, communism reared its ugly head in the territory that became the Soviet Union. The revolution of 1917 paralyzed the creativity and initiative of the Russian and other Slavic peoples.

Before its eventual fall, another satanic ideology called fascism gripped much of Europe. The Third Reich only lasted 12 years (1933-1945), but many millions perished in World War II because of it.

Finally the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) effectively ended communism in Europe. One of the most astute American strategists in the U.S. policy establishment said he "never thought it would happen." Nonetheless, the Cold War ceased as an important consequence.

As a result, Financial Times writer Philip Stephens summed up the situation we now face. "For most of the past half-century we were able to assume that the western democracies by and large shared the same set of ambitions and played by the same set of rules. The context was provided by the cold war. No longer. The political earthquake that began more than a decade ago with the collapse of communism and gathered force with the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001 has yet to subside" (Jan. 7, 2005).

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0503/index.htm

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