Ever since European leaders began speaking out against the Bush administration's
unilateral decisions on nuclear disarmament, on the International Criminal
Court, on the universal prohibition of landmines, and on environmental
protection, numerous American commentators have railed against Europeans
in general, calling them ungrateful, anti-American, "Euro-wimps,"
and "Euro-weenies." Some reminded the Germans in particular
that they owe us their support because we gave them their freedom. To
this reasoning, a German commentator responded that to be free ought
to allow them to make their own decisions on foreign policy questions.
In the meantime, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and the German
Marshall Fund of the United States polled some 9,000 respondents in
Europe and the United States. Surprisingly, the survey found people
on both sides of the Atlantic far less opposed to each other than politicians
and the media commentators were trying to make us believe.There is hardly
any disagreement on the need to fight terrorism and prevent the spread
of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Europeans, however, feel
that a more evenhanded American policy toward Israel and the Palestinians
would greatly help in reducing the terrorist threat from radical Muslims.
Saddam Hussein's regime meets with equal condemnation in America and
in Europe, but only 20 percent here and 10 percent over there approve
of a preemptive U.S. attack on Iraq. When the survey was taken, 60 percent
of the Europeans and, amazingly, over 60 percent of the Americans wanted
the U.S. obtain United Nations approval and Allied support on the battlefield.
It may also come as a surprise to the Bush administration that the poll
shows majorities of Americans favoring the Kyoto protocol on global
warming and the treaty establishing an International Criminal Court.
The ties that bind Europeans to America are as old as white men's settlements
of this continent. While millions came here to build a better life for
themselves, many remained in touch with relatives and friends back in
the country of their origin. In both world wars, the sacrifices of Americans
were decisive for European democracies to prevail and for Germany to
be turned from a political cancer into a thriving democracy.
For over half a century, Western European and particularly German communities
have been host to hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and their
families during their years of service overseas. These experiences have
helped both sides appreciate each other far more than ever before. Many
of Europe's present political and intellectual leaders, moreover, have
studied in the United States and know our traditions and institutions,
our strength and weaknesses.
Three million Europeans now work for American companies here and abroad,
and just as many Americans are employed by European businesses. Over
50 percent of the world's trade and investment is conducted between
Europeans and Americans. As if any more proof of the reliability of
the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance was needed, the spontaneous outpouring
of sympathy for America after September 11 last year and again on the
anniversary of that day of infamy proved that the ties across the North
Atlantic reach far beyond military and economic calculations.
The jingoists among our politicians and media propagandists that expect
Europeans to accept the inconsistencies of America's present foreign
policies unexamined and unopposed forget that our allies are not America's
satellites. In a free world, sovereignty always includes the right to
dissent and conscientious objection.