Your European foul-weather-friends have second thoughts about this whole anti-terrorist campaign....
liberation.com
(Ask Epstein for an English transcript)
Now, the funny thing about it is that Bush didn't ask them anything specific... I mean, he conned them into signing a NATO blank check and... that was it! No EU troops, no EU assistance, no EU participation whatsoever have been required by the US, so far --and yet, Europe hints at withdrawing its support, but which support?!? There ain't any EU support to bargain, anyway! "Those who don't stand by us are against us..." LOL!
Actually, the EU scheme is very simple --it was already applied in Congo in 1997: it's about breaking the momentum of the US offensive in order to allow (EU) humanitarian NGOs to deploy in the country. However, at that point, nothing will prevent the Northern Alliance from rushing southwards --which would be very inopportune as far as Pakistan is concerned... Hence the best US strategy is to give time to the Taleban to switch sides so that a pro-Pakistani regime can be fixed up BEFORE dealing with the pro-Russian Northern Alliance...
Gus. |
