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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (68929)1/26/2003 2:36:32 PM
From: JohnM  Read Replies (2) of 281500
 
I sincerely doubt that, unless your hypothetical non-Bush had some real magic up his sleeve. This isn't about style, it's about interests

It's definitely about style when we are talking about the degrees of freedom afforded to the French and German governments. Increased anger at Bush (which is both style and substance) decreases their ability to manuever.

. . . the French are afraid of untrammeled US power. Most of Europe is afraid of a terrorist backlash and have decided that police work and appeasement of Arab governments is the best way to go. Add these interests together, and you can see why most of Europe is more interested in confronting the US than confronting Saddam.

The first sentence is right; the second misses the point. There are any number of strategies, given the first sentence, that might be played by the French and German governments. However, given the popular anger at Bush, those are reduced to a precious few.

As for the essay, the question right now is not whether he has them but whether the Bush administration can convince the US public and a sufficiently large number of other countries (hopefully, even the UNSC) that he not only has them but is an imminent threat. That one is in the endgame. Particularly, if the Bush administration plans to invade in March, at the latest.
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