Ted Re...When you continually face criticism for your policies, the blame game [as in blame it on jealousy i.e.] becomes suspect. I really don't believe jealousy motivates the Germans right now. If that's true, then what is their true motivation?
You really should read the treatsie put of by Z.
http://www.policyreview.org/JUN02/kagan.html
In it he puts forth many of the same arguments you do. Europes true motivation, is twofold. One is much like the relationship of a young adult trying to break his parential bonds and go out on his own. The second, is that Europe could be on a crossroads, just like the US. Europe has stagnated the past 10 yrs. Liberalism hasn't promoted growth, and as a consequence, Europe feels a need to get out of the trap. The liberal intelligensia would have us believe their problems are created by an overpowering, overbearing USA, who has stiffled their freedoms, by keeping them down. The reality may be, that it is liberal policies which are doing the holding back, and Europe may have to embrace conservatism, in order get out of their shackels. So the Europeans gov, see this as their Waterloo, and know they can't afford to lose either. My guess is that competition from China and India, will show that liberalism has bounds, and that they will have to follow the US to a more conservative stance. JUst putting the US down won't solve their stagnation problems. |
