Sorry, that is just a piece of dogmatism that is widely believed, but never substantiated. Often, conflict is the only way to affect change, and, if not that, it is often the most reliable. Whether the conflict be at the low level of civil disobedience, a la Martin Luther King or Ghandi, or at the intense level of open warfare, as in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, or World War II, at some point, there had to be confrontation and either a staring down of the malefactors, or the use of force. If, then, such a point has been reached, "cooperation" means nothing if it inhibits the correct action. Why cooperation should be preferable if it will mean paralysis, I cannot fathom. Why it is preferable when the multi- lateral institution in question is so corrupt that it places nations like Libya in the chairmanship of human rights committees, I cannot imagine. Cooperation is a good thing, but it is not the only thing. Besides, why right off our cooperation with Britain, Spain, Italy, Poland, and others?
Why are we in thrall of the French and Germans? The Germans are only an ally today because we purged them of Nazis, fed them, and helped them rebuild yesterday. The French have made a business out of being squeaky wheels, withdrawing from the NATO command structure, trying to block the UKs entrance into the Common Market, and otherwise showing independence and uncooperativeness.
We have given the UN more respect than it deserves, by operating at all through the Security Council. We are the nation relied upon whenever heavy lifting has to be done, which means, precisely, that we should have more of a voice in how force is to be deployed. If the emerging European Union wants more of a voice, let the member nations pay a fair share for a decent military force. As it is, the members of NATO have been leaving the serious security work to the United States, and diverting their funds to social welfare, for decades. If the United Nations wants to call the shots, let it develop a credible military force. Otherwise, there is only so much deference that one can expect........ |
