“Walter Russell Mead writes in the WSJ, when George Marshall, Dean Acheson and Harry Truman promoted European recovery and integration after World War II”
by Our Take with Doug Sheridan
Walter Russell Mead writes in the WSJ, when George Marshall, Dean Acheson and Harry Truman promoted European recovery and integration after World War II, they hoped that their work would result in a strong Europe that could stand on its own two feet. They wanted a rich and dynamic Europe that would be a growing market for American goods, a strong partner in the defense of international peace, and a compelling example of peaceful, democratic success.
That's not where the Continent is headed today, and European fragility is a significant factor in the developing world crisis. It's easy to blame Europeans for these failures, and most of the responsibility for Europe's choices rests on the policymakers who made them.
But Americans too need to reflect. Is the fecklessness of most countries' security policy a consequence of an American security blanket that spared them the necessity of making hard choices? Has America been too much of a helicopter parent—for example, by intervening in Kosovo in 1999 rather than forcing Europeans to deal with major issues in their region on their own?
In France particularly, there are Europeans who are almost looking forward to tense trans-Atlantic relations under Trump. They say Europe will never grow up to be a serious actor in international affairs unless the Americans stand back. The coming Trump presidency will, they hope, be the kind of wake-up call that finally makes even the Germans think realistically about the dangers Europe faces.
To Sum It Up: The French could be right. Some Trumpian tough love may be exactly what Europe needs.
Our Take 1: Because our focus is energy and energy policy, we feel like we've had a front row seat the last few years to one of the great societal meltdowns ever. To wit, the image of arrogant German officials laughing at the assertion that their country was far too dependent on Russian energy is burned into our left-side brain. It's historic stuff that should never be forgotten.
Our Take 2: Europe, including the UK, in 2024 is effectively a broken continent, unable to either compete on the global stage or defend itself. And yet its leaders unbelievably never stop lecturing us as to how things should be. If this isn't the definition of hopelessness, it's damn close. Sadly, further declines is all but inevitable, as Europe seems incapable of saving itself—especially from itself.