Thursday, February 20, 2003
European Disunion
Before Europeans accuse President Bush of being a bully for arguing that the UN back their own resolutions, they should look in their own back yard. French President Jacques Chirac threatened hopeful EU candidates in Eastern Europe that they have jeapordized their chances of joining the EU by supporting the U.S. in using force against Iraq. Calling them 'irresponsible' and stating 'they should have remained quiet', Chrirac went on to snub them from an EU conference on Iraq, told them that they have less of a right to voice poltical stances than EU member nations, and then threatened to vote aginst them from joining the EU altogether. This is this type of world leader who gets nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?. I'm voting for Bono.
Disturbingly, and not unexpectedly, Eastern Europe is countering this response from France, and apparently Germany, with its own rhetoric. A Czech official stated that "Not so long ago we were being told Berlin wanted a European Germany. Now it seems [the EU] is to be a German Europe.". The current debate seems to splitting Europe apart even as it was on the verge of uniting.
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