Re: An Irrelevant Europe - Best for the World?

On Jun 26, 11:49=A0pm, Captain Compassion <dar...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> An Irrelevant Europe - Best for the
World?http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/=
2008/06/23/an-irrelevant-europe-best-f...
>
> In a recent op-ed Robert Kagan laments that (Western) Europe is
> sliding into irrelevance. But that might be the best thing for the
> rest of the world.


I'm not sure "irrelevant" is quite what Europe is becoming.  More like
"isolationist", rather like the U.S. used to be, prior to the second
world war.  The obvious military and economic weakness of the United
States, and the increasing economic and military power of a United
Europe, give Europe very little reason to compromise with the rest of
the world.  So, they're throwing their weight around a bit more, and
refusing to compromise, when asked.  Whether European approaches are
better or worse is open to debate and question.  But, they have no
particular reason to bow to the U.S. anymore.  And Russia is more
likely to bow to Europe, than the other way around, these days.