John Howard, a prime ally of Dubya’s and supporter of the US in general, was a featured panelist at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He, like many of us, has had his fill of the talk that George W. Bush needs to mend fences. The onus needs to be elswhere.
Mr Howard said anti-Americanism had already affected world co-operation.
“But is very important to remember it is confined to sectors of Europe – not all Europeans. In that debate there was a significantly different tone taken by the Latvian President to that taken by the German and other contributors,” Mr Howard said. “The British have a different view through their Government, but there remains in Britain some of the old jealousies that have always been there. “I found the French and German attitude has lingered longer than I thought it might, and longer than is in anyone’s interests.”
I’ll pause to allow the applause to die down.
When people talk about “allies” (John Kerry and Ted Kennedy come instantantly to mind), they really mean France and Germany. Those two nations are allies only in the sense that they belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is supposed to be an alliance. But in the ’60s, France pulled out of NATO militarily because the US wouldn’t give De Gaulle nuclear weapons. Germany wants our troops gone, but our money to remain.
An ally is really a nation which shares a vision, and is willing to support that vision with action rather than talk. Neither France nor Germany share our vision. Even if they did, they would/could do little but talk.
Australia is an ally. Always has been. I pray they always will.
Good on ya, Oz.