For 500 years before 1945, Europe dominated the world. Tiny Portugal and Holland took turns ruling the seas. Mid-sized Britain and France built empires that spanned the globe. But that was then.

Today, the European Union spends far more on social problems than on arms. Despite a population and an economy roughly similar to America's, it is a "military pygmy" that lacks the ability to project force or even handle a minor problem in its own neighborhood (as the Balkan fiascos revealed).

In contrast, Americans have continued massively investing in defense, creating a true superpower no other state can challenge. "In military terms there is only one player on the field that counts," observes Yale historian Paul Kennedy. Looking at the contrast between the United States and the rest of the world, Kennedy finds that "Nothing has ever existed like this disparity of power; nothing."

This huge gap in capabilities causes Europeans and Americans to approach problems very differently. In their strength, Americans predictably see it as normal and legitimate to use force against enemy states such as Iraq. In their weakness, Europeans no less predictably find this approach worrisome and even immoral.

For the 80 years before 1945, the demon of German aggression haunted Europe, causing two world wars. Then, through a lengthy process of negotiation, multilateralism, building commercial ties and applying international law, the Europeans engineered what Kagan calls "perhaps the greatest feat of international politics ever achieved" by integrating Germany into a totally peaceable Western European state system.

As the German lion lay down with the French lamb, Europeans widely congratulated themselves on a world-historical breakthrough and concluded that their future global mission is to develop a "postmodern system" that resolves problems without even the hint of force. (Along the way, they conveniently forgot that this transformation was only made possible because U.S. forces defeated Germany.) They aspire, Kagan argues, to replicate their success on a global scale, by taming a North Korea or an Iraq as they did Germany.

From this vantage point, American use of force challenges the universal validity of Europe's soft approach. Worse: if the European methods of cajoling and paying off adversaries do not always work - as they clearly do not - this suggests that Europe's own hope for perpetual peace among states may be illusory. The European Union's highly emotional reaction to American use of force derives in large part, then, from its horror at facing war again in Europe.

The differences, in brief, are stark: Americans are from Mars; Europeans, from Venus. Europeans spend their money on social services, Americans continue to devote large sums to the military. Europeans draw lessons from their successful pacifying of post-1945 Germany; Americans draw lessons from their defeat of Nazi Germany and of the Soviet bloc. Kagan's insights have important implications:

* U.S.-European differences are not transitory, but long-term.

* They are likely to grow with time.

* Europe is highly unlikely to develop a military power to rival America's.

* As Europe settles into strategic irrelevance, Americans need pay it less and less attention.

* Contrarily, because Washington so predominates, it should make gestures to win European goodwill.

* NATO is little more than a shell.

* Americans should look increasingly to countries outside Europe - Turkey, Israel and India come first to mind - for meaningful military alliances.

I believe that just about hits the nail on the head!
Anyone else?

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/judge10.jpg

We've been the World's Policemen since Teddy Roosevelt was in office. What we see today is the greatest hope of Teddy Roosevelt and worst fears of George Washington. There's a reason why he stated in his farewell address that America shouldn't "entangle itself in foreign affairs." This is why.

I heard that, but how long would Europe stand if we were not protecting them?

My guess not long and they would be at War again or Arab!!

Sounds like a bunch of self promoting BS to me.

Washington was making statements as the world WAS.
I doubt he would say the same with the wotld of today.
This planet is so small now, all countries have to be involved with eachother.

Tell them that sage!!

While our boys die in Iraq! Australia is fixing to pull all 550 of their troops out, and Britain is below 1500.

Last I heard of a terrorist attack it was in London. actually the last 2 or 3!

Canadas military is ranked 49th in the world and although they are participating in Afganistan (2 or 3 thousand), I see none in Iraq, and at the most, when their citizens were hostages, they had 33 men there!

Seems to me that the burden is all on our shoulders!

Toot, Toot!!!

Are we destined to be?


We've been the big brother for decades now, and our spoiled children have decided to start to bite the hand that feeds them.

They shouldn't be in Iraq in the first place.
It's sad there are so many losing so much there. That seems to be what happens when you close your eyes and follow your leaders blindly, listening to the propaganda on how you're the best. Someone has to pay the price for that arrogance. Unfortunately it isn't the ones making the profits from all the military hardware or the oil.
It's the ones sent to die for those profits, the ones losing their children, their husbands, their wives.
Keep on tooting, I just hope the smell doesn't drift my way.

JTF-2 is still in Iraq.

Besides which Bush decided to enter Iraq on his own without awaiting U.N.

So, it is a bad thing to liberate an oppressed people under a dictatorship? Iraq is improving, violence is way down, economy is growing, and Iraqi's are coming back and taking over where the foreign governments assisting are backing out. It's going very well and it will become better. Al Qaeda is running, thanks greatly due to the fact the Iraqi's aren't dumb people.

And then, at the same time while the lefties and Europeans say 'booo Iraq, evil US, and we can never win', they won't us to send forces to stop the genocide in Darfur that is being allowed by Iran (who has Hezbollah bases in Sudan) and China (who has huge oil and economic interests). Iran has directly formed a military alliance with Sudan and said any foreign intervention in Sudan would be a direct attack on Islam, and yet the lefties still spew their crap because they are ignorant.

As to Iraq, Murtha and other Democrats and Republicans are changing their tune quickly. However, many big Dems can never change their tune as to be a flip flopper nowadays and to apologize for being wrong is a political killer.

- UN Resolutions broken over and over since the end of the Gulf War
- Weapons Inspectors never allowed full access
- Saddam sponsor of terror, paying $20k+ to the families of dead suicide bombers in the Palestinian territories
- Terrorist camps all over Iraq discovered
- Gave Abdul Rahman Yasin, conspirator and individual behind the '93 World Trade Center bombing, who is an Iraqi, sanctuary in Iraq
- Bribed officials in France and elsewhere with Oil for Food money to allow banned materials imported into his country
- Bombed in 1998 by Bill Clinton for his nuclear and banned weapons build up
- Immediately prior to the war UN Weapons Inspectors found missiles capable of reaching further than was allowed by UN Resolutions
- Found banned enriched uranium in the country, among a 500 ton uranium storage area that the UN allowed
- Allowed Zarqawi to enter the country freely prior to the Iraq War, who then went on to set up the al Qaeda and other insurgency

I do not believe that we are destined to be the world's big brother BECAUSE: Quote: Russia Still Holds All The Cards. Do not be fooled by what you have been told about Russia these long decades past.The Kremlin was a mighty nation under the Czar( Caesar) , and FROM 1917 ONWARD THEY HAVE BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL NATION THAT has ever been on the face of your globe. The Zionist "Jews"of Khazarian (Ashkenazim) lineage have lied about the capabilities of Russia , and they have NEVER allowed you-the-people to know the true strength and ferocity of the "Bear" . Your own prophets told you that America is "at the feet of the bear" and that Russia will play a major role in the destruction of such as New York.
What you ones also do not know ---you who are still new to the writings---is that the two top combatants of your world who will engage each other in mortal, earth-shaking conflict are both Russian.For more than 900 years, the Christians of Russia have been at war with their atheistic kin who lived to the south of the vast Russian/Soviet empire.If you will recall. such evil creatures as Kissinger, the Hollywood "Moguls" (Mongols or Mongolians is where the term originated--remember the nomadic raiders who terrorized all of Asia) who own the "entertainment" industry , and the ruling elite of Israel all came from Poland--by way of Russia. No two deadlier enemies have ever walked your planet.
That is why the Soviet Union was always so motivated for war. The people of that nation have suffered more than any other in that respect and have always been at war with themselves. The "Soviet" is trying to wipe out the "Russian". One was founded under the principles of Christ, like your country; the other follows only Lucifer. The Soviets are communist ("Jews pretending to be Judeans/Hebrews) barbarians who cause all wars by secretly and openly pitting one side against another. Since there is no bigger way to glean the wealth of nations than to have a nice, little war ( especially when you control the governments of both sides) , the money crazy Jews took full advantage of this new gold mine.
As time went by , the Khazar Jews had bankers in all the nations of your world lending to kings , queens, AND PRESIDENTS large sums of money to do battle with enemies they did not have. In case it has not dawned on you as to WHY there must be "wars and rumors of wars" ,now you have a suspect and the motive.
The Soviet warlords (Zionists, Bolsheviks,Khazars, "Jews"--all of the above), under the Rothchild Jewish plan to take the world and all its gold -- ran across one huge stumbling block:the will of the Russian Christians. And ever since , the battle between these two titans has steadily grown , both in scope and military capability.! Throughout these last three decades , mankind has witnessed tit for tat as the Russians clash with the Bolsheviks--only now it is the age of Super Star Wars, and the citizens of the world are totally in the dark.
When the Bolshevik controlled British government expelled those Russian diplomats over the spy controversy during the summer, the Kremlin warned there would be "serious consequences". And immediately England and the rest of Europe were hit with never-before-seen floods, killer heat waves, and devastating fires. Russian"space Shuttle" fleets can do vastly more than your outdated OBSOLETE shuttle orbiters. When your president gets out of line , notice how Texas always gets a direct hit from modified weather strikes--of one form or another--courtesy of the Russian Space Command. End of Quote

I disagree with the babyshrub rhetoric in here. It stinks. Babyshrub personally chose to take us to Iraq, he even made a speech or something about it when he was a senator. It is oil based and he utilized the revenge of 9/11 to attack a sovereign nation without provocation.

The rhetoric spouted is biased at best and very unrelated to the the fact that Saddam did not do 9/11, had nothing to do with 9/11 and has never made an attack on American soil considering "he was sooooo capable" by all the lies told by the babyshrub administration.

Do not attempt to fool us again with the same sh*t, as that is what it is.

As for this post, fanta, I believe, as do the members of my family who serve, that we should do what we can. The sign of strength is not how big your army is but how big your heart is. From one of my family members mouths.

Al Qaeda set up and financed by Bin Laden. Who stated 20 years ago that he would bring 'holy war' to American soil. He wasn't believed then.

Damn, I hear a broken record!!

SMO, I wont touch that!!

I wish I knew how to respond to smo....lol