Canalblog
Editer l'article Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog
Publicité
Sarah in Romania
25 septembre 2009

Is E. Europe being dumped?

From the New York Times:

Letter from Europe

Obama Ends a 'Special Relationship'

Published: September 16, 2009

BERLIN — It is easy to miss the turnoff to Redzikowo, a tiny Polish settlement not far from the Baltic coast city of Slupsk. There, set back among thick trees, sits what was once an important air base before the Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991. Today, the buildings are run-down. The military airstrip is no longer in use. And the modernization of Poland’s armed forces has taken its toll in jobs for the local civilian population.

So it is no wonder that when the United States chose Redzikowo last year as one of its proposed sites for deploying interceptors for its antiballistic missile shield in Poland, there was hope that the base and the local economy would be revitalized — and that Poland’s security would be guaranteed by U.S. military personnel permanently stationed in the country, a longstanding request by Poland since it joined NATO in 1999.

Such were the plans laid down by the administration of George W. Bush, who had established exceptionally close relationships with the Poles, the Czechs, the Baltic states and the Romanians. Among the Europeans, they had become his most loyal supporters.

But with Barack Obama in the White House, the deployment of the missile shield in Eastern Europe is no longer a given, as defense experts question its costs, its effectiveness and even its location. As a result, the certainties of the Bush era have given way to a sense of betrayal — but maybe also realism — on the part of the East Europeans.

Throughout the Bush administration, the East Europeans had supported the U.S. war on terrorism. They had broken ranks with many other European Union countries in supporting the invasion of Iraq by sending troops. They had turned a blind eye to renditions and interrogation centers (though there were also West European countries that did that).

“The East European countries went out on a limb for America during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Ron Asmus, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “Now they feel they are getting whacked.”

Indeed, Washington’s special relationship with Eastern Europe seems to be over. Mr. Obama’s dithering over whom to send to Poland last month to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II confirmed that.

Much more important for the administration is its goal of “resetting” its relationship with Russia after years of neglect by Mr. Bush. Russia, whose support is needed for issues like Iran, nuclear proliferation and the Middle East, dwarfs the importance of any East European country for Washington.

“The Obama administration has different priorities. It is concentrating on global concerns,” said Stephen Flanagan, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “Maybe it feels that the problems of Eastern and Central Europe are solved now that these countries are in the European Union and NATO and that it is time that Europe was more integrated,” he added.

If that is the case, such views could backfire in terms of the administration’s ability to influence the E.U.

One of the skills of the Bush team was playing the Europeans off each other. It flattered the East Europeans with high-level visits. It supported NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine, for which Poland and other East European countries consistently lobbied. Dealing with the West Europeans, it rolled out the red carpet for Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who supported the Iraq war, but snubbed Gerhard Schröder, the former German chancellor who opposed it.

Mr. Bush took a tough stance on Russia’s use of energy as a political weapon against Eastern Europe, which is dependent on Russia for oil and gas. And then there was the issue of missile defense. “For the political elites in Poland or the Czech Republic, missile defense was not about defending Europe against Iran. It was about protection from Russia. It was also about strengthening their status in Europe,” said Nikola Hynek, a security expert at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

The Bush policies rankled several West European countries, especially Germany, but galvanized East European support for U.S. policy. It made the Poles and the Lithuanians confident enough to speak out at E.U. summits, even vetoing decisions about opening new trade and partnership talks with Russia.

These divisions were welcomed by the Bush administration. A divided Europe was much easier to handle than a united and strong one. It meant the United States could choose its allies for its coalitions of the willing and pursue bilateral relations with its European allies where it saw fit.

But with the Obama administration, the policy has changed. Mr. Obama is concentrating on Afghanistan rather than Iraq. And because he cannot rely on the Europeans to provide any more troops for Afghanistan, there is no reason to give special treatment to Eastern Europe, or, for that matter, to bother spending time dividing the allies.

“There is a disconnect between the Europeans and the U.S.,” said Mr. Flanagan. “The administration is focused on global issues. It is not Eurocentric. It would really like the Europeans to adopt a global view as well,” he added.

The U.S. political elites are changing, too. Prestigious security conferences in Europe can still attract Zbigniew Brzezinski, Madeleine Albright or Henry Kissinger, all of whom have strong European backgrounds. They lived in Europe, and fled it. But that generation has been replaced by those who have no experience of World War II or the Communist era. Of Mr. Obama’s top team, Vice President Joseph Biden is one of the few who has empathy for the region.

This may not be a bad thing. Nor is it time to sulk over Mr. Obama’s treatment of Europe. The East Europeans should cut their losses on missile defense and see that their future lies with the E.U. A stronger E.U. could in fact improve, not weaken, the trans-Atlantic relationship. That could create a new role for the East Europeans.

Publicité
Commentaires
L
The man wants to do everything at once, the consequence of his being so inexperienced. Moreover,he had no idea what the job of being President of the USA means for this country and the rest of the world.Consequences are here and still coming...
Sarah in Romania
Publicité
Archives
Derniers commentaires
Publicité