WASHINGTON — Now, do you agree with me, Mr. President? Old
Europe is a lovely place to visit. Yet one would not want to live
there for any extended period of time. Any continent so given to
long luncheons cannot be a very vigorous place. On holiday the
civilized thing to do is to dine apolaustically, to take in the
theater and museums. In fact, Old Europe is one grand museum. That
is why I am always happy there, but then I visit solely for
holiday. When it is time to be productive I head home.
From all the news reports it sounds as though the President had
a lovely holiday among our former allies. They even seemed to greet
him cordially when he reiterated that liberating Iraq was the right
thing to do. They even seem to accept that democracy — of one kind
or another — may be established in Iraq. Said the Italian daily
Corriere della Sera, “Statements like ‘You can’t export
democracy through war’ are no longer fashionable.” Of course, Italy
has shown itself to be an ally, so maybe the paper was only talking
about Italian fashion.
Yet it does seem there has grown some willingness in Old Europe
to accept that we did the right thing in Iraq. But who are “we”?
With the noble exception of the Poles, the Italians, and for a
while the Spanish, “we” are the English-speaking people. Churchill
was right. Lady Thatcher was too. The English-speaking people are
the great defenders of freedom. Some smaller nations have sent
their contingents to join us in the fight to roll back tyranny in
the Middle East and to smack down terrorism; but for the most part
it is the English-speaking people once again who answered the call
to action.
The useless French, the opportunistic Germans, and the
continent’s left-leaning intellectuals still grumble that the
invasion of Iraq was a disaster and the aftermath chaos. They are
in error, certainly, about the invasion. It was masterful. The
aftermath was in part chaotic because the invasion was successful
so rapidly and because the country was one vast arsenal with
weaponry lying all around. This dangerous condition was a
consequence of the European arms merchants enriching themselves by
taking advantage of Saddam Hussein’s paranoia and selling him huge
stores of armaments despite sanctions against such sales.
Do you recall the 1920s and 1930s when progressive opinion
claimed that the great evildoers in the world worked in the
armaments industry as “Merchants of Death”? We have not heard
remonstrances against “Merchants of Death” from progressives
lately, notwithstanding the fact that those who sold to Saddam
really were very much like the “Merchants” that roused the alarums
of their 1930s ancestors. Then the progressives harangued arms
salesmen and ignored the Nazis and Fascists. Now they harangue the
United States, the country that at least has disarmed a modern
Hitler.
Another condition that vexed the aftermath of war with Iraq has
been the refusal of NATO or of Old Europe to send in troops to aid
us in pacifying the country and expediting its journey to
self-rule. That refusal is no demonstration of principle or
prudence by Old Europe but rather a sign of Old Europe’s laziness
about meeting its responsibilities. We witnessed the same laziness
in the 1930s and for that matter during the Cold War when Old
Europe never met its NATO defense commitments. It relied on us to
defend its citizens in the Cold War and it relies on us now to
defend them in the war against terror, which, contrary to Old
Europe’s blah, was furthered nicely by the fall of Saddam.
As I say, I put my trust in the English-speaking people. Why we
have shown more vigor in defending liberty I cannot with great
confidence say. Possibly it is because so many of the principles of
a free society have originated among us. And as for those that have
not, they have at least been formalized in such documents as the
Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence (sorry, my British
friends) and the Bill of Rights. Whatever the reason might be, the
English-speaking people have acquitted themselves with honor in the
liberation of Iraq.
Just this week, while the French, the Germans, and the
preposterous Belgians lunched with our debonair President, from
Australia comes news that the doughty Aussies are sending 450
troops to Iraq, more than doubling their force there. Said Prime
Minister John Howard, a “tilting point” has been arrived at. During
his recent re-election campaign he had vowed to send no more
troops. Yet now he sees an opening towards peace and stability. He
is taking a chance. It makes me want to break into a chorus of
“Waltzing Matilda.”
