Europe and America Parti II: How Europe Sees US

Honestly, I began this entry as one big response to several comments in Matt Lewis' blog, but it has just grown out of hand... So, I'm separating it into several parts.Here's the comment page that started this whole thing:http://www.townhall.com/blog/default.aspx?mode=post&g=f5d08614-b704-435c-bd4a-8a5877c51b44&comments=true#f1c0eed2-9a89-4267-a494-ebd44bcc9b57

I'm addressing this post to any reader interested, but the question was raised by Nee and El Gordo.

2.) Europe's Perception of US

Mr. Nee and Mr. El Gordo, once again, I want to point out that I am not in complete disagreement with you about the perception of the US in Europe. First of all, I want to make it clear that Europe is a very diverse place, with nations that, until 60 years ago, were entirely focused on the destruction of each other. Europe is also host to many thriving and truly free societies, where an incredible diversity of opinions are expressed. There are many who adore America (especially in Poland), and many who do not (especially in France). I also want to say that most Americans are European in ancestry (at least 65% as far as the last census goes), which means that most of us are not that far removed from Europe itself, by blood or by culture. So, before I begin, I just want to be sure that when someone says "Europeans have this belief," they really need to be more specific as to which Europeans they are referring to.

Bearing this caveat in mind, I'll address my experience with European perceptions of the US.

The majority of Europeans that I have dealt with are middle-class professionals or students, from almost every country. The overall opinion of America is a little different from one country to another, with French, Spanish and being typically less approving, and British, Germans and Eastern Europeans more approving. What I have found is that most Europeans, regardless of their country of origin or status, are not opposed to America, but somewhat overwhelmed with us. They like US culture, US food, US music (sometimes), speak a certain degree of English, watch Hollywood movies, and keep track of US politics. However, the majority of Europeans that I have met do not approve of the way that the Bush administration has carried out its foreign policy, nor the way that the US has conducted itself in ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. For most Americans traveling abroad, and dealing with Europeans, I believe a similar point of view would be easily found.

Now, I want to address the complaints from the EU point of view. It should be remembered that the EU is an isolationist body, that only tries to interfere in local politics if another nation wants to become an EU member, or if there is some major domestic impact within the EU. The cardinal sin, in the EU's point of view, is to start a war without a very, very, very good reason. Iraq is the prime example of this. Remember that regional conflicts of this nature can spread very, very fast, endangering the very security of the EU ( The only thing that separates the carnage in Iraq from the borders of the EU is Turkey). Furthermore, regional conflicts (Eastern Europe, Balkans, etc) rapidly became entire global conflicts, involving all of Europe. Thus, looking at the potential consequences of a war with Iraq, and looking at all of the evidence, Europe feels entirely justified at criticizing US behavior in Iraq.

Furthermore, the perception of Iraq, or involvement in Iraq is such a sensitive topic in Europe, that it nearly led to the collapse of Blair's party, mitigated only by the PM's banishment. When it comes to Iraq, the European public is very, very, very serious.

Now, that being said, I also want to address non-Iraq-based anti-American rhetoric. Just bear in mind that there are a lot of countries that have protestors that really do not speak for the majority. In fact, in France and Germany, pointless political protest is something of a national hobby. Taking that into account, the real decision-makers and policy-shapers rarely are influenced by these kinds of temporary objections. Also, pro- and anti-American points of views are very handy wedge issues that can be used in local elections. A good example is the recent elections in France, when the Socialist party tried to discredit Sarkoczy's campaign as "pro-American." The pro-American news made it to the US, but Sarkoczy's real popularity was not tied to this. He was elected, because of his domestic economic plan of liberalization and ending protectionism, allowing the French economy to grow. In fact, he is pretty much what a Republican candidate would look like, if he were to run in France.

So, when it comes to Iraq, Europeans feel that they are entirely justified in their objections to the US, but when it comes to any other issue, take European criticism with a grain of salt.