Simon: What is it with Europe that Americans so
want to get their teeth stuck into it?
Probably a lot of things, Simon. One popular
complaint is that, as global hegemon, the US gives
Europe a free ride in military matters. You get to
build up your social infrastructure while we have
to throw so much money into defense--our defense
and yours. For example, why should the US have to
deal with the Balkans? It's your (EU's) backyard.
Same with Iraq. As a united European entity, the
EU should have military responsibilities on par
with its GNP.
Instead, the UK is the only EU nation advanced
enough to coordinate its naval and air forces with
ours, and the UK is the only nation with powerful
and sophisticated land forces. Instead the US has
to be the global hit-man, while most of the EU
lives rent-free in its comfortable mafia neighborhood.
But the MAIN concern is that (because of your
internal policies) Islamic terrorists will use
Europe more and more as staging grounds for
attacks on the US. If Mexican illegals used
Arizona as a staging ground for attacks on
Brussels...well you get the point.
Otherwise, as self-appointed spokesman here, I
would venture that the US feels intense solidarity
with the EU for cultural reasons. And as the EU
and USA move apart for economic and geopolitical
reasons, there is a feeling of nostalgia and
post-bellum resentment.
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