VICTOR DAVIS HANSON FOR STATE?

Europe ‘axis’ regroups to curb Bush in second term (Greg Hurst, The Times, November 6th, 2004)

France, Germany and Spain signalled a new alliance yesterday to strengthen the European Union’s political project as a counterbalance to the United States after the re-election of President Bush.

The triple axis formed by “old Europe” powers, whose leaders were the most vociferous in opposing the Iraq war, was a rebuff to Tony Blair’s accusation that they were in a “state of denial” over the outcome of America’s presidential election.

Jacques Chirac, France’s President, declared that the result left the world “more multi-polar than ever” and said that Europe must react by strengthening its political unity and press ahead with its new constitution.

“The confirmation of strong American politics leads naturally to the necessity to reinforce Europe politically and economically,” M Chirac said at an EU summit in Brussels.

“Europe today has more than ever the need and necessity to reinforce its unity. That is the goal of the constitution.

“It will help this reinforcement of European unity in the face of global powers in a world which is more multi-polar than ever.”

The warning from Mr Blair, in an interview with The Times, was aimed chiefly at M Chirac and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain’s Prime Minister, who withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq and privately predicted a John Kerry victory to other European centre-left politicians.

M Chirac and Señor Zapatero met in Brussels yesterday with Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, and agreed to work more closely together to build a stronger Europe in response to the renewed mandate won by President Bush. One outcome is that the three leaders are to attend rallies in support of the European constitution in France and Spain, where referendums are to be held to endorse it; a referendum is unlikely to be held in Germany, whose constitution forbids it.

The physical war on terror is in the Middle East. The political one is elsewhere.