I listened to George W Bush telling Europeans that his campaign for liberty and democracy arose directly from ideals that had originated with them. You could almost hear the injured bewilderment in his voice: this was all your idea in the first place. Whatever happened to your commitment to the values enshrined in Magna Carta and the French Revolution - the doctrine of the rights of man and of government by consent? And if you are still committed to those principles, why can you not see the need to extend them to parts of the world that are still deprived of them?
The enlightenment idealism of Europe was exported to the rebellious colonies and, in geographical isolation, it flourished. While Europeans themselves undermined their own great democratic project with their ancient hatreds and their aristocratic nostalgia, the naïve Americans kept the dream intact, building it into a written constitution (which was an 18th-century idea itself).
Europe has pretty much given up on the whole undertaking now: we tried it and it ended in the Terror. We went through our phase of proselytising democratic revolution with Bonaparte and look where that ended. Spreading freedom? All that amounts to is killing off one generation of autocrats and replacing them with another. Trust the people? They are just as likely to follow a fascist demagogue as to perpetuate the sacred principle of justice.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/23/2005 8:52:28 AM ||
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It's never too late to get back in the game. Freedom will always appeal to people. It never goes out of style. When the EU falls apart, the "naive" Americans will be right there to support our Allies. Arab terrorists will eventually start attacking Europe on a regular basis and they will be forced out of their "mass prosperity". Guess who'll be there? We will. That's why we shouldn't ever consider pulling out of Europe.
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