Delusional Americans

Submitted by Ruairi Kavanagh (Ireland), Feb 11, 2003 at 09:49

We're looking for a constructive alternative to war. If Turkey was in genuine danger, European nations would flock to her aid -- after all she is on our doorstep, not yours,despite Americans' assumption that the world is their doorstep.

I am from Ireland and have many reasons to thank America for helping us through our own times of hardship and oppression. However, increasingly, we as a continent find it difficult to take any more of this hawkish attitude that seems hell-bent on bloody revenge.

Hussein is a disgrace, and believe me I wouldn't care if he dropped dead, but he is in a harmless position in a starved shell. The policy of containment and arms inspections is the sensible option. I actually enjoyed seeing Rumsfeld squirm when Fischer actually took the time to tell him what he thought in plain English.

Everyday, US warplanes refuel in my country which is supposedly neutral and the crux of the whole issue is that everyone loathes the acts of 9/11, and the terrorist bombings in Africa and indeed every act of terror. But the world is not America's personal arena to sort out its own problems, and Europe is sick of leaders like Bush/Rumsfeld clicking their fingers and telling us how high to jump. While US security in Europe was appreciated in the Cold War, there is no agreement as to what role it should be playing in Europe. Should it be playing any??

We are traditional friends and allies, and that is something that we should all try and maintain. But France and Germany and Russia are part and parcel of our future too and they are our geographically-closest neighbours. Are we not allowed to listen to them? America's leaders should accept that they don't always know what's best for us.

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