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I'm also rather reserved about Fischer. In a column for the Austrian paper "der Standard" /search for "Transatlantisches Dilemma" he wrote:
   
   
   
   
Eine mehr multilateral ausgerichtete amerikanische Politik wird den Druck vor allem auf die Europäer erheblich verstärken, mehr Verantwortung bei der internationalen Krisenbewältigung und Konfliktlösung zu übernehmen. [...]
A more multilateral american foreign policy will increase the pressure on the Europeans to take more responsibility in resolving international crisis tremendously. [...]
Worauf warten die Europäer? Warum nicht jetzt damit beginnen, den traditionellen Widerspruch zwischen Nato und EU zu überwinden, zumal unter Sarkozy sich die französische Politik gegenüber der Nato positiv verändert? Eine gegenseitige regelmäßige Präsenz der politischen Führungsspitzen in den politischen Gremien beider Organisationen bedarf keines großen Aufwandes.What are the Europeans waiting for? Why not resolve the traditional conflict between Nato and EU now that French policy under Sarkozy grows more positive toward Nato? A regular presence of the political Leadership of both organisations in each other's committees would not involve significant effort.

Later he suggests regularly inviting US representatives to sessions of the Council of Ministers and points to the failure of Kyoto as a case in point.
What I found most troubling while reading his column is that he nowhere acknowledges that Europe and the US could ever have fundamentally different interests.

Wait this is important. Someone is wrong on the Internet.

by generic on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 at 04:38:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's the exact same passages I quoted from him -- from the Guardian version of the same Project Syndicate text.

Re Migeru, I was probably more wary of Fischer until a year ago than most of you, but my current opinion was based on this op-ed alone: it shows he didn't learnt anything and got lost ideologically on the American lecture circuit.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 at 04:51:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Should have figured that there was no need to translate it myself :)

Sadly the vast majority of the European political elites can't envision a Europe that's not defined by the transatlantic relationship.

Wait this is important. Someone is wrong on the Internet.

by generic on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 at 05:39:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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