One thing that struck me on my recent trip to Germany was the prevalence of what I would call "Euro-pacifism". Simply put I define it as the belief that "all war is inherently wrong and we have the experience to prove it." This attitude cropped up numerous times at museums, war memorials, and historical sites that had been damaged by war in the past.
Because the Germans did suffer tremendously in the World Wars and the Cold War they tend to view themselves as victims of war and proof that war is never justified. And when you see the evidence of how thoroughly their country was ravaged, particularly from the aerial bombing in Word War II, it is possible to understand the basis for their belief. They witnessed the horrors of World War II firsthand and the fact that they are now able to peacefully coexist with their past enemies from that conflict leads them to believe that the war was avoidable and so are all future wars. The nearly sixty years of peace that they have enjoyed since 1945 is attributed to their diplomacy and communication and they feel that the fall of Communism was inevitable.
This view seems to ignore the fact that it was not diplomacy or communication but rather war that ended the terrors of Nazism. It also does not recognize that the fall of Communism was not a historic inevitability and that only the threat of war (the U.S. nuclear umbrella, 350,000 American troops in West Germany) ensured the security of Western Europe during the Cold War.
The Germans, the Italians, other small European countries, and even the French were at one time or another defeated on the field of battle, occupied by foreign powers, and to differing levels had their countries devastated during World War II. Even the countries that were on the victorious Allied side, emerged beaten down physically and psychologically from the conflict. The French were allowed to be a part of the Allied coalition that reestablished peace in Europe but they knew in their hearts that they had lost the war and that their country was much weaker as a result of it. So for most of the countries of continental Europe the Second World War was a disaster for their peoples, their economies, and their national psyches. After what had happened many lost their faith in their national identities and patriotism was seen as outdated and unnecessary. The ensuing Cold War cloaked this uneasiness as the U.S. rebuilt the economies of Western Europe through the Marshall Plan and the Iron Curtain descended on Eastern Europe.
But the end of the Cold War and the rise of the European Union has brought this lack of confidence in their individual countries to the forefront of European attitudes about themselves. Like insecure school children they crave acceptance by the group (in this case the world) and so are unwilling or unable to stand on their own. Besides they are not really sure anymore about what is right or wrong so they go along with the majority seeking safety in numbers. They want disputes to be handled by the U.N. rather than having to become involved and individually pass judgment or take action. The fact that many European countries have already ceded much of their national sovereignty to the E.U. (currency, banking system, etc.) makes this surrender of power to the will of the "international community" all the easier.
Contrast this with the United States and Britain. Both countries have well established democracies that have survived independently for hundreds of years. Neither country has lost a war that involved their total defeat and occupation by foreign powers. Since the Second World War they both have pursued strong independent foreign policies willing to buck international opinion if they believed it was in their best national interest (numerous cases for the U.S., the Falklands provide a good example for the Brits).
Although the British paid a heavy price in World War II in blood and treasure and emerged from the war as a shadow of the international power they were before it, they were one of the victors and had earned their place with their spirited defense of their country in 1940 and 1941 when they were virtually alone. Psychologically they had never been defeated and retained their national pride and belief in the British nation. And the war cemented the strong relationship between the U.S. and the British. The US emerged from the war as the strongest nation in the world economically and one of two military superpowers The victory over Communism in the Cold War made the U.S. the sole world superpower and marked the third time in the century it had triumphed over the forces of tyranny.
Today when the U.S. and the British perceive a threat to their countries they are willing to act with or without the rest of the world. Their leaders can look back on their past as a guide and see that their nations core believes and values have been tested and proven again and again. History is on our side. We're the strong, confident kids willing to take on the school yard bully if even the rest of the school may not approve.
The Euros (I don't consider Britain a part of Europe except in strictly geographic terms) have no such reservoir of success to draw on and so are left to fret and worry about whether this action is appropriate or not and maybe we should talk some more or wait for international support. They lack the moral clarity and conviction that the U.S. and British possess and are afraid of taking chances. Considering their past this attitude is not all that unreasonable. I am not a European sympathizer but rather a European empathizer. I don't agree with their views but I believe I understand them. We should not expect nor wait for full fledged European support in any upcoming military campaign. The best we can hope for is that they sit quietly on the sidelines and let us do what needs to be done. Their pacifism will allow for little else.
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