Obama and the 27 Dwarfs

Obama and the E.U. are visibly showing signs of their old disputes and differences that remind us of Europe’s fragility. With an East Coast style of arrogance, Obama unexpectedly slammed the E.U.-U.S. summit’s door — which Spain hoped to preside over at Madrid — remarking how badly Washington stands the hair-splitting European soliloquies in every matter vital for its own safety and future. On the other hand, the European Parliament has destroyed an essential pillar for anti-terrorist collaboration with Washington, rejecting the SWIFT agreement principles, the same agreement that made possible the existence of anti-terrorist information channeled back and forth between the two Atlantic shores.

While the new but always uniform Russian military policy reminds us that Moscow still considers Europe and NATO to be its main enemies, Europeans confirm to have disagreements among themselves and with the Obama administration, which has resumed its own version of Bush’s antimissile shield with the new missiles (SM-3) that Romania (NATO and E.U. member) has accepted to install in its territory.

Regarding Afghanistan, Obama is asking Europe for roughly the same thing as Bush: more men. But new sensitivities in strategic fields have appeared. Spain is very receptive to the nuclear disarmament proposed by Obama — something Paris finds simply absurd.

But many more disputes and old disagreements are involved, such as Turkey’s place in Europe. Do the big E.U. members have a common policy in regard to this cascade of divergences? Again, no they don’t. Is any European government in a good situation to increase its investments in security in order to improve the defense against terrorism? Crisis is exposing the fragile continental budget: The demographic aging and the incredibly high unemployment rate are not lightening the situation.