European Weakness

European Weakness Danger to the World?
By Daniel G. Jennings
For centuries, Europe was a danger to the rest of the world because it was militarily, technologically, industrially and economically stronger than all other continents. Today, however; Europe is a danger to the rest of the world because it is weak especially in military terms.
Recently, French President Jacques Chirac made the outrageous statement that France would respond to a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons. Naturally, the France worshipping American media ignored this incredible assertion. Imagine if President Bush made such a statement, the world’s opinion makers would be calling him a barbarian and a warmonger. Chirac, on the other hand, can and does get away with it.
Now we have to ask ourselves two questions here, is Chirac serious in this threat and if so why? I have no way of knowing if Chirac is serious or not, but if he is I think I know why. Chirac made this statement because nuclear weapons maybe the only option France has for retaliating against terrorism.
If America is attacked President Bush has a wide variety of options available to respond. For example the US has a fleet of long range bombers, carrier based aircraft, unmanned Predator drones, cruise missiles, several large forces of crack commandos, the best army in the world and the best infantry force on Earth the United States Marine Corps. What does France have? An army about the same size as Chile’s army. An air force of about the same size and scope as say Mexico’s, and a navy that consists basically of one aircraft carrier.
In other words, the only way Chirac might be able to respond to an Al Qaeda outrage in Paris such as a bomb on the Metro would be to lob a nuclear missile at the Afghan Pakistan border. This probably wouldn’t get Bin Laden or his followers but it would kill a lot of innocent people and make the Pakistanis and the rest of the Moslem world real mad. Imagine the response to that Pakistan also has nuclear weapons and long range missiles and I imagine it’s air force could probably rig up something that could hit Paris in pretty quick time.
Or barring nuclear weaponry the Pakistanis might decide to invade France, after all their army is much larger than France’s. The discontented Moslem population in France would serve as a fifth column for their attack. The only thing blocking their way to France would be the US Navy, a nightmare scenario for the US.
Such weakness could be dangerous in other ways, despite it’s weakness France continues flexing it’s military muscle in Africa. What happens if the French tick off one of the larger African countries such as South Africa or Nigeria (which has a large highly professional British style army). What then? Would Mousier Chirac call the White House in the middle of the night screaming for the Marines to come in and save his army from its own arrogance? Would Americans tolerate seeing their soldiers die on CNN and Fox to protect Frenchmen? Think of the reaction of African American voters, American soldiers shooting black Africans to protect white colonialists.
Military weakness is dangerous in Europe itself too. In October it was on display for the world to see. Islamic youth rioted in France destroying neighborhoods and burning cars. The violence continued for weeks on end and the authorities seemingly did nothing. The police were helpless and no troops appeared in the streets to stop the violence. Quite a contrast to New Orleans where troops moved in within days of the crisis’s beginning to restore order. In China recently, troops moved in on rioting villages after a couple of days and restored order.
No reason has been given for the French Army’s lack of response to the chaos in the streets. Although French soldiers did deploy to protect tourist sites and wealthy neighborhoods in Paris. Could the real reason French troops didn’t move in to stop the riots was that the troops simply don’t exist.
Gangs of Islamic youth some of them linked to terrorists were able to gain control of French cities and the French government was helpless. The violence has seemingly abated but it could break out again at any time. A truly nightmare situation would be that Islamic volunteer fighters of the kind who have reeked so much havoc in Iraq, Chechnya, Bosnia and Afghanistan could set up shop in France. These foreign fighters could organize the French rioters into militia forces, train them and equip them with serious military style weapons for major attacks. Then lead them in raids, some of which would undoubtedly be attempts to capture France’s nuclear missiles and turn them against the US and other nations.
How the US would react to this situation? I don’t know but I have to wonder would Germans, Englishmen and Swedes be willing to get drafted into the Greater European Army to patrol the streets of France? Will the Germans, Brits and Spaniards tolerate a bastion of Islamic terror in their midst? Will the Islamic Turks (Turkey is part of NATO and is joining the EU) go to France to kill their fellow Muslims in order to keep the Dutch free to smoke dope and organize gay marriages? And what would the European governments do? Their weakness dictates they may have to run to Washington, Beijing and New Delhi for help. Will the world come or will it allow Europe to return to the dark ages?
Will the help come? That’s hard to say a lot of people beyond Europe suffered badly at the hands of arrogant Europeans in the past days of colonialism and imperialism. Few of their descendants will cry any tears for Europe or its people.
European weakness also underpins European policy, Europe tacitly backs the United States because America has protected it. Part of the reason Europeans don’t support the US military adventure in Iraq is that they are afraid that will mean US forces vital to Europe’s security will be moved to the Middle East. Another reason is that Europe maybe called upon to mobilize military resources it doesn’t have to support US military adventures. Italy’s contribution to the war in Iraq is 3,000 men, Britain can occupy one Iraqi city, Basara.
This is also the reason the Europeans are moving heaven and Earth to get Turkey into the European Union. Turkey has a large highly professional army, the second largest in NATO, that could come to Europe’s aid. It is also a reason why the EU is expanding east trying to augment its meager military forces with those of Eastern Europe.
Where European weakness will lead I don’t know, but one thing is certain. European weakness like past European strength is likely to have destabilizing effects that reach far beyond Europe.