April 4, 2004

Little-Noted Events Recall George Washington Speech

In a watershed speech little noted hereabouts, Secretary of State Colin Powell in Berlin on Wednesday committed truth about U.S.-Europe relations which have been at low ebb since 9/11.

Powel paused in his whirlwind visit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization states to speak frankly.

In an interview for the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung, he was uncharacteristically blunt:

"As time has passed, our concerns have been redirected, and our sense of mutual dependency has been relaxed.

"For Americans, more recent events -- particularly the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 -- have reshaped our view of the world.

"For Germany and its neighbors, the project of building the new Europe now molds attitudes and expectations.

"These shifts in focus diminished our Cold War-era camaraderie."

Powell declared that the most effective way of bridging differences between the United States and Europe is "to change the NATO’s main task from defense of common territory, to defense of common principles."  

Just so. Two other events last week

converged to emphasize the realities of world conflict internally and externally in the democratic and dictatorial worlds.

A long-planned Arab League summit meeting in Tunis was abruptly "postponed" as assorted Arabic presidents, kings, princes, leaders-for-life and foreign ministers were enroute.

Tunisian officials said they would not preside over a summit unlikely to reach any agreements.  

It seems that Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt favored political reform.

Tunisia and other small Arabic nations resisted any changes that might seem compatible to Bush administration policies. Ten thousand horrors!

Also upsetting was the announced possibility that Palestinians and Jordanians would present a joint proposal to revive the "peace process" with Israel.

In short, the Arab world is undergoing great political and cultural change. This is unsettling to most Arabs but inevitable – given the realities of globalization and progressive ideas.  

We can expect cooler heads to prevail, and the postponed Arab League conference to resume soon – probably in Egypt.

Into this unsettling reassessment of alliances, the International Court of Justices at The Hague, Switzerland, last week came down hard on the United States.

The court ruled that the U.S. must review the convictions and death sentences of 51 Mexicans in U.S. prisons.

Mexican President Vicente Fox’s government had petitioned the world court on the basis its citizens in the U.S. illegally had not been allowed to contact a Mexican diplomat before being charged.

The Geneva Convention calls for diplomatic contact for citizens committing crimes in a foreign country.

In the past, the convention was thought applicable to travelers entering a foreign country legally on passports.

Now, the World Court wants the privilege extended to those entering a country illegally.

The U.S. is contesting the ruling on the basis of sovereign rights. The International Court threatens to refer the case to the United Nations.

One is reminded of the hilarious movie, "The Russians Are Coming" shown during the Cold War.

The commander of a floundering Russian submarine is about to blow up the village of Nantucket. A brave city marshal steps forward, whips his pad of tickets, demands the commander’s name and declares sternly, "You’re under arrest!"

After the Russians got through laughing they cooperate in rescuing a little boy dangling from a church steeple. Everyone is joyous and exchange home addresses.

We cannot be so sanguine about today’s international confrontations. Yet, we can thoughtfully review President George Washington’s "Farewell Address" warning against foreign entanglements:

"It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world …. which their own rivalships alone would be sufficient to produce, but which opposite foreign alliances, attachments and intrigues would stimulate and embitter."

A little boy, somewhere, is in danger and can use some comity between nations. But who is to confront the bully? If not us, who? If not now, when?

PARTING SHOTS

Saddam Hussein has hired a French lawyer to defend him. If he can get a change of venue to Paris, he’s home free.  

The 9/11 Commission is trying to find out who is to blame for 9/11. How about bin Laden?

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be reached at linwms@lindseywilliams.org