New Europe/Old Europe - Instapundit

New Europe/Old Europe - Instapundit is wondering - did Rumsfeld's "New Europe/Old Europe" comment start something overseas? "Reader Ted Nolan quotes Robert Heinlein: "It's amazing how much 'mature wisdom' resembles being too tired."

At any rate - Rumsfeld's meme seems to have given voice to a movement on the continent among those who are resisting Europe's sclerotic bureaucracy. European blogger Wax Tadpole says:

The sputtering outrage from the establishment and the chattering classes serves only to highlight the difference between the dynamic and forward-looking "new" Europeans and stodgy, reactionary old Europe. I'm sure the "age is wisdom" tack seemed clever in the heat of battle, but by using it they've endorsed the notion that there really is a "new" Europe and placed themselves firmly in opposition to it. Once tempers have cooled, they'll find themselves on the wrong side of a real and growing divide.

The self-satisfied tone of the old European response is out of touch with the reality of Europe today - it probably wasn't, um, wise to smugly defend the policies and policy makers that gave us the massacre at Srebenica (not to mention widespread unemployment, dissatisfaction and economic stagnation in the West). Most Europeans understand the serious problems facing Europe and the failure to date of European diplomatic efforts, even if many are uncomfortable with the "American" prescription for addressing those problems. We just might discover that the necessary bitter medicine is easier to swallow if the label reads "New Europe" instead.

I'm starting to wonder if we'll look back on this as a turning point similar to Reagan's "Evil Empire" - a statement so simple, stark and true that it ends up changing the world.

It makes sense to me.

This was what Barcelona lawyer Miguel Roca said in an article in Vanguardia (Translation provided by Spanish blog Iberian Notes):

Old Europe must learn that in the new Europe, the anti-Americanism that, more or less covered up, has characterized its policy for decades, can no longer inspire the Union's common policy.

It isn't Bush's fault, it's all of our fault, the Europeans' fault. We have been more capable of criticizing the United States than of formulating alternative, functional, and efficient policies. We don't trust American military power, but we disarmed because we trust the US to protect us or substitute for us internationally. We debated about Kosovo but we sent the Americans to pacify it; we lament what is happening in Palestine and we accuse the United States of not guaranteeing peace with its own military intervention.

New Europe has suffered the oppression of both totalitarianisms, the Nazi and the Soviet. It would be difficult for it to be anti-American, too. We're not talking about right and left; Havel's signature is right there to ally with Bush. We can't extend Europe and think that nothing is going to change. On the contrary, New Europe gives Old Europe hope for a better understanding of the world.

Europe cannot be, simply, a suburb of Paris or Berlin.

Regarding the Heinlein quote: The various states of Europe seem to exhibit personalities that remind me of people I've known over the years:

• Germany reminds me of someone who did hard time for a wild youth, and is now very careful to obey the letter of the law - he doesn't want to go back in the joint. He makes absolutely certain that he's not screwing up in any way.
• France reminds me of a very smart person who was jilted by a spouse or lover early in life. Embittered, fading fast, but still kind of a conrol freak.
• Britain - the recovering alcoholic, doing well in his 12 step program...

Posted by Mitch at February 4, 2003 05:30 PM