The Irrelevance and Decline of France and Germany

"But justice and generosity in a nation, as in an individual, count most when shown not by the weak but by the strong. While ever careful to refrain from wrongdoing others, we must be no less insistent that we are not wronged ourselves. We wish peace, but we wish the peace of justice, the peace of righteousness. We wish it because we think it is right and not because we are afraid. No weak nation that acts manfully and justly should ever have cause to fear us, and no strong power should ever be able to single us out as a subject for insolent aggression."   -   Theodore Roosevelt.

Many Islamic countries have managed to hide their economic and political failures by blaming the more prosperous West, and especially the United States as Satanic. Of course, the supreme irony for these religious zealots is that Allah (within the narrow vision of these zealots) would seem to be economically rewarding these same blasphemous Western cultures. Even resource-wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia are having difficulty maintaining the extravagant lifestyle of the ruling families, so it permits a simmering militant strain of Islam to prosper.

Now Europe follows this sad example. For the last three decades, Europeans have chosen the path of growing government control of the economy. They, are now realizing that despite a greater population, they are being economically outpaced by Americans. The economic dynamism of the United States has resulted in 57 million new jobs here, while collectively the members of the European Union have managed to create an anemic 5 million since 1970.

European politicians sometimes exploit the consequent political unrest by diverting anger to the United States. Last year, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder faced with a plummeting economy and popularity, ran for re-election on a patronizingly anti-American platform. It is easier to feel morally superior to Americans, than it is to come to grips with German economic inadequacy and self-imposed impotence.

Arrogant European condescension manifests itself in other petty little ways. Two years ago, Europeans voted secretly to replace the United States on the United Nations Human Rights Commission with the Sudan. It seems some of the European governments are willing to welcome a country where slavery still persists to a Human Rights Commission so long as it will poke a stick in America's eye. Under different circumstances, this behavior would be a silly annoyance. We now live in serious times.

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