Trans-Atlantic rift may widen

2004-11-03 18:44

Vienna - With George W Bush apparently heading toward victory in the US presidential election, the trans-Atlantic rift is only likely to widen - adding new urgency to a growing sense in Europe of the need for a balance to US might.

Deserved or not, Bush has a firm reputation in Europe as a headstrong and heavy-handed leader with little interest in what America's allies feel.

Many European leaders are likely to push him to find a way to end the violence in Iraq, adopt a more active and balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in general accord them more respect and consultation.

In the broader sense, however, a Bush victory would likely rekindle a push for a new and stronger European identity at a time when many countries feel like they have lost sovereignty and a voice in the enlarged European Union.

"The temptation for Europe to define itself as 'Not America' will be increased," Timothy Garton Ash, a professor of European studies at Oxford University, wrote in a recent commentary.

European leaders tried to put a positive spin on the election results, saying they hoped for closer co-operation with the United States no matter who emerged as the victor.

But prominent politicians no longer bound by the rules of protocol did nothing to hide their dismay as it became apparent that Bush would most probably recapture the White House.

Former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine - who once famously criticised America as a "hyper-power" - was scathing in his pessimism: "If it's as it appears, there is a major and lasting lack of understanding between the American people and the rest of the world."

'Bush can repair international relations'

Europeans, who traditionally have embraced Democrats over Republicans and still see former president Bill Clinton as far more of a statesman than Bush, will be watching for any sign that the administration intends to reach out to a continent polarised over Iraq.

Having apparently secured a second term, Bush can now "feel more free ... to repair international relations hurt by the Iraq war and less constrained by his conservative base," The Irish Times said in a commentary.

But while the former communist countries of Eastern Europe have largely backed Washington's Iraq policy and have sent troops, governments in Western Europe that insisted on UN involvement still feel marginalised.

US relations with Europe have suffered since defence secretary Donald H Rumsfeld disparagingly referred to France and Germany as "old Europe" for their resistance to the war in Iraq.

Bush's re-election would mean Washington will press forward with plans to reapportion US forces in Europe, shifting thousands from post-World War II bases in Germany to new stations in Bulgaria and Romania within better striking distance of Afghanistan and the Middle East.

- AP