(Smartness; 04-03; p.3)

European security

The necessity to define and thereafter guarantee security on an European scale made way for the meeting of four "Old-Europeans" on 29 April. The French, German, Belgian and Luxembourgian heads of governments met to discuss the necessity of co-operation on this.
- The composition at first seems a bit odd and there have been comments suggesting, the meeting means nothing but a special form of electoral campaign. Such critique however misses the crucial political signal connected to it: security is definitely not an exclusive club event of economically and politically powerful states but an all-European task.

Global responsibility

On 2 May the Commander-in-Chief of the American forces, Mr Bush jr, announced the end of large scale engagements in Iraq. Directly militarily involved in the overthrow of the Iraqi regime was only Great Britain. - Mr Blair arguably could have learned in the latest English communal elections how broad the support of the British for that decision is.

Further developments and deeds in Iraq and the USA are mostly of interest for US-citizens. Europeans wishing to get an insight into American politics may consider the "flatiron letters" of Marcia Pally, an American, as recommendation.

Since especially the German influence in Iraq will be at least in the short-term quite low, the "coalition of the unwilling" is obliged to play a role as guardian: on-goings have to be watched carefully so that the Iraqi population will not be deprived of its chance to develop freely and peacefully. Potentially dangerous to that are occupants, their puppets, religious zealots and third states with interests.

In respect to economics, the advent of a "Dutch-disease" scenario should be averted, i.e. the creation of a one-resource economic system. Its consequence would be that a new (old) powerful élite with access to oil revenue will rise and divide such rents among themselves without developing the country or giving the population its share.
- It is these very processes of transformation, in which Europeans had to and could gather valuable experience that e.g. US-Americans lack completely.

(end of article)