The Europeans Have Never Understood Us

I have a number of points of disagreement with the observations of Walter Russell Mead in his most recent Wall Street Journal column. For example:

After almost two years of Covid-induced absence from Paris and Berlin, I returned to the old world to make a surprising discovery: Europe no longer understands the United States. Between Washington’s shift to the Indo-Pacific, the lingering effects of the Trump presidency (along with fears of a return in 2024), and confusing signals emanating from the Biden administration, neither the Germans nor French know what to expect anymore. That uncertainty further complicates the difficult task of recasting the Atlantic alliance for a turbulent new era.

Let’s stop with that first paragraph. In the earliest part of my career I had the opportunity of living and working in Germany and being immersed in what Germans thought of the U. S. Since then I have worked in the UK and in Italy. Believe me when I say that Europeans have never understood the U. S. There are all sorts of reasons for it including that European elites are actually elite and craft their countries’ foreign policies accordingly with a facility about which American diplomats can only dream. Dr. Mead provides a good explanation:

American interests are global, and American presidents, like it or not, can’t confine their attention to a single world theater. During the Cold War, Western Europe was the primary focus of American foreign policy, but the U.S. also fought two major wars in Asia. The energy crisis has already forced President Biden to pay more attention to the Middle East. China’s efforts to gain influence in the Middle East and Europe will draw Washington’s attention toward its old NATO partners, as will Moscow’s continued alignment with Beijing.

but I fear that may reflect another misunderstanding on his part. For Europeans Europe is the center of the world and they can’t imagine how anyone could think anything else. Germany is focused on Germany to a degree I presume would horrify most Americans.

He continues:

Europeans also have a hard time grasping what the U.S. wants from its old allies in this new struggle. Britain, France and even Germany have sent token military forces to the Pacific this year. Americans appreciate the spirit behind these gestures, but European assistance in the Pacific means less to the U.S. than many Europeans, accustomed to American eagerness for allied participation in places like Afghanistan, expect.

I don’t believe that. I think the German leaders, French leaders, etc. understand quite well what we want from them. However, as Joschka Fischer put it, what they don’t know is how they can keep their jobs if they do what we want.

My advice to Americans is somewhat different than Dr. Mead’s:

To some degree these misunderstandings are due both to the isolation and emotional stress of the pandemic, and with the resumption of travel they will begin to fade. But to the degree that distorted perceptions inform European policy, Americans should think harder about communicating effectively with old allies even as we prepare for new challenges ahead.

I think we should be more concerned about American interests and far less interested in Europe’s interests than are the Europeans. If we pursue our own actual interests (which I think are quite limited) rather than pursuing European, German, British, Israeli, etc. interests, that will be more than enough.