The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.45           December 14, 1998 
 
 
London, Paris Deal Threatens U.S. Hegemony In Europe  

BY ARGIRIS MALAPANIS
A new deal on military policy between the British and French governments, and growing strains within the reactionary NATO alliance stemming from intensified interimperialist competition and shifting alignments between these capitalist powers, threaten Washington's hegemony as the number one economic and military power in Europe.

London and Paris have agreed on a joint initiative that would give the European Union (EU) a role in military affairs on the continent and beyond for the first time, officials from both governments announced December 1. The accord involves dissolving the Western European Union (WEU) - pushed earlier by Paris and Bonn as the emerging military arm of capitalist powers in western Europe - and transferring its rudimentary military assets to the EU directly.

"The objective is to launch a defense policy that would strengthen Europe's image and ability to act in regional crises or other missions," said a front-page article in the December 2 International Herald Tribune. "For both countries, an official said in London, the bottom line is that `individually, our countries can only field marginal forces alone or with the Americans, but together we could put 30,000 men on the line and make ourselves noticed by anyone.' "

London and Paris are the main imperialist powers in Europe that can quickly deploy combat forces abroad. For London, the deal may signify a weakening of its long-term "special relationship" with Washington. For decades, this "relationship" has been the cornerstone of an imperialist military alliance in Europe that aims to overturn the workers states in Eastern Europe and counter struggles of workers and farmers in other parts of the world. Not too long ago, British government officials were assailing attempts to boost the role of the WEU for interventions abroad, and were singing praise to NATO. "I don't see any serious possibility that the WEU could be suitable to carry out a serious combat-related task," said Malcolm Rifkind two years ago. Rifkind was the British foreign secretary of the Conservative government that ruled prior to the victory of Anthony Blair's Labour Party.

For Paris, the deal indicates a smoothing over of its often adversarial relationship with its British rivals, in order advance its open challenge to U.S. military dominance in Europe through NATO. The French rulers have refused to rejoin NATO's military wing, after Washington bluntly turned down French demands that NATO's southern command be controlled by military officers from one of the EU countries.

While Washington is officially not opposed to the European Union taking on military powers, the Tribune said, "many policymakers have feared that the change risked blurring command authority in the alliance," that is, NATO. "In particular, some U.S. officials fear that an independent European military capability could lead to paralyzing quarrels in the alliance's councils and to political rivalry that could undermine America's role in Europe's military security."

In a related development, Washington rejected about a week earlier a proposal by the new Social Democratic/Greens coalition government of Germany that NATO pledge never to be the first to use nuclear weapons.

"It is an integral part of our strategic concept and we think it should remain exactly as it is," U.S. defense secretary William Cohen responded November 23, referring to Washington's insistence on maintaining a nuclear first-strike threat.

The November 28 New York Times published a front-page article that indicated further strains within NATO. It was titled, "A policy struggle within NATO: U.S. plan for widening scope raises opposition of allies."

Washington is seeking to broaden NATO's mandate to give the imperialist alliance a freer hand in intervening beyond Europe's borders to where the U.S. rulers, who call the shots in NATO, deem the alliance's "interests" are threatened. The U.S. government is also seeking to include a stipulation in a new NATO "vision" statement that military action by NATO does not require authorization from the United Nations Security Council.

"The proposals are running into European opposition that threatens to undermine a 50th-anniversary NATO summit meeting in Washington in April," the Times article said. "France, always concerned with what it sometimes calls American hegemony and keen to develop Europe's own military abilities, and Germany... are among those wary of giving NATO too sweeping a mission. Russia is also deeply concerned."

Underneath these strains on the military front is fiercer economic competition among the main imperialist powers on the two sides of the Atlantic, amidst a world deflationary crisis that's worsening.

Just recently, Washington threatened to raise import taxes to 100 percent on a range of products from EU countries if the European Union fails to change its current policies on the banana trade.

The December 3 New York Times and other major big-business dailies reported on Boeing's announcement that it would layoff another 20,000 employees over the next two years, on top of cutting 28,000 jobs the company had previously announced. The Times pointed to lower than expected profit rates for the aerospace giant and increased competition from rivals in Europe, particularly the French Airbus.

Paris and Bonn have pushed the establishment of an EU common currency, the "euro," as a way to undercut Washington's economic superiority. While these efforts may be bearing some fruit vis-a-vis Washington, the much touted prospect of a "united Europe" remains a myth.

"Storm cloud over the EU," was the lead headline of the December 2 International Herald Tribune. "A deepening policy rift between France and Germany is threatening to paralyze efforts to reform the 15-nation European Union," the paper said in a front-page article. "The divisions between Paris and Bonn... were laid bare Tuesday [December 1] on a wide range of issues following a two-day summit meeting that illustrated how competing national interests are pushing the two allies apart."

One of the main disputes is the demand by the German government to cut significantly Bonn's payments of $12 billion per year, the largest contribution to the EU budget, and curtailing the program of farm subsidies that amounts to some 70 percent of the EU budget. Paris, which receives a heftier share of the farm subsidies than any other member, is vehemently opposed to such cuts. France remains the number-two exporter of farm products in the world, following the United States. Paris - a major nuclear power, unlike Bonn - is also opposed to the German proposal of renouncing first-use of nuclear weapons.

 
 
 
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