Madrid as a Catalyst

The terrorist attacks on Madrid should help the Bush administration and the Europeans patch up their differences and resume a concerted campaign against global terrorism. This is especially true if Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network turns out to have helped plan and execute the disaster.

America’s controversial invasion of Iraq still stands in the way. Indeed, some analysts say the Spanish government’s support of the invasion, against 90 percent of Spanish public opinion, could be the underlying reason for the attack. Still, the horror in Madrid should be a signal to all Europeans and Americans that we all are vulnerable and must get closer together to coordinate intelligence and effective countermeasures.

Patching up has a long distance to go. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s sneering remark about “old Europe” still rankles in Germany and France. The Bush administration reacted to their opposition by stirring up enmity among the American people and especially the strident talk-show hosts.

A sort of barbed olive branch arrived last week in a column headlined “Are We Still All ‘American’?” by the editor of the French newspaper Le Monde, printed in The Wall Street Journal. Jean-Marie Colombani wrote that the French and all Europeans must stand together against al-Qaida. He recalled the shock of the 9-11 destruction and how French and German soldiers, among other nationalities, joined in operations in Afghanistan. But he went on to warn that the Bush doctrine of “pre-emptive war” and signs of a return to protectionism instead of free trade threaten “the very foundation of the historical alliance between the U.S. and Europe.” He said that was why John Kerry was favored in Europe.

Unsurprisingly, The Washington Post’s hawkish Charles Krauthammer cracked back in a column headed “We’re Not all French (Thank God).” He wrote that the French editor’s real meaning was that “We love Americans when they are victims, on their knees and bleeding. We don’t like it when they get off the floor – without checking with us.”

A German essayist, Peter Schneider, took a longer view in an article translated and reprinted by The New York Times. He wrote that the war in Iraq was a magnifying glass that brought older and more fundamental differences between Europe and the United States into focus – differences over war, peace, religion, sex, life and death. He went on to describe what he called “American narcissism,” giving the impression that, “Americans regard the life of their countrymen as infinitely more valuable than the lives of any other of the earth’s inhabitants.” He contended that Americans know little about European thinking, creating a paradox: “A fantastically tolerant and flexible society that has absorbed the whole world yet has difficulty comprehending the world beyond its borders.”

Such criticism may be offensive, although it should be remembered that the French advice in Vietnam was right. More important, Americans will do well to listen to the Europeans because worldwide terrorist attacks mean they need each other, and it would be helpful to understand each other if they hope to understand the enemy they face.