You identify US anti-European sentiment, but you never refute its prime claim. Europe has grown out of touch with the real world and has ceased to have much influence on anything outside of Europe. I am generally anti-Europe. Within a half-century, I believe it will be utterly irrelevant. You never seem to make any argument against that belief. You just give it a name. If you can label it, its automatically discredited?

It seems to me that a lot of what has been labeled "Anti-Europe sentiment" is merely indifference to Europe. I don't know to many people who are actively hostile toward Europe, but I know plenty who feel it's a nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there. Seems a bit touchy for Europeans to interpret this as some kind of animosity.

1. The French are pompous asses. Anybody that wants to understand the difference between the French and us Americans need only watch the scene in HBO's John Adams in which Adams arrives at the French court; compare the way Adams looks to the ridiculous, powder-faced jackassery of the French.

2. I dislike Britain in principle. They're weak, slack-jawed morons that have allowed their government to mutate into a 1984 style system. I also dislike the fact that people can be brought to court over doing things that upset their neighbors. And I also dislike them as a sign of respect for the people that died defending us from their tyranny. The fact that they still have a queen that sucks them dry doesn't help either.

3. Italians are cool. A little racist, but otherwise they're alright.

4. The only thing I have to say about the Dutch is that, during a recent vacation, I passed through the Netherlands on my way back home and I have to say: the Dutch are the pastiest people I've ever seen in my entire life. I swear, it's like I saw Draco Malfoy clones all around me.

5. The Irish are cool. Anybody that's fought against the British is cool with me.

6. Germans are weird. They're nice and all, but there's just something about them that I can't put my figure on.

7. I haven't had much contact with any Spanish people, so...

8. The Greeks: too obsessed with themselves and the accomplishments of Greek people that lived thousands of years ago. I also don't like how they feel the need to add "Greek" before so much of their food and drinks. Everybody knows you didn't invent Turkish coffee!

9. Scandanavians: the only thing bit of culture to come out of the region for the last 20 years (death metal)=garbage.

10. And Eastern Europe countries are too insignificant to care about.

I love how Americans consider themselves protectors of the world. They disregarded their own Monroe-doctrine to intervene in Europe, came for the spoils when the Nazis were already broken by the Soviets and ever since they start one war after another. You call this „protecting the world”? The only thing the world needs protection from is American colonialism!

I don't think there is a hostile attitude in America towards Europe, and vice versa. It's more of a dismissive attitude, with a sprinkling of contempt. This is sad to me, given that without Europe there would be no Western civilization and all of the great things they brought to the world. A majority of Americans share a cultural, historical, spiritual, and racial kinship with Europe, and that is something they should never deny.

However, I do believe that Europe has lost it's way, no longer are they the magnificent innovators and empire-builders of their father's time, opted instead for a slow demographic and cultural death . But they are as well be a mirror to America's eventual fate. This saddens me. At a time when America and Europe are drifting apart, they should be working closely to save Western civilization.

from many of these comments that the author is right about anti-European bigotry. If you are indifferent to Europe, or just disagree with how they operate or whatever, fine. But this beliggerant crap about them being weak and decadent, balh blah blah is just garbage. Who are you to tell an entire continent how to live? The US has been spolied, both literally and figuratively. We are lucky to be safely tucked between two oceans and have no real threats on our borders. We have not had our entire continent destroyed in two world wars, if we had, maybe we'd be a little gunshy as well. It's perfectly fine for the US to follow its self-interests, but hating on Europe just because it's different is sheer childishness. Chest-thumping American exceptionalism is for shallow meatheads who need to feel superior.

Citing "American ignorance" as a major source of weakness in the U.S.-EU relationship is as intellectually dubious as it is insulting. The smug superiority that underlies the arguments in this article seem to imply that America would completely embrace Europe if we could only over come our crippling ignorance. The author cites waitresses in Arkansas, Bible Belt Evangelists, and Mid-West Xenophobes as proof of this fact. These observations are entirely anecdotal, with the exception of a paper from the European University Institute, which seems to suffer from the same observer bias problems. The actual problems in the U.S.-EU relationship are far wonkier, and are rooted in differences of policy, not the alleged ignorance of average American people. One need only take a cursory look at the UK, for example, to see that these problems are not unique to the good old US of A. British school children can't find the UK on the map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6074202.stm) and the BNP has been elevated to a position of social and political prominence (U.S. politicians at least have to politely veil their racism). Additionally I can't help but wonder how intelligent the average UK waitress or cab driver is...

Furthermore, it seems that author seeks to edify himself and his fellow Europeans by arguing that opposing Europe is central to America's identity. Don't flatter yourself big guy, there's more to us than that.

I agree wholeheartedly that relations need to be improved, but this appears to be more of a political than cultural problem. Stop calling us stupid and look at the issues. The "dumb American" argument is easy to make, and might make you feel good about yourself, but it doesn't begin to explain the problems in our relationship.

Americans believe in things, Europeans does not. I'm generalizing of course, but I think that is the heart of the problem. The similarities obscure this critical difference and makes a lack of understanding inevitable.
Despite this I expect that, some, common interests will make Europe and the U.S. continue to stumble in the same direction.

It’s interesting he first cites Krauthammer. Sounds like self-righteous Euro internationalists and Neocon Zionists arguing over who gets to be America’s number one freerider.

The writer brings up several annecdotes like a cab driver in Virginia not knowing about the UK but you could also fill an article with stories of American tourists being treated like garbage in France or lectured about Bush in Germany. These stories only encourage negative stereotypes. On my tripts to Ireland, England, Germany and Italy I always found the people nice, fun and respectable.

Hmm, Mr. Tisdal says Americans are xenophobic, opportunistic, shallow, uninformed, envious, suffering from, by turns, cultural inferiority and superiority complexes and are both ignorant and indifferent to things European.

Of course, Mr. Tisdall does provide a lot of psychobabble as evidence of America's deranged state of mind and unreasoning bigotry. Of course, Mr. Tisdall is also not short of all sorts of name calling. Mr. Krauthammer charges go unrebutted by Mr. Tisdall, but he assures us that Mr. Krauthhammer is a clown - with a European sounding name.

Then, after all the ad hominems and unsubstantiated anecdotes and gross generalizations, Mr. Tisdall asks why we all, Americans and Europeans, can't just get along.

With all of his irrefutable evidence, I'm beginning to wonder myself. How does one man mange to destroy his own argument by making it? Physician, heal thyself.

As others have commented, the US (both its government and its people) is more indifferent to Europe than antagonistic towards it. The myth in Europe of “American anti-Europeanism” likely originates from the distress in European policy circles that the US no longer deems Europe a strategic priority; it now plays second fiddle to East Asia, Latin America, and South Asia. Strange, as well, that you focus on the supposed strength of the EU, and the “success” of the Euro experiment as reason that the US needs to pay more attention to Europe. This, in a time of crisis that has exposed the massive divisions that continue to exist within the European Union, with the potential for the abandonment of the Euro more likely than ever. The failure of European countries to even try and develop a unified monetary policy is perhaps the best example of the fissures that remain wide open.

Beyond that, your article is filled with anecdotes and broad generalizations that I would only expect from a news journalist. The caricature of the woman who asked what language is spoken in Britain is especially funny to me because I’ve had Brits ask the same question to me about America. Your stereotypes insult the reader’s intelligence, especially your claim that Mid-Westerners are xenophobic, as you fail to see what is so obvious to the rest of us: anger towards the outsourcing of jobs is a very different thing than hatred towards immigrants. And speaking of xenophobia, I’ve seen worse racism in the most cosmopolitan of European cities than I have in the most rural, backwater towns in the American South. The US continues to succeed in integrating its immigrant population, while Europe can’t figure out why it continues to fail.

If anything, your piece is nothing more than a line in a long list of rants by Europeans about the US. You continually complain that the US is arrogant, that we don’t pay enough attention to Europe’s needs, that we are unwilling to work with you. You assert that our power is declining and that the 21st Century will be the Century of Europe. But the fact of the matter is that Europe has become irrelevant, while the US, perhaps less powerful than 10 years ago, is still top dog. The United States underwrites the global economic system while Europe sits idly by. So if you’re not going to pitch in, then just get out of the way and stop complaining.

This entire concept is reductive and silly: jaded, effete scion versus virile but uncouth brute. Surely there are better topics for discussion.

And since the notion that the shared values, heritage and perspective that unite the United States and its European allies are somehow less significant than than our negligible divisions is utterly risible, how about an entirely different, and bold, idea: that the citizens of all our respective nations unite more fully and effectively, shedding rather than reflexively embracing the artificial and political distinctions that would hinder such an effort.

Unlike many Americans I am neither indifferent nor hostile to Europe, having studied and admired it's culture and history for my entire professional (and personal) life. I even enjoy Tisdall's regular columns at times.

The analysis here is fair only in a certain context ... that of giving some examples of right-wing anti-Europeanism that is delusional and shallow. To use comments by U.S. citizens showing their ignorance of Europe is a bit weak ... they were not hostile nor anti-European, just plain stupid and naive. And dare we question some European (or Asian for that matter) citizens on their knowledge of the U.S. or other countries?

The fact that right-wingers like Lacquer (btw, he was born in Poland) and Thornton publish books that are hostile towards Europe is the same as taking every piece that is published in the author's own Guardian CIF pages as examples of rampant European anti-Americanism.

No doubt the U.S. and Europe will need each other in a more complex world which challenges their values and various forms of social organization. But the continued carping of normally balanced commentators like Tisdall will not help that cause.

All this arguing between the US and EU in kind of cute. Unfortunately, both the US and EU are becoming less significant every day. At the end of the day (and I hope I am wrong on this), China and India are going to be the next world powers. All this bickering whose continent is more insignificant is rather pointless. We're both insignificant. Deal with it. Europe had its day a few centuries ago. The US had its day between 1946 to 1995 (give or take). Empires get big, then the fall. Then they wait their turn to become world powers again.

Who knows, maybe Dufar will be the richest nation in the world bailing everyone out with foreign aid in 2500.

WastingtonDC:
America's ignorant, narcissistic anti-Europeanism is an embarrassment.
BY SIMON TISDALL | JULY 15, 2010

Read below, noteworthy Quotes, from Tisdall's unforgivable rant:

"the spluttering Krauthammer inadvertently revealed that he suffered from the very problem"

"Uncertain whether to laugh or cry, Europeans ask: Is this sort of thing to be taken seriously? What is going on? For let's be honest: Krauthammer is a bit of a clown."

"And he has a very European surname."

With the passing of WF Buckley, sapient Americans include the gentleman journalist Charles Krauthammer high up, on our short list to take our sainted Bill's place, as conservative spokesman in chief, for the endangered American Republic. His millions of fans agonize, hurting deeply and personally, with me, when our chief spokesman's incredibly heroic, and obviously painful efforts to overcome terrible health problems that Tisdall's editors are apparently unaware of, or simply choose to allow their staffer to mock in print, fail him, and "the very problem" that Dr. Krauthammer suffers from, becomes and impediment to his delightful commentary, as he speaks truth to power, for every American citizen. It is sickening to see these clearly hard fought medical symptoms so viciously mis-characterized, as "sputtering". Krauthammer's millions of American fans would I believe, instantly recommend that the writer be dismissed, as in my personal opinion, he would be, from any reputable media source, if my evolving opinion of the offense these quotes may well comprise proves correct.

Needless to say, Krauthammer's speech, albeit sometimes mildly impeded, and carrying with it, the pain his clearly medically caused condition shares with his millions of loyal fans, charms more viewers than all the failing Lame Stream Media networks can draw, together, during the time his commentary is aired, nightly.

We can skip lightly over the inanity of the unsupportable personal Tisdall attack quote, that ends in the lamentable word "clown", as we have not seen any representation that the author has the slightest standing to make such unfounded and unsupportable remarks.

The last quote, ending in "very European surname." does not allow of any comment that might be printed, in many of the very European countries Tisdall purports to have mastered a vast depth of knowledge about. Considering the widely disparate range of various European nation's liable laws, and criminal statutes in those countries still most justifiably sensitive to the WWII era crimes against humanity, including some millions of them with the same ethnic origins that I believe we have heard Mr. Krauthammer mention that he shares, during a recent holiday celebration, I would not dare approve that quote for publication, nor even mention here, the words to describe the possibly coyly veiled offense it might conceivably; in some jurisdictional quarters, be proved to contain.

Were I charged with editing the incredible series of quotes set out above, I would seek out, and bring to my publisher, along with my recommendation for summary dismissal of the writer, a legal staff's opinion, as to whether the publisher could possibly be prosecuted, or indicted for a criminal offense, by printing that last line, in some European jurisdictions. While the slight depth of my legal knowledge may well not exceed the depth of Tisdall's European history awareness, I personally find the whole tirade against a gentleman journalist, one who appears to be struggling with a wheelchair, morally repugnant, and I would inform the publisher of my personal opinion, that one or other European legal authorities might just hold that it matters not that it may have been printed innocently, or as a simpleton's snide stupidity that slipped by busy editors, or some non English speaking assistant, or one unaware of European history regarding it's possible ethnic offense potential. I would ask the publishers legal staff lawyers if it appears, on the face of it, that printing those four words, “a very European surname.”could be a criminal offense that would bring an indictment, in a number of European nations still cogently aware of the crimes against humanity committed in Europe, against the forebears, of our beloved Charles Krauthammer's "very European surname.

But then, I doubt an editor, or publisher that would allow many of those words to see print, would have any great concern for my personal opinions, or for those of several hundred million American citizens who revere one of our most courageous and capable journalists. Mr Tisdall might be more sensitive to our great conservative journalist’s situation, were he to have write a few million words as well received at those Krauthammer has published. If Mr Tisdall is ever shown to have rolled a few hundred miles in Charle’s wheel chair’s tracks, enduring the pain and inconvenience of similar medical conditions, and to have displayed one tenth the courage and grit, shear intestinal fortitude, that Charles has shown in producing his extensive and very well received content, while enduring the various medical, mobility, and other limitations it appears he may be suffering, I will not change my personal opinion, that this article is a vicious personal attack, on a vastly talented, and vastly burdened gentleman, but I will admit, that Mr Tisdall might have demonstrated that he has more standing, and possibly a better understanding of the matter, than those of us who walked, pain free, over to our computers to begin our daily writings.

While it is possible to categorise the US, I don’t see it as meaningful to do so with Europe since the differences between European nations are too great. For all the paper shuffling that goes on in Brussels, Europe is basically an open trade area with a degree of cross-subsidisation but which doesn’t even share a language. If there is one thing that unites the disparate European peoples against the US it is distaste for those, apparently self-perpetuating, US military adventures to which they are expected to make financial and manpower contributions. US anti-European attitudes are probably little more than intuitive responses to that distaste fleshed out with stereotypical prejudices.

If there is any arrogance in the equation, it is visible in US attitudes towards the Europeans. I have in mind the huffing and puffing when a US student was found guilty of a murder that, while not perhaps uncommon in the US, was deeply shocking to the people of Perugia. Equally, there is a current move by the Senate to have the State Department look for links between BP and the release of the Lockerbie bomber, a move of such astonishing impertinence to the Scottish Judiciary that it can only be attributed to blind arrogance. Similarly, in this thread, we have COUNTCHOCULA1011 rabbiting on in sublime ignorance about things she does not understand, like the role of the Queen of England who is, quite independently, Head of State of 16 other nations, and Head of the Commonwealth which has a combined population of almost one third of all people on the Earth.

Having no extensive culture of its own, the US found one beyond the portal of Presbyterianism where the path leads back through Jewish history and Jewish mythology to the Garden of Eden. Most European nations, on the other hand, trace their cultural origins back through Rome and Greece, the world of the Hesiod and the azure chalice of the gods, and if they connect up with anything earlier it is likely Egyptian or Mesopotamian. In terms of very long scale developments this sort of thing has much deeper significance than might at first appear.

Since the Great Wars, the US has been confident that it has Europe in its back pocket. However, the button may be working loose. Russia is much closer geographically and, now it has shed Communism, its cultural affinities are re-emerging; the last Empress was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, after all. Russia has the oil and gas that Europe needs, and while she is fierce as a guard dog, she is not a knee-jerk militarist I would not anticipate a complete break with the US in favour of alignment with Russia, rather something more like the line Turkey is adopting in its own field, right hand to one and left to the other.

But to be honest.. most Americans don't even think of Europe until we hear someone with a funny accent on television. The majority of the American population do not care what goes on over "there". I know that feeds into a lot of your stereotypes and this may make a few of my U.S buddies on here a little pissed.. but seriously.

I think the perceived problem lies more so with Europeans not willing to recognize that America is indeed, a completely different country with different aspirations and culture. Yeah we are free to work hard and buy stuff and soak up our pop culture (a point that seems to come up every time i encounter discussions like this one) but does that constitute us as dummies? why do we have to be so stupid all the time? I mean... how smart are the Europeans? Seriously i would really like to know the VAST difference

If you can tell by the tone in this forum, most Americans don't really have a problem with Europeans until broad generalizations about the U.S. are drawn. Especially if you've never been here. As mystical and different the asian culture can be i would never speak ill of it just because i don't understand.

An interesting thing about our culture is that we are bred to have natural juxtaposition on your criticism about us . we have this thing called "free speech" and debate is very much encouraged.. We can easily agree to disagree without harboring too many hard feelings. Trust me we know some of the foolisness we can convey TO EACH OTHER but that's the beauty of our country, you literally have the choice to do, be or say whatever the hell you want to. We are also very complex as we are presented with a myriad of images, cultures, creed's, religions, rhetoric daily and even if we aren't directly influenced by them. We don't pass judgment TOO soon unless something warrants us to do so. Not saying that there aren't any exceptions, but if we are making generalizations I figured i put some valid ones out there. ..

Most people in the US recognize that it's completely different thousands of miles across the ocean and don't expect too many similarities. Why can't more Europeans feel the same way?

every European i have met visiting the states have been literally SHOCKED at how nice we are over here. I mean every time i meet someone from pairs, London, Germany wherever that's the first thing they point out followed by a statement like or close to "i don't care what anyone says Americans are the nicest people on the face of the earth". freaks me out on so many levels

I suscribe to Foreign Affairs and this article about US/Europe relations and it's imminent demise have been written over and over albeit by better writers. I am just getting sick of them.

Do Europe and the US have differences and disagreements, of course. When you look at our relationship in the context of past history it's a pretty amazing feat that our relations are as good as they are. Both sides are huge in population and economy but get along pretty well. I think this article and those like written lately are the product of writers that try to pick on these differences because let's face it if you write about US/European relations for a living there isn't much to go to press about. All the good foreign affairs stuff is coming out of the Middle East and Asia.

This article on it's own is poorly written. Adding anecdotes about the ignorant american. That's what hacks add to their writing because they don't have the intelligence to come up with something more germane. What are the big problems with US/Europe relations? No mention of trade problems nor of climate change disagreements just a litany of quotes and anecdotes. The real crime here is that an editor let this article get published.

First, you start by calling Krauthammer a clown. Then you go on to make his case for him. In your case, you have made a cogent argument and come up with the wrong conclusion.

Fact are facts, man. Your sentiment that Europe is somehow a leader is ludicrous. Europe - and every nation in it - does not have the collective leadership ability to make a decision to wipe your collective arses. Europe is a dying continent, a people that have such a strong entitlement mentality that they cannot work, a people that have such a narcissistic self image that they won't even reproduce. You are being taken over by the Muslims, within a generation or at most two, you will be under Sharia Law. And as an American, I generally don't give a rip. Take your socialism and let it be the coffin you die in.

Our current administration - Obama - is a weak, cowardly, scheming, conniving, and generally disgusting Kenyan. The backlash against him in this country for his sniveling and disgusting groveling in Europe will be strong. You mistake our patience and our trust in the electorate system for weakness and for following this poor excuse for a coward; we are not weak, we neither respect Obama nor do we follow him. Don't suppose that his overtures towards Europe or the rest of the world are shared by the American people. We seem to have caught this liberalism disease from you, but there are a majority of us that know this and are fighting back.

Europe has been sucking on the American tit since before WW2. Your whole generation is nothing but a bunch of weak, dependent, arrogant bluebloods. You rely on the strength that was in Europe generations ago for your boasting. Nearly every child of every strong man in the 1800's Royal Navy is now an American. But you forget that your inability to defend or rule yourselves is what led to our forefathers leaving Europe generations ago, and carving America out of the wilderness. The strong left, leaving the weak - your fathers. You prove evolution - at least, the smallest part of it. If you evolve into another species, it will be called homo cowardus.

Reading things like this cause me to despise Europe. You have no morals, no God, no conscience, no wisdom, and no humility. You pride yourselves on your intellect, but you know less than the ants in the ground - you fiddle while your cities burn, and you collectively pacify anyone that would kill you. You will starve when the winter comes, you grasshoppers.

I just hope my country does not catch your disease, for you are contagious.

Mr. Tisdall, you cherry-pick with anecdotes sprinkled with a few choice cliches to prove you biases and you confuse ignorance with indifference. About our inability to “win” in Iraq and Afghanistan, if our goal was and continues to be containment of a threat (think of anti-malware programs that offer quarantine and delete options), then we have largely been successful. Obviously, if winning means establishing political and economic stability, then we have a ways to go. The key here is that at least we're trying, which is more than can be said for most European countries. But these are political decisions to be recast and ridiculed by those who know better from behind their desks in ivory towers.

all I see is a diverse set of middling states. The EU doesn't mean much as A world power. To get things done outside the EU, the US needs to negotiate with UK, Germany, France, etc.

I think there is a general frustration that there isn't A partner in Europe like there is in China or Russia.

Otherwise, nothing new here great powers will do as they will and weak powers will suffer what they must.

I think we should categorize our differences, some are simply differences and better remain that way and some are stuff that can be improved and should be learned from each other.

I personally disagree with many European policies however I think at the end of the day it's us and the Europeans who share a lot of things from culture to mutual interests and we shouldn't really get this anti-Euro out of control.

I have heard many description of the US.

The one I like best is "The US is the Special Needs Child of the world. It is sometimes very clever, and sometimes very beautiful ... but you would not trust it with a pair of scissors."

What we think is the future of Europe has nothing to do with whether we are pro-Europe. I think Europe's future is dim (for the reasons given in the cited books with this thesis), but I think America is also on a parallel downhill slide as the portion of our own population that is of European ancestry likewise becomes smaller and less moral. _Maybe_ the beneficiaries of our uncontrolled immigration will prove more assimilable than those of Europe, but that's no sure thing. My sadness for the future doesn't make me love America any less. Nor would my pessimism about Europe's future cause me to resent Europe.

As for Americans' feelings towards Europe, let's look at the numbers. Roughly half of Americans are Republicans, and Europeans have made their contempt for this half pretty obvious. We know this goes way beyond disagreement with Bush's Iraq policy -- that even if there had been no invasion of Iraq, Europeans would still despise us for various other reasons (e.g., being sincerely Christian, believing in the individual right to keep and bear arms, not abolishing the death penalty).

What Europeans may not realize is that this Republican half includes perhaps two-thirds the Americans of European ancestry (the Americans who would have been most likely to care about Europe). Among the Democrats, half of them I admit are white pro-European left-leaners, but the other 50% of the Democrats consists of blacks and Latinos. Black Americans are no more interested in Europe than the most insular white Americans; they vote Democrat in the hope of more money from the government , and they would tend to resent any policy that might divert money from domestic social programs to the defense of Europe. Latino immigrants largely stem from their home countries' lower classes; their ancestry is not so much European as Native American. For historical reasons, they tend to resent Europeans.

So Europeans have created the situation in which 25% of Americans are pro-Europe, 25% of Americans are utterly indifferent (at best), and 50% of Americans mirror Europeans' contempt for them. These are not such great numbers.

As for me, I have my own agenda. I, personally, will be as sympathetic towards Europe as Europeans are sympathetic towards Israel. Judging by the tone of the BBC, that's not very sympathetic at all.

I'm not sure that America's ignorant, narcissistic anti-Europeanism is any more embarrassing than Europe's ignorant, narcissistic anti-Americanism. This article is a good example.

You start out with "Europeans were too often guilty of an "insidious" anti-Americanism while Americans had at times "shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" of Europe's achievements. " But all you wish to focus on is the Americans showing arrogance and being dismissive, even derisive part. You quote a handful of ill-informed Americans, as if they represent every American. When David Tennant (British actor, Doctor Who fame) was asked what the capital of Denmark was, he said Bruges. That doesn't mean that all, or most, British people would have answered that way, or that he is stupid or uneducated. Likewise, all Americans can not be held accountable for the question of a single waitress. That is poor journalism in the best of situations, but in this case it calls into question the validity of your entire discussion, or at least your ability of any level of objectivity.

"The European collectivist "soft power" model is under serious challenge after the near implosion of the European Union's vaunted Constitution and amid bitter argument over Greece's bankruptcy bailout and the euro's possible collapse. The American "hard power" model has been undermined by the U.S. military's inability to "win" two major wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by the global financial crisis, a capitalist heart attack from which the patient has yet to recover."

This is probably the crux of the matter and nearest what Tisdall comes to pin point what is going on here. My favorite argument is Americans see where the VAT lubricated entitlement train leads in Europe. With such high taxation, Americans see that Europe got addicted to unaffordable entitlement paying State and in the process lost any ability to compete with China and other emerging world powers. Americans fear that that is where this country will go. As is obvious, GOP and Tea Party are exploiting such a fear to the hilt (Health Care Reform bill is the blatant example of that). The collateral damage of this fear is the tendency to 'go away from anything European' within this country.

On the other hand, what would save Americans from their military overreach which is plundering their treasury and making them dependent on Chinese lending? Neither Europe has ever bothered to pay for any serious military capabilities after WWII nor any commendable & effective pacifist traditions are presented to the world by Europe. Essentially Europe has conveniently decided that USA is the police of the world, let it run the world, let it take the burden with consequent high military spending and modern Roman Legions on borrowed money while Europeans will continue to sip Chardonnay on their Mediterranean beaches. Further, Europe always does a great job of mourning and post killing 'communal healing'; but just don't ask Europe to do any preventive actions to stop any such killing. (Here is the link and photos of that shameful chapter in European history in recent times - Srebrenica massacre.) So it is not Europe where Americans are going to find any wherewithal or leadership insights to wean away from her mounting military engagements. If at all, Americans will have to return to their roots in history where so many of American leaders showed the path of 'intelligent isolation' and the approach of minding America's own business only. Europe does not come into the picture here and as a result - 'Europe, what is Europe?' reactions come from Americans.

"Don't forget who saved your ass twice, buddy. If it wasn't for the good ole US of A you'd all be speaking German!"

That was then, but present is different. I believe this is where Tisdall drops the ball. Obama Administration is sensing, rightly, that the center of gravity in Europe is slowly crystallizing with Germans even though not whole of Europe will be talking in German. Merkel's Germany, her Conservative policies and her emphasis on 'austerity in the middle of recession' do clash with Obama and the Keynesian philosophy his Administration generally follows. But Larry Summers and White House are not blind to see the admirable performance of the German Export machine, even though it is coming at the cost of other European nations. The way things are unfolding in post Euro crisis Europe, it is clear that either way - whether Euro remains a single currency progressing along the currently charted path or Euro unravels under the crushing weight of debt and subdued recovery - Germany is going to be the true power which matters. Given that, better relationship with Europe means practically keeping Germans happy. Naturally, Obama Administration and for that matter any American Administration, would like to simplify / reduce the task of managing foreign relations with Europe. Who wants to deal with the unwieldy contraption called Europe with all its contradictions so manifest when more or less the same result is obtained by dealing with only one single nation state called Germany? I am not sure whether it is the 'British thingy' which prohibits Tisdall to see the increasing super heavy weight status of Germany in the world affairs and blinds him from seeing how America is entailing more with Germany.

There is one more country in Europe which is likely to matter more in days to come - Poland which is on a solid economic and political upswing. Again it makes sense for America to focus on a specific country rather than spreading the love all cross the Europe. In other words, there is still lot going on in America's interactions with Europe, it is just that it is likely to be more focused on certain countries than the entire Europe as a single entity. That is how it should be too. Until the time these existing and emerging powers within Europe completely submerge their national interests with the European Union so as it becomes a cohesive, single political entity; it is hard to fault outside powers like USA when they interact more on individual nation by nation basis. Recent political and financial earthquakes in Europe simply encourage this trend.

http://www.21stcenturypolitics.com/

What do we need in Europe? Let the Europeans take care of their issues and close our bases, bring home the troops that are long overdue, and either let the Muslims, Russia, or whoever have at it.

The USA would do well to focus on Central and South America, Africa, and then Asia and quit giving a care about Europe. It is not worth defending. Europe is the source of two World War's, having to protect during the Cold War, everything in Africa is all tied back to the horrors of colonization, let it go and if it can measure up great but who cares otherwise?

Euroweenie! I love it! That is what I call my Viennese husband. He calls me a Crapitalist! LOL! Seriously, it is true that many Americans don't know much (or care to know) about the outside the USA. Why? Because it is a big place. Our borders are vast. Those people in high immigration areas will know more because they come in contact with newcomers. Still, my husband goes on and on about how much "culture" we don't have, but yet, whenever I visit Europe, I have to pay to use every toilet, go down (or up) several fights of stairs to do so, and wait at least a day for clean clothes (since dryers haven't made it ot Europe yet). I'd rather be culture deficient frankly. I think you are wrong on a few points. Americans are indifferent and Europeans are more arrogant. Many of your points are valid though.

Even with the numerous factual innacuracies in this article; Europe's unemployment and public deficit are both less than that in the USA and more importantly, European debt is not held predominantly by the Peoples Rebublic Of China, this article raises a number of relevant issues for our future relations.

The USA, Europe and whomever else, will continue to persue policies that best suit their own interest. As the USA's political and economic power ebbs, Europe will form alliances elswhere.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, the world looked to the USA for guidance and aspired to its values. They don't today.

I think this antipathy has real reasons. The main reason is the U.S. foreign policy. And there is nothing about it. Amanda from hidden object games news, crazy taxi tips, best mahjong clubs, hidden object games free.