The Economist agrees: Europe stinks!

The British magazine The Economist has a cover story about America titled “Greatest Danger, or Greatest Hope?” Generally speaking, the Brits think we’re good (hooray!) if a little imperious. But check out this riff on France some other Europeans:

Given that foreign voices were so keen to disparage America for withdrawing from Somalia in 1994, for failing for years to intervene in the Balkans, for having “allowed” the Taliban to take power in Afghanistan, and for being reluctant recently to send troops to Liberia, why should so many be hostile now to intervention in Iraq?

One answer to this final question is that incoherence is one of the luxuries of impotence. Those who cannot, or will not, take responsibility themselves feel free to snipe at those who do. Another is that it is natural to feel afraid when dramatic, ambitious actions are being undertaken, for the consequences of such actions can themselves be dramatic.

Oof! That’s gonna leave a mark.