Bush to cajole wary Europeans by Paul Reynolds
On his visit to Europe this week, US President George W Bush will seek to make friends, but will have trouble influencing people. Despite his charm offensive, there are too many issues dividing the US from much of Europe to enable peace to be declared on all fronts. Nevertheless, there will be efforts towards finding a way forward on some of these problems, though some of this is papering over the differences. Mr. Bush said: "Part of my reason I'm going to Europe is to share my sense of optimism and enthusiasm about what's taking place [in Iraq] and remind people that those values of human rights, human dignity, and freedom are the core of our very being as nations."
An indication as to how seriously divisions between the US and Europe must be taken has come in a document issued by a US think-tank in advance of the visit. Signed by 50 foreign policy professionals from both sides, the Brookings Institute's document, called "A Compact between The United States and Europe", goes beyond the usual waffle in these kinds of papers. It offers specific proposals for the various policy issues of the day and calls for compromise all round. It declares: "American policies spark hostility among Europeans, or vice-versa. That hostility, in turn, convinces leaders on both sides that they have no choice but to go it alone. This vicious cycle benefits no one and must stop."
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