Clowns to the West of us, Jokers to the East, here we are...

US Website TPM Cafe reports that some US Neo-Cons have launched a "Committee for A Strong Europe". There's not much hard information on this, all I can find is a French-language website , A L'Heure Americaine which links to its Statement of Intent.:

We, Europeans and Americans committed to the defense and promotion of freedom in a dangerous world, have come together to create The Committee for a Strong Europe. Our belief is that a Europe whose foreign policy is strategically sound and morally grounded, and whose nations are strong economically and militarily, can be a responsible and important actor on the world stage. The United States has a deep and abiding interest in a strong, capable, and independent Europe able to wield significant influence around the globe. Our conviction is that a strong Europe can act effectively in concert with the United States to deal with the threats we face, and to take advantage of the opportunities we share to expand freedom around the globe and to shape a world in which liberal and democratic principles flourish.


Guiding Principles of The Committee For A Strong Europe


- We believe that the desire for freedom is universal--unbounded by culture, religion or geography.


- We believe that a strong partnership between the United States and Europe is crucial to the defense and promotion of freedom for all nations.


- We believe both Europe and the United States must have strong and free economies that encourage entrepreneurship and individual initiative and responsibility.


- We believe both the United States and Europe should invest adequately in their armed forces so as to have strong militaries capable of serving in a wide variety of missions around the world.


- We believe that all free nations must fight terrorism and adopt policies that challenge states that harbor or support terrorists.


- We believe that all free nations have an obligation to aid those living in tyranny, and that regimes that subjugate their own people at home will not be reliable friends and allies.



Europe's strength today risks being undermined by a lack of strategic clarity, by the threat of economic stagnation, and by declining military strength. This is not in Europe's interest, nor that of the United States. Our goal is a United States that works with Europe, and a Europe that works with the United States.


There is no doubt that the United States and Europe face major challenges today and in the years to come. But with a Europe animated by a clear sense of resolve, and a United States committed to working in genuine partnership with its European allies, the cause of liberty can prevail. We intend to work together to help it do so.



All seems admirable. But I rather suspect that when they write about a foreign policy that is "strategically sound and morally grounded" , they are basically looking for allies to back up whatever the US wants to do next.

It will be interesting to see just how significant this committee will be... there's a suggestion on A L'Heure Americaine that former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar will be the honorary president. The next question is ... will Tony Blair get involved?

Mr Blair , incidentally, sees Russia's President Putin today. The BBC reports that soon Russia will supply 50% of the EU's natural gas needs.

So exactly who is going to have more influence - the Neo-Cons to the West, or the Oil Tsars to the East?