Remember the new French world order? A brilliant multipolar world, a sort of 19th century continentalism writ large -- weak ideological ties, opportunistic adventurism, big powers competing for little powers, neat chessboard wars one can pencil in every 20 years or so.

And spoiling the brilliance, the fun, was yahoo America moping after the old cultural and ideological unities, economic ties and treaties -- or less romantically, a modest return on its investment in Europa. No. The Soviet boogey is no more and Europa is a big girl and can flirt as she likes.

Ah.

But when America directs its attentions elsewhere, well, luckily the BBC is there to report on the perfidy, from its own correspondent Bridget Kendall.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT:
DOES THE 'WEST' STILL EXIST?

WASHINGTON March 17, 2007 (BBC) - [A] recent conference in Washington...brought together eminent policy makers and academics from both the United States and Europe [whose] task was to explore how much the US and Europe still have in common.

And discussion had not gone very far before the prevailing American view was dumped into the European collective lap like a bucket of cold water.

"The West is an outdated concept," declared one supremely self-confident senior American official at a lunch where he was the guest of honour.

"And if there is still a West, then it includes Australia, Japan and South Korea. We have a global vision now," he continued, waving his mike like a daytime talk show host, as he roved between the immaculately set luncheon tables.

The European guests, several ambassadors among them, toyed uncomfortably with their cutlery.

This isn't reporting, this is a Harlequin romance in the making. A romance of love gone bad, of stately but aging Europa abandoned by faithless hot-blooded America for exotic curvaceous allies. The detail! The mood! When Ms. Kendall has the dumped but dignified Euros flinch -- we flinch! The writing is that empathetic.

This did not sound much like American contrition following a ruinous Iraq invasion. Far from it.

Why aren't these Americans contrite? [Pause to ponder.] A brief note about Iraq. Those who opposed the liberation of Iraq always refer to it as ruinous, a quagmire, because they believe it to be. To believe otherwise would require something more than an unerring gut to establish the facts. It is in their collective gut that they sense the real situation in Iraq. This sense then ascends as a cloud of feeling. What they feel they then report as the fact of Iraq.

Nowhere in this feeling-as-fact is there an accounting for Libya voluntarily abandoning its WMD programs following Iraq's liberation -- programs the vigilant UN was unaware of till presented with the prize. A prize that years of Euro talk, cajoling, scalding tears, and open hysteria have failed to secure from Iran.

Nowhere in this feeling-as-fact is there an acknowledgement of the democratic processes in Iraq. Fans of "Iraq the disaster" find Iraqi democracy just too messy to be legitimate -- better that regrettable strongman who kept the natives behaved. These same folk also have a muzzy feeling for terrorists. They suggest the terrorists attacking Iraqis should be sat down at government counsels, that terrorist grievances should be given legitimacy.

Americans are not contrite because Iraq is not fought from one BBC dispatch or Le Monde editorial to the next. No doubt Mr. Churchill following Dunkirk equally confounds the BBC's own correspondent, Ms. Kendall. Much as was Mr. Hitler. Please, a little contrition, Mr. Prime Minister.

We learnt that Europe was no longer central to American interests. The once turbulent Balkans were no longer a worry. Russia was weaker than it pretended.

And what mattered now were Middle East threats, and the opportunities offered by the emerging Asian giants, China and India.

Seen through American eyes, it seemed the era of fixed alliances was over. From now on the United States would pick and mix. Sometimes partners would be Europeans, sometimes Japanese, Indian or even Chinese.

The name of the game would be selective and loose commitments: "Like an open marriage," said one former US official, eyeing the audience playfully.

Some of the Europeans shuffled uneasily in their seats.

"What rubbish," muttered one to me, snapping shut her notebook as we filed out for a coffee break.

"In my experience an open marriage tends to work only for one side," ventured another, a British academic, "and I suspect it is the Americans who will benefit."

To be fair, some of the Americans did admit mistakes and acknowledge policy adjustments.

To be fair.

There's more. Testy know-it-all Americans who take no guff from elderly gentlemen Europeans who only mean well. America is, of course, being selfish here, pursuing its own national interests, looking to benefit from its expended treasure and energies.

Europeans doing what very much looks to be the same thing are building a dynamic exciting multipolar world.

PFFT (What is this?): Brave new world 2 | Heartbroken Europa 1¼ | Missing sugardaddy 4½ | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour,

Où sont vos solutions génialissimmmmmes pour l' Irak ?
Sur le terrain on ne les voit pas !
Tiens , le très désintéressé Cheney après avoir fait fortune en installant les Droits de l' Homme en Irak =:) se barre pour DubaÏ ...
Quel patriote !
« Chiquita Brands » entreprise tout aussi désintéressée qu’ «Halliburton » se fait prendre la main dans le sac pour avoir financé des tueurs et des trafiquants de drogue en Amérique Centrale…
Quel parangon de moralité que les entreprises yanks !!!

Bonjour ,

Ben nous , c'est pareil ...
Les EU ne sont pas un allié , juste un pays où nous ferons ponctuellement des affaires.
Nous ne voulons pas ,par exemple , qu'ils nous imposent les musulmans turcs CHEZ NOUS.
Comprenez-le , les gars vous êtes une AUTRE Civilisation.
Vous vous êtes fondé sur la détestation de l' Europe , c'est votre droit le plus strict , mais à partir de là nos routes divergent.
L’Europe ne sera pas votre vassal !
Remballez donc vos Mac Do et Pat Russo !
Et basta !